I am SO glad I brought my bike. There are no campgrounds in the park, so I stayed at one nearby. The next day was a slow morning, cleaning and organizing the van to maximize the Oohs and Ahhs when I would show it to my friends Ken and Kaja once I got to Toledo. I got to Cuyahoga around 11:00, and hit the towpath. The towpath was for the mules hauling the boats that went along the Ohio and Erie Canal. Interestingly, this is not a combined section of two canals; it is completely separate from the Erie Canal. It didn’t stop me from hearing the song in my head all day, though. I used to teach The Erie Canal song at school, and I derived a twisted pleasure teaching the children how mules are made… As I passed the locks, I imagined the laborers building them, cutting the stones, and how long it must have taken to complete. Now, it was reclaimed by the woods. The canal made a big difference for commerce in its day, however.
Some parts were just a depression in the ground, some parts had bright green standing water, other parts were filled with cattails. I biked the whole length of the park, up and back, 40 miles. In the last five miles I got a flat in the rear tire. A nice woman stopped and offered to walk with me to her car and drive me the rest of the way to my van, but I demurred and successfully changed the tire! Haven’t done that in 30 years. In the middle of the project I was soaked by a passing thunderstorm. But my mood never soured. I found myself enjoying the elements, getting drenched and muddy. There is a deep satisfaction in realizing environmental conditions need not have any bearing on one’s state of mind.
A friend observed, “Sharon is a big part of your journey”, which is true. After she died, part of my coping process was to go through the entire house and organize, clear out and preserve. Many of my friends know I did a big “work down the pantry” project, which ended up being a good thing because I did so well that I could use the pantry for storing everything to make room for the renters. I packed very intentionally in the van, and there were connections to Sharon I had to include. A jar of olives she brined from fresh ones from Greece. Her last garlic harvest. These are the final transitory vestiges of her direct impact in the world. I meant to plant her garlic and have it represent life continuing and renewing, but with the renters coming I didn’t get to it. So they are in the van. I have two bulbs left, and yes, they are still good. When I shopped in Acadia, I bought Marie’s Blue Cheese Dressing, which I had never done before, but it was because Sharon used to say, “When I met Blake I knew how to make an omelette and dip carrots in Blue Cheese dressing”. When I’m riding my bike and I think of her, I ring the bell.
This journey is actual, but also a journey of the heart, which is why I’m calling it Road to Joy. I miss Sharon so much, and (not “but”) I’m embracing my new life and finding things to look forward to and be excited by.
Ending on an upbeat note, here are some fun business and street names.
Bowlero- bowling alley
Sweet Home Road- awww
Chagrin Boulevard- Oops, sorry we built it