Biking in Akron

As we enter the outskirts of Akron, the trail becomes increasingly urban and industrial. Old factories sit quietly on the side and empty bottles, cans, paper and other garbage pollute the canal. Still, turtles sun themselves on logs, people fish and a great blue heron leads us down the canal toward town. 

While the waterways of the canal and Tuscarawas surround us, I have yet to see a single boat occupied by a person on the water. Traffic on the trail picks up with walkers and cyclists. Still the surrounding wetlands are quite beautiful as water fowl, songbirds, insects, fish and other creatures take their place in adjoining spaces.

Discarded tires, large cans, broken bottles, and other objects line the shore spoiling the view as we approach Summit Lake. We pass under a rusty railroad bridge with large gaping holes in its frame. A scent of oil is in the air. Nearby buildings belch out smoke and noise. As we traverse the lake, we find ourselves on a floating towpath made of teak. It rumbles as we roll across it; there is a viewing platform to take in the entirety of the lake. 

Leaving the floating towpath, we pass apartment buildings to our right with large portrait pictures next to the lake of what I have to assume are local residents. We shortly pass a community/nature center filled with picnicking families and working barbecues. 

Passing under the interstate, the bike path and neighboring parks are devoid of people. It feels lonely. The canal in this area has little water. Ironically, the bike path is clean and well kept.

Turning a corner, the bike path has become even nicer with new paving, iron fencing and wrought iron light posts. But to our right we spot an abandoned Goodrich factory with broken windows and half a smokestack apparently missing. Steam is vented from a pipe over the canal at fixed intervals. 

We are detoured into downtown Akron, away from the canal. The town is as empty as its parks. The streets are under construction and cars were few and far between. We peddled through town and got to our hotel. We checked in, put our bikes into the room and headed for a microbrewery where we quenched our thirst with delightful local beers and sated our hunger with delicious crab cakes. Tomorrow we reach Cleveland and the end of our cycling adventure.

As we stroll back to our hotel, Ted poses me next to a giant waterwheel replica that used to power Cascade Mills, the predecessor to Quaker Oats. The river in this area used to power a large factory here and was a staging area for barges making their way.