After looking at the weather reports for tomorrow, we decided today to bypass Cleveland and head on to Lorain, Ohio. We left Mentor-on-the-Lake at 7:00 am to follow the shoreline to Cleveland, OH. Given the early departure, our farewell salute from Mentor Yachting Club was made by this lone Blue Heron along the channel out into Lake Erie (picture at right). As you can see, the wind was very light with only a very gentle off shore breeze.
As we left the harbor at Mentor, almost immediately were able to see the skyline of Cleveland, OH about 25 miles to the west. The lakefront is protected by a long breakwater parallel to the shoreline that forms a very long inner harbor. We stayed just on the outside (or lake side) of the breakwater so that we could get very good views of the city. The picture at the left shows some of the downtown skyline. The "shorter" tower in the center is the Terminal Tower, which for many years was the tallest building and a signature symbol of the skyline.
Barely visible in the lower right of the picture above are The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Browns (nearly) new football stadium. In the picture at the right the Hall of Fame is the building with the slanting roof just on the left of center. The complex of buildings on the right, including the dark grey dome, is the Great Lakes Science Center. The Hall of Fame , which was designed by famed architect I. M. Pei, opened in 1988 and is a signature part of waterfront redevelopment.
Just to the right (west) of the above picture is the nearly new Cleveland Browns' football stadium, which is also the new home of "Johnny Football" (Johnny Manziel). The Texas A&M football star was drafted by the Browns in the first round of last Spring's NFL Draft. Gig 'em Aggies! There are going to be a lot of Browns fans in Texas now.
Shortly after this we passed the main entrance to the outer harbor and the (infamous) Cuyahoga River. Yes, that is the river that burned back in the 1970s... The picture at the right is the lighthouse at the entrance.
Then it was time to continue along the south shore of Lake Erie for about 25 miles to Lorain, OH. The light off shore breeze continued so we actually stayed only about a mile from shore in very calm waters. Yes, it was a really nice day for this trip!
The signature view of Lorain, Ohio from the waterfront is the lighthouse. I was born and raised in Lorain where I graduated from Lorain High School in the class of 1961B. Yup, that was indeed quite a while ago...
Like many lighthouses, the Lorain Lighthouse was deactivated and replaced by an automatic light over 40 years ago. It has now been restored outside and inside.
So, now that we are in Lorain for several days, I am going to not post for a while. In the meantime I will be eating lots fresh Lake Erie Perch and visiting a couple of long time friends. Pictures and memories to follow...
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