The Underworld
Today was my day to finally descend into the Metroparks. After completing many streets looking down at the Rocky River, Valley Parkway provided me the opportunity to get up close and personal.
However, researching what part of Valley Parkway was in Lakewood was a bit tricky. The borders of Rocky River, Cleveland and Lakewood look a bit like gerrymandered districts when it come to the Metroparks. My homework even suggested that I might have missed a tiny portion of Rockliff that is technically in Lakewood near the bottom of the hill into the Metroparks,
To cover all of my bases, I walked from the bottom of Hogback Lane (in the Cleveland part I believe), past Memorial Field (still Cleveland), over a bridge and part way up Rockcliff (Lakewood I think). I then continued along the road until I was underneath the Hilliard Road and I-90 bridges (Rocky River portion). I took a moment to linger here beneath the busy streets high above. I snapped a picture in this Sunday morning stillness where I could hear squirrels and chipmunks scurrying in the bushes over the hum of the highway over my head.
The final stretch was all in Lakewood, passing the Lakewood Dog Park and the Lakewood Wastewater Treatment Plant. I stopped along the fitness trail to do a few chin-ups. Another walker offered to take my picture (thanks Nicole) and I was impressed that I could complete the task. I think the now 30 pounds that I have lost doing this challenge was the key to success.
