Salute to Cleveland's Vision

Monday July 7th was a historic day in Cleveland history.  It may not have been the history they were anxious to embrace, but it is historic non-the-less. It was the date of a terrible fire, and a heartfelt re-dedication to the Cuyahoga River.

This is a full salute- from the fireboat Anthony J. Celebrezze

There is something about a boat at full salute, water spraying wildly, that makes my soul rejoice.  I seldom miss life on the lake, but this sight alone can nearly bring me to tears.

 And this isn't just any old "fire boat."  It is the fire boat that put out the Cuyahoga River fire that ignited an environmental movement, and ultimately the Environmental Protection Agency. Go here to read the story.

 A generous crowd gathered on the lawn for speech-a-fying and general celebration of the Scranton Flats park. The firehouse lawn was a good and fitting location.

It was a celebration of the Canalway Partners, and I am mighty pleased with the efforts of my friends at Trust for Public Land who worked so hard to make this possible.  Where there was once industrial wasteland...

now there are birds, boats, and fishes in the river!  A bike trail complements the recreational possibilities. Cleveland is being reborn and is leading the way for urban renewal across our county.

Tim Donavan from Canal Way was the emcee.

 There was a full compliment of government officials, all who wished Cleveland the very best, and were undoubtly pleased when the GOP announced they would have their Nation Convention in this historic city.

One has to admire the hard work and dedication of Sen. Sherrod Brown and Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur in their efforts to represent Ohioans.  Cleveland is fortunate indeed to have Congresswoman Kaptur reapportioned to represent!   

The Hon. Ralph Regula

It was also an honor to be in the presence of the Hon. Ralph Regula, long-time servant of Ohioans.  We probably would not be on the same page politically on many issues, but this man was the driving force behind the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. For that alone he will have my undying gratitude.

In his touching comments Congressman Regula sited the phase: "Where there is no vision the people perish..." (Proverbs. 29:18.)  It was a fitting verse for this auspicious occasion.

No one could be more pleased than me to see the vision that Cleveland is embracing for the future.  It was an honor to be a witness to this historic day.

Cleveland by Kayak

I recently visited daughter #2, the aquarist who lives and works in Cleveland.  Just in case you are confused, aquarist is not her horoscope, but rather her job title.  She works at the Greater Cleveland Aquarium and has been professionally working with fish (and often sharks) since college.

For most of her formative years, whenever I would ask her to go out in the field with me, she would ask, "Is there water involved?" 

 No water.  No JJ.

So it was no surprise when JJ asked me to bring the kayaks to Cleveland for a whirlwind tour of the city- by water.

The decommissioned Cleveland Coast Guard Station.

We put in at Whiskey Island, entering the shipping channel and Cuyahoga River next to the old landmark U.S. Coast Guard Station.

This might be called the "Tour de Bridges."  There are a lot of metal structures spanning the Cuyahoga and the railroad lift trestles are some of the most impressive feats of engineering to be seen.  It is hard to believe a span of metal this size is completely lifted skyward to accommodate the height of incoming freighters.

There is a little nature left to been seen along the river.  Good numbers of tree swallows and Canada geese call this place home.  There is often a large gathering of Black-crowned Night-herons which roost here in the winter, but they were not seen today. 

 A monument to Cleveland's Irish population stands along side the  river at "The Flats."  Once a seedy part of town dedicated to shipping and longshoremen, it had a huge surge in popularity in the 90's and was a tourist spot.  Several businesses are still found here and the old power plant is the site of the aquarium.  Work is being done to infuse life into this section of town once again.

An hour of paddle time took us from Whiskey Island to the heart of the city.  We had excellent views of Terminal Tower and other Cleveland skyline landmarks.  All in all it was a most pleasurable trip and one I would do again.  Especially if I thought I would see those Night-herons!