Day 3: Port Clinton to Charm

Not wanting to lose too much time we set the alarm for 8am so we can go back to the mainland on the first ferry of the day. There’s no one at the docks when we get there so we walk over to Frosty’s and get breakfast to go. Most people are probably still sleeping off their hangovers so it’s still very quiet on the island. We sit down in De Rivera Park from where we can watch the marina while we eat.

There are only 4 other people on the entire upper deck on the way back. What a luxury! I try to strike the pose of a filthy rich heiress enjoying a leasurely cruise, but it's actually very uncomfortable to put your legs up on the reilings lol.

We pick up the car from the lot across the street and drive straight to Cuyahoga Valley National Park. After trading a dehydrated biker a bottle of water for directions we make it to the visitors center. There’s a short trail to the Blue Hen Falls, with an overlook at the end.

It doesn’t take long before I spot a faint trail down the mountainside and we scramble down the mountain to get a better view.

And because it doesn’t count unless you get wet ... 

The rock is very interesting here, lots of little layers on top of each other.

Close up of one of the tiny (3") falls after Blue Hen Falls

Getting back to the top isn’t much easier than coming down.

Cuyahoga Valley is very spread out so we have to drive to get to Brandywine Falls. They are a lot larger than Blue Hen Falls, but to me less interesting because we can only view them from a wooden walkway.

The ranger at the Boston Store visitor center recommends we also visit the Ledges area so that's where we'll go next. Thunder rumbles in the distance when we set out, but we soldier on undaunted by the threat of nature. How bad could it be!?

The magical woods start to look more like something out of a horror movie as darkness looms over the forest. I wish my camera didn't correct for the darkness so you could see it the way we saw it!

The ice box is a small cave where the temperature is cool year round. Amazingly you can even feel the cold draft coming up from the cave when you're just walking past.

It had started to drizzle a bit earlier, but now the sky opens up and it’s pouring, pouring, pouring. Thunder and lightning is all around us and the rain is so cool it causes a dense mist to hang between the trees. Absolutely perfect conditions to shoot a Hitchcock movie, but less perfect for hiking so we decide to wait it out for a couple of minutes … and a couple more … and just a bit longer …

When the rain slows down the littlest bit we leave the cold shelter of the Ice Box and head back to the trailhead. There’s a short trail to the Steps so I jog the other direction while Sandy proceeds to the shelter.

Completely drenched we pile back in the car and drive to the small town of Canal Fulton. We were really hoping to go on a horsedrawn boat tour, but unfortunately they're closed on Mondays. Not sure if they would do it with the rain anyway ...

I snap a few more pictures with the other camera, but we don’t feel much like walking around in the rain so we keep driving towards Amish country.














Rolling hills dotted with farms … definitely heading in the right direction.

A horse and buggy! We have arrived!

Matching crazy caution sign. To be honest, it’s kind of scary to watch the horse and buggy’s driving on the side of the road with cars zooming past them going 50 miles an hour. Those are some seriously bomb proof horses!

It’s only 6pm, but we’re both starving so after much consideration we decide to try Der Dutchman, only to find out they’re closed due to a power outage. The cashier at the gift shop across the road recommends their sister property in Sugarcreek so we decide to give it a try even though we haven’t read any reviews. (You can probably tell where this is going …)

Typical Amish country sight; lush green fields, a red barn and a horse and buggy.

There’s a nice wraparound porch, but things take a downhill turn from there. Instead of a rustic, real Amish dining experience we find ourselves in a buffet similar to any large buffet in America. The salad bar is pretty good (they use locally grown fresh produce), but the selection is limited and the rest of the food can only be described as mediocre at best.

I’m really bummed about dinner, but while we’re there we pick up a brochure for a B&B in Charm, called Guggisberg Swiss Inn, where horses roam the property. Unfortunately we haven’t gotten to see the horses yet because they’re inside because of the storm, but the gorgeous inn and countryside alone are reason enough to stay here.  

Breakfast: Frosty’s
Dinner: Dutch Valley in Sugarcreek
Lodging: Guggisberg Swiss Inn