Yesterday the high temperature in Cleveland was 95 degrees, with high humidity; the day before 97 (my car thermometer hit 104!). These are among the hottest days ever recorded in the Cleveland area. We have had some summers when there were no, or very few, days in the 90's, so this summer is extraordinary.
Luckily, we have a gigantic lake right here, Lake Erie, one of the wonders of the world. And yesterday we traveled 80 miles east along the shore of the Big Lake to an amazing place, the peninsula called "Presque Isle," just north of the city of Erie, Pennsylvania. If my French studies of long ago can still be trusted, "Presque Isle" means "almost an island." The peninsula is about 6-8 miles in length, with miles of biking and hiking trails, 13 tremendous beaches, uncounted ponds, lakes, bays, and swamps. At its tip is a monument to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the hero of the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. From that point you can see the town of Erie, about a mile across Presque Isle Bay. In the summer there are dozens of sailboats and power boats in view. In the winter . . . well, you don't want to know. Let's just say that Commodore Perry's crew gave the name to "Misery Bay" during the hard winter of 1813-14 for a reason.
Yesterday we encamped at Beach 10, known as "Budny Beach" (after Pat Budny, a 17-year-old boy who swam from Long Point, Ontario to this beach back in 1975). The water was wonderful and really cooled us down. This was the perfect place to be on a hot day on the northern coast of the United States.
Here's a link to Wikipedia's article on Presque Isle State Park:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presque_Isle_State_Park
Saturday, July 23, 2011
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