Early evening at Metzger Marsh

Tuesday 8 October
This morning we checked out a new (to us) bike trail, the North Coast Inland trail which, as its name implies, runs west to east in sections across northern Ohio. I say “in sections” as it is still a work in progress. The first car park we went to, we discovered there was a closure a few miles away, so we then headed to the western outskirt of Fremont, but whilst we could see the trail heading west, we wanted to go east, and it wasn’t clear where the trail was. As we were looking at our phones, looking puzzled, a very kind gentleman came across and asked if he could help. He explained that the trail takes to the road through the town, and if we wanted to avoid that, which we did, he showed us on Rogers phone a small park, Walsh Park on the other side of town where we could park, and the trail ran through it. So, third time lucky, we found the park and the trail, and set off. It was a beautiful Fall day, sunny, and very warm, and we enjoyed a lovely ride through Ohio farmland, some plowed and ready for the next crop, but others, still holding dried corn sheaves or soy beans ready to be harvested.
I’ve put in an extra collage of views from the trail, including the bright red berries of the invasive Amur honeysuckle, and the bright red leaves of the sumac. After our bike ride as far as Clyde and back (15 miles return), we headed in the car to Magee Marsh, an area known for its waterfowl, water birds shorebirds and songbirds, especially during migration seasons. Especially during the Spring migration, the boardwalk will be crammed with photographers with tripods and their enormous lenses listening and looking out for tiny warblers. Today, however, it was very quiet, it still being a bit early for peak Fall duck populations. From there we continued to nearby Metzger Marsh, the subject of my main blip, bathed in the golden light of late afternoon/early evening. There is a trail following a dike controlling the water levels, and you have Lake Erie on one side and the marsh on the other. It would have been nice to walk further, but it was time to get back to the camper to fix dinner.