Fri, Aug 23 - Darien St. Park, NY

I left the motel in Lorain, OH at 7am this morning to try to beat the worst of the commute through Cleveland.  But first, a word about last night's dinner.

I went next door to a restaurant that had the nicest staff I have met in a long time.  Everyone stopped by my table to chat, as they did with all the patrons.  But the menu!  As soon as I saw it I knew I had to order the city chicken.  I have never heard of it outside Cincinnati, but evidently it is an Ohio food.  It is made with cubes of pork which are placed on a wooden skewer, dipped in beaten egg, and rolled in coarse cracker crumbs and skillet fried.  My mom made city chicken to die for!  I made it a few times but I don't think it was a favorite with my kids so I quit making it.

The city chicken came with mashed potatos and gravy, and carrots, and all were seasoned and cooked to perfection!  Unfortunately the portions were too big for me and i could only eat half the food on the plate, but it was a meal to remember!

So I left early this morning and though the traffic was heavy enough, I didn't have a problem.  When did I start thinking I couldn't drive through cities?  I don't like to and won't do it except when I have to, but I can do it.

I finally got to the road along the Lake Erie shore but was disappointed that most of the lake is held privately so there isn't a lot of beach access.  I did manage to get a few pictures though.  I think these were taken at Conneaut Township Park, after which I stopped at the Ashtabula Campus of Kent State University and took the photos of the geese.

I stayed on the lakeshore drive through the small portion I traveled in Pennsylvania.  Again, almost all the lake access is in private hands.  PA is a gorgeous state, and this part featured grape vines and wineries, plus many fresh produce stands.  Erie PA has an interesting section along the shore, but I kept going and entered New York.  I think this shot was at Westfield, NY.

Here are some shots taken at Lake Erie State Park, NY.  I walked down all those steps and way out on the boardwalk.  The return trip didn't bother me like I thought it might.  There are 73 steps and I climbed them at a pretty good pace, stopping after 40 for a few seconds and then continuing right on up.

I'm not sure where these were taken - I think at a boat launch somewhere along the way.

 

 

It wasn't the wisest decision I ever made to try to drive US20 up to and around Buffalo on a Friday afternoon.  I should probably have gotten on an interstate for most of it.  Finally US20 turned east and I stopped at Darien State Park where they had about 5 available campsites, one of which is perfect for me tonight.  I can't believe how friendly the other campers are.  My campsite before setting up the tent.

  

Tomorrow I will make my way to Lake Ontario and that will be the final of the Great Lakes for me this trip.  Before I entered one of the municipal parks along the way the radio played the song about the Edmund Fitzgerald.  That ship went down in one of the Great Lakes, and I can't remember for sure which one - Lake Huron, maybe?  I also can't remember the singer who did the song so beautifully, but I couldn't have heard it at a more perfect time.  Every one of the Lakes is beautiful and powerful.

A lady who stopped to talk told me it is supposed to get down into the 50's tonight.  I don't know whether to put on the tent fly or not - I normally don't use it at 50 in California, but maybe it would be a good idea tonight, especially since I can't ever be sure there won't be a few showers.