Wildlife Watching in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

February 4, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

On the outskirts of Cleveland is the impressive Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

I’ve visited this park a couple of times and with more than 125 miles of traisl to explore, it has no shortage of adventure options for hikers and bikers. Actually, biking is my favourite way to explore the park.

An Eagle Nest in Cuyahoga valley National Park

As the park is somewhat long and skinny, it’s a bit of a challenge to get around different parts of the park on foot, so the smooth and easy Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath trail is the way to go. This trail is easy and accessible to all, but don’t let it’s popularity and accessibility make you think you won’t see any wildlife.

I saw deer along here in the early morning, before having my camera ready, but I managed to see plenty of other creatures as well. By biking along the Towpath Trail, it gets you around the vast majority of the park, allowing you to lock up and hike on for further / more remote trails. Because the Towpath Trail snakes it’s way along the old canal system, it passes right beside a number of creeks, rivers and wetlands. The Cuyahoga River itself is the main attraction, luring in many birds, such as a good number of Great Blue Herons.

Great Blue Heron – perched above the Cuyahoga River in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Be sure to keep an eye on the water surface as you hike or bike along as well. Slow down and look carefully, as turtles seem to pop up everywhere here! It is easy to miss them if you don’t pay attention, but just check any logs that are partially submerged and you’ll start to spot a lot of them.

Fish and frogs – food for those herons – are found along the river system as well. A couple of the more elusive animals that are here (which I wasn’t lucky to spot) are beavers and coyotes.

Since the park runs down Ohio, it goes through a number of small towns such as Peninsula. This makes it easy to stop in for a bite to eat or relax in between your hiking and biking adventures. Another bonus, if you do take the biking route, is that the Scenic Railway that goes through the park allows you to bring your bike aboard, so you can bike and hike through the park one way, then take a easy train ride back to where you started. Super convenient.

Tinkers Creek Gorge, Brandywine Falls and the Hale Farm & Village are all worthwhile stops along the way as you explore the trails in the park.

Turtle in CVNP — Turtle in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

While you can see a lot in a full day of hiking and biking, the best suggestion is the book an overnight Stanford House, near Brandywine Falls. It is at about the 1/2 way mark of the park and offers both camping and rooms. There are many other nearby places to stay, but that would be tops in my books.

With that said, the park is so close to Akron and Cleveland that if you don’t book an overnight in the park, you can always make it an easy return trip for multiple days of exploring.

Typical trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Male Frigatebird

February 3, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Frigatebirds are some of the most interesting birds I’ve come across in the Galapagos Islands. Even after multiple visits to the islands, I still have trouble telling apart the two species there (magnificent frigates and greater frigates). The colour variations are what give them away, but usually they just look all black to me, so it doesn’t help.

One thing that is easy to tell is whether it is a male or female frigatebird!

This is obviously a male frigatebird, thanks to his red pouch. Seeing these birds puff out their pouches while propped up in a nest, in hopes of attracting a mate, is quite the sight. When puffed up all the way, the shape of the red pouch is similar to a heart.

As females circle above cliffs in the Galapagos Islands, they choose their mate not only based on how impressive his red pouch is, but more on the quality and location of his nest. Of course he needs to get her attention first, so she’ll take a closer look, but it isn’t a case of the brightest or biggest is best.

Quality counts for the female frigates, and they can be quite picky! It means male frigatebirds can spend a lot of time, and energy, putting on a display in hopes of getting lucky.

Beer

Craft Beer Day in Buffalo

January 31, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Crossing the border into Buffalo for some US beers is a common thing for craft beer lovers in southern Ontario. Even when our Canadian dollar is dropping, the lure of different beers can be strong.

I’ve hopped over to the Buffalo area for trips as short as a few hours to stock up on supplies, but most people combine a beer day in Buffalo with at least one overnight so you can actually enjoy some beers while you’re there! So, for anyone who hasn’t done a beer day in Buffalo, here are some of my personal tips on where to stay, where to drink and where to buy some bottles to bring home.

Where to Drink Craft Beer in Buffalo

There are a few places that get top mention by many beer lovers, and a handful of them are in the Mike Shatzel’s empire. He owns Moor Pat, Coles, Blue Monk, Allen Burger Venture and perhaps other places. So, feel free to hit any of them up. Coles gets a lot of love, and while they special events and tap list is impressive, I have to admit I’ve never been a big fan of their food.

Now, if you’re in town for a hockey game or other event, the old school Pearl Street Grill & Brewery is convenient, and stopping at the nearby 716 Sports Bar at Harbor Center will at least yield surprisingly decent food to go along with the massive wall of TVs to catch the game, even if the beer selection isn’t quite as solid as other options.

Pizza Plant gets a nod for people who like beer, but may be heading over with the family, so require a more family-friendly spot. Their location on Transit Road in Clarence (close to the Griffon Gastropub, another worthy beer stop) has always been popular, but they’re just opened a new spot at Canalside, which should be a great addition to that part of the city.

