People in our Wadsworth Adventures Meetup group enjoyed last year’s trifecta and asked me to do it again. They didn’t have to ask me twice.
First up is a 5.2 mile hike in Towner’s Woods.
Everybody seems to be enjoying themselves
Leann insisted on taking a picture of me with the group.
The hike is followed by a 18 mile bike ride on the freshly repaved Portage Bike & Hike Trail. The park service did a nice job on the repairs, the trail is much smoother.
Last leg of the trifecta is the kayak section. We planned on paddling the Cuyahoga River through Kent. Lack of rain meant we would be dragging our boats more then paddling. I checked water levels before the event and the boat ramp below is usually half under water.
Plan B was West Branch Reservoir. I drove by to check it out and the place we usually paddle looked better than our backyard: nice green grass.
Plan C: Mogadore Reservoir which is an 1,104 acre reservoir. It is not for drinking water so recreation is allowed. Fortunately only electric motors are allowed so no annoying jet skis (sorry if you are a fan).
- Kayak section
- Boat launch
- Turn around point
- Section of the lake that I had no idea was there
We will check out the Eastern section (#3) next time we visit. We may have to carry our boats across the road but nothing ventured nothing gained.
The weather cooperated all day until we got in the boats. It rained most of the time we were on the water. A few of us laughed that our rain coats were nice and dry back in our car.
Bike, hike, kayak, what else is there left to do? Dinner! It is now a quad-fecta. We went to Uncle Tito’s Mexican Grill in Mogadore. I looked for something close to the reservoir and this place got good reviews. Everyone seemed happy with the choice, good food, reasonably priced and attentive service.
HAPPY TRAILS, STEVE
Update #1
The story continues. Leann and I were riding on the bike path near Ravenna and the trail was closed with yellow police tape. This is the same section we rode in the Trifecta. We later learned the trail was closed due to a police shooting and killing of an ax welding homeless person.
Update #2
A few days later Leann and I were hiking in Towner’s Woods. There are two key rules in the park. No bikes on the hiking trails and dogs must be on a leash. An idiot on a bike almost ran me over as he was blasting down a hill on his bike. He stopped and ran back up the hill to get his dogs that were off leash. Later Leann passed the same idiot, dogs were still off leash. One actually bit her as she walked by (luckily it did not break her skin). She waited and took his picture in the parking lot. Once we were home she reported him to the dog warden. Dog Warden promised to pay him a visit and report back. Stay tuned.
Maybe I should change the location for the 2025 Trifecta?
NOT SO HAPPY TRAILS, STEVE