Central Ohio is hours away from the nearest Great Lake – I’ve never been so land-locked! Growing up in Chicago, with easy access to Lake Michigan and spending my 4 undergraduate years in Milwaukee, just a short bus ride from the lakefront, with its museums, festivals, and bike paths, had me unaware of what it would be like to live this way. Columbus has its riverfront properties, along the Scioto Mile, but it’s not the same.

The Great Lakes are appropriately named. You look out to the horizon and see nothing but water and sky, meeting in a mashup of shades of blue, sometimes turned pink, orange, and yellow by a stunning sunset or sunrise, depending on the land you find your feet rooted to.

So, when we want that feeling of escape, lost in the motion of the water, it’s time for a drive north, to the shores of Lake Erie. The lakefront of Cleveland, Geneva on the Lake, Toledo, and the smaller towns in-between is refreshing. The air is a tad cooler — that’s called lake effect! It’s windy, even in the heat of summer. As we approach fall the air becomes brisk. If you’re headed to Kelly’s Island or Put-In-Bay there’s still time to catch the ferry, before it shuts down for the winter, when the lake freezes over.

Take your bike with you, if you’re fortunate enough to have one – it’s the best way to travel around the islands. You can rent a beach cruiser on the islands too. Either way, it will feel like summer, for just a bit longer! In the Midwest we still have temperatures in the 90s, so hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Swing by Cyclist Connection, if you need a water bottle — shameless plug for a friend’s bike shop!

When you get to Kelleys Island be certain to check out the 400 feet long, 35 feet wide, and up to 15 feet deep glacial grooves, created by the slow movement of the massive glacier that is responsible for the Great Lakes and the Lake Erie Islands.

“When glaciers move across the earth, they pick up rocks, soil, and other debris, and drag them along. As the ice crept over the soft limestone bedrock of Kelleys Island, these harder bits of rock gouged the grooves that we see today. Originally, the grooves were filled with soil, debris, and quarry waste. In 1972, excavation to uncover the full extent of the grooves began, and they have been a popular tourist attraction ever since.” (Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce)

If you’re brave, crazy, or just young enough to live life with blind courage and a feeling of invincibility you might attempt to leap into the water-filled quarry on the interior of the island. There is an abundance of hiking and biking trails around the East Quarry and Horseshoe Lake. I’ve witnessed such bravery – or is it stupidity? Okay, it’s youth, for sure. Disclaimer – you did not get the idea here! Don’t jump! Don’t break both legs on the way down!

Okay, just don’t get old! If you do, consider admiring the flowers around the trail.

Stop. Smell those flowers – while you can.

School is back in session, so all the friends and family who work in the schools are back to it. The kiddos are back with their classmates and happy about it, for now. Yet summer lingers, in our hearts and on the calendar. Settle into a sunbeam. Breathe in the scent of the late summer flowers. Feel the warmth that’s still in the air.

If you’re from the Midwest, like I am, you know that the cold and snow will be here soon, before you know it, ready or not. There is a solid month of daily ferry rides left before this transport drops to weekends only and then halts altogether! Enjoy it, while you can!

Join me on my next adventure,

~ Kat

Related Links:

Cyclist Connection: https://cyclistconnection.com/

Kelleys Island: https://kelleysisland.com/

Kelleys Island Chamber of Commerce: https://www.kelleysislandchamber.com/directory/places/glacial-grooves/

Kelleys Island Ferry: https://www.kelleysislandferry.com/

Glacial Grooves (Atlas Obscura): https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/kelleys-island-glacial-grooves

Kelleys Island Nature Exploration (Chamber of Commerce): https://www.kelleysislandchamber.com/nature-exploration/