Beer Samples in Buffalo at Resurgence Brewing Company

The Riverside neighborhood is a great area with Flying Bison and Hydraulic Hearth there (the beers at Hydraulic Hearth are brewed on-site by Community Beer Works). Plus, Resurgence Brewing is probably the top spot in town when it comes to breweries, although there are many many others I haven’t mentioned – these are just my personal favourites.

Where to Buy Bottles of Beer

A big attraction for Canadians heading to Buffalo for beer is picking up bottles of US beers we can’t get here at home. Grab what you like at any of the breweries that you visit, then hit Premier Gourmet. It is easily the bets bottle shop around. Chances are they’ll have the local beer you want. If you’re seeking a special brew, and can’t find it there, then Village Beer Merchant is a possible stop as well. Their selection is smaller, but they do get some beers that you may not find at Premier. For the price conscious, places like Wegmans and Consumers beverages carry good selections as well.

Where to Stay in Buffalo

Extending your beer day in Buffalo to include some actual sampling requires an overnight. The challenge here is that Buffalo is a bit spread out when it comes to hopping around to the best bottle shops, bars and breweries. Your best bet is to do your bottle shopping first, then so sampling over in the Riverside neighborhood.

View of Downtown Buffalo from Hampton Inn & Suites

Then stay somewhere close to downtown, where you can hop on the light rail train or be within an easy taxi ride or hearty walk of some of the best beer bars. For location and price, the Hampton Inn and Suites downtown hotel wins for me. It has a really solid breakfast and is close enough to all the bars and pubs. As a bonus, if you’re a meat-eater both Dinosaur BBQ and The Lodge are just minutes away, two good eating spots with decent bottle or draft beer options.

Final tip – if you’re not staying more than 48 hours in the US, then you’ll need to pay duty on any beer you bring back across the border. Sometimes they don’t mind and wave you on through even if you have alcohol any haven’t been in the US long enough to get an exception. But, don’t expect that – be prepared and have your receipts ready and expect to pay a duty surcharge when you’re crossing back into Canada.

Dinosaur BBQ - Buffalo — Local Beer Sampler and Meat at Dinosaur BBQ, Buffalo

Travel Articles

Tasty Treats at the Historic West Side Market in Cleveland

January 29, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Food markets are funny places to me. On one hand I think they are great spots, where you can buy direct from the farmers, butchers and families who are selling their products. On the other hand, they often have poor hours and prices are higher than your local supermarket.

In the end, you’re paying for freshness and getting to know the people who are behind the products you want to sell, so whether it is West Side Market in Cleveland or the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, they’re worth frequenting and supporting.

West Side Market - Sausages — West Side Market – Sausages

When I was in Cleveland I visited West Side Market after a big brunch meal at the West Side Market Cafe. Probably a smart thing as I wasn’t as tempted to stock up on sweets, treats and meats as I normally otherwise would be.

The market itself did remind me quite a bit of the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto, but it had a little more structure to it. As a historic building, it is more than 100 years old and has served as an important food hub to the city of Cleveland for a long time. It has grown over the decades, and now has an outdoor area extension where the produce providers are located.

West Side Market - Cheese Shop — West Side Market – Cheese Shop

The Pork Chop Shop had some great chorizo, and I found the produce guys outside were all competitive and eager to let you sample their stuff, in hopes of a sale. The Cheese Shop and many other stalls indoors, in particular the sausages guys at Frank’s were also generous with offering up free samples to get you hooked.

If I lived in Cleveland and was having guests over for dinner, I’d likely stop by and grab some meats, cheeses or other tasty treats from the market. One thing I noticed was that there did not seem to be a lot of high quality shops serving up prepared foods. Sure, there were some sandwich and crepe options, but overall there wasn’t as much of the ready-to-eat options as I expected to find.

West Side Market - Meat — West Side Market – Meat

The area around the market was really nice to walk around too. Nearby restaurants and breweries make it an easy place to stop in for a few hours and spend half a day. One spot that did get me curious and wish that I had more time in Cleveland to do some cooking was the gnocchi place…I never knew there could be so many types of gnocchi, the pumpkin sage gnocchi sounded best to me.

West Side Market = Produce — West Side Market – Produce

West Side Market - Gnocchi — West Side Market – Gnocchi

West Side Market - Meat Vendor — West Side Market – Meat Vendor

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Coati

January 27, 2016 Red Hunt Leave a comment

These cute little guys were scampering all around when I visited Iguassu Falls in Brazil and Argentina.

I also saw them while travelling through Central America. To me, they look like super-skinny raccoons! Not surprisingly they are from the raccoon family.

With this ring tailed coati species, their colouring and ringed tails is very similar to that of the raccoons we find here at home in Canada.

Also called a coatimundi or pizote, these cute guys are fairly social, travelling in troops. They tend to live in the forest, but can live in grasslands and other climates. Some subspecies even live in the mountains. Equally adept at climbing or digging, they have impressive paws and are able to turn their wrists around to climb down trees head first!

As cute as they are, they can be pretty mean and have very sharp teeth – so don’t think about trying to have one as a pet.

Most common in Central and South America, you can actually find coatis in parts of the US as well – Texas, New Mexico and Arizona!

Red Hunt Travel