Fall is not my favorite time of year because it gets cooler and darkness sets in before seven. But, I try my best to get outdoors and view the changing landscape. What better way than to attend nature hikes by Roy Larick at Blue Stone Heights.
The first time I attended a Roy Larick hike was at the Euclid Cemetery two years ago. I grew up in Euclid and I was not exactly sure where the Euclid Cemetery was. Admittedly, I did a mapquest to find out the exact location. As with anything around my neighborhood, I have driven past this cemetery a hundred times along Euclid Avenue and I didn’t even know it. It was a hot July morning and Roy took us around many tombstones about important Euclid residents. There was a gentleman who had a winery in Euclid that was buried in this cemetery. I was hooked. Larick was so knowledgeable, a repository of facts about the subject matter that I learned so much about Euclid that I’m proud I grew up here.
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| Henn Mansion in Euclid's Sims Park photo from Bluestone Heights website |
The second tour that I did was at Sims park in June 2013 where Larck spoke about Moss Point, the shale and rocks and building materials that wash up on the beach. Sims Park Beach particles is so different from Euclid Beach that is just a few miles west. We also walked through Sims park through the trees where there was an old house that used to reside but only the steps remains. Only on Larick’s tour do you find these “out of the way” discoveries that you would never see on your own.
Larick is passionate about keeping the environment in tact. With our shrinking populations, we should keep the wilderness without building more “box stores” that nobody wants. “We may rediscover unique natural and cultural legacies and regain interest in our special places.” Euclid is minutes from downtown, so we should build on its strength (such as the Lake Erie and affordable housing) to get more people to move here. There is so much rich history.
One of my favorite tours was hiking through the “Euclid Railroad” (off Euclid Avenue) where there were barren trees and vines that littered the ground that you needed a hiking stick to get through the “tight” pathway. This was wilderness at its best. There wasn’t much historical references it was more walking through a hidden place that I have never seen, hence why I try to attend these tours. It was a haven for “paint ball” games and debris than trying to preserve a hidden gem as this.
Everyone that attended enjoyed this “out of the way” place. We all grabbed branches to help us stay balanced. It was a challenge for me to keep my balance as I walked with my water bottle (that was a necessity since it was one of the hottest days in July).
Another gem was Greenwood Farm on Richmond Road that lies on top of the Euclid bluestone. I learned more about the different levels of rock as we head up towards Richmond Heights (bluestone that is a very hard rock that was quarried in 1800s and is distinctive to this region) and Cleveland and Chagrin shale as we head down. All the tours I have taken, I still get confused about the escarpments, and the network of the Euclid Creek east and main branches.
Greenwood farm was beautiful with 18.6 acres of natural resources that has been kept intact. The farm was bought in 2004 by the City of Richmond Heights from the last residing Phypers descendants (They bought it in 1908). The city added rain gardens and pervious pavers to keep the rain water on the property. The Euclid Creek is so close to the house that they want to keep erosion to a minimum. “The mission is to preserve the farm and grounds, and to promote local arts, culture, education and history.
The group descended towards the Euclid Creek with the water current rushing along the beautiful bluestone – you can get so close to the water that it was idllic. The brochure describes the “east branch gathers headwaters forced westward along the Euclid Moraine.” Basically, the Euclid Creek began from thousand of years ago from the last glacier generating many streams. Again, I never knew this farm existed and I was able to see something that has not been destroyed so close to where I live.
I have always believed in keeping our natural resources as a place to explore and see the beauty as an unobstructed place. These Larick tours has solidified my belief that nature should be saved and feature these areas to others who have not been on these tours. There are so many place in your neighborhood that are just as beautiful as other places out of Ohio. I thank Bluestone Heights for letting me explore these gems and learning a little bit of geology and meet others who are just as passionate as I am.
Bluestone Heights web site:
http://bluestoneheights.org/bsh/
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