Summit County Trails Forum

The first half of my work day was exceptionally exciting! I was invited to and attended the Summit County Trails Forum for a morning of networking, trail discussion, and the unveiling of the newly designed Summit County Trail Plan.

Reasons I was invited:
1. I'm on the board for "the towpath committee," as I like to call it.
2. I'm an active user of the parks and I've indicated interest in contributing in some way.
3. I'm an engineer. Parks need engineers to design things like trails, bridges, drainage systems, etc.

Reasons my employer agreed to let me go:
1. Many elected officials were present: mayors of local cities and townships, directors of parks, and even a senator. These people are decision makers for projects my company seeks to obtain. Putting our name in front of them is always good.
2. Networking with decision makers and other interested parties.
3. To learn more about the needs and goals of trail projects, particularly in Summit county.

Reasons I really wanted to go:
1. I love trails! I use them several times a week. In fact I just spent 6 miles running on the towpath this morning!
2. Yeah, and the other reasons listed above too.

I am so glad that my profession ushers me into this tree-hugging, happy life leading community of people! I practiced my network skills (more on this later) and came away with cards (AND intentions to use said business cards) of some high profile people. Of them:

Ivan Kassov of the Cuyahoga Valley National Parks - to get me more involved in the CVNP workings for my personal involvement and this blog. And work. Yes, my company could potentially do work for the CVNP.

Gary Whidden, self-named A Citizen of the Valley - to go on a behind-the-scenes-kayaking trip in Cuyahoga Falls. I can't wait to see the Cuyahoga from this angle. Also, I plan to discuss the removal of the famous Gorge dams from the engineers' perspective.

State Senator Frank LaRose - to give him information about Akron Rugby. It's True! I had absolutely nothing to say to him, except "Thanks for standing up for the Parks in your caucus. We really appreciate it." I almost didn't go up to him because I didn't think that was worthy, but I decided I needed to at least expose myself to a conversation of someone powerful, no matter how small. It's like singing, the more you do it, the less nervous you get. While waiting for my chance to say hello, I overheard him talk about living in Copley. I play rugby in Copley! YES! After I thanked him I said "And since you live in Copley, I wanted to invite you to a rugby game. The mens and womens teams play right behind Carter Lumber." And you probably think he politely thanked me while rolling his eyes inside. But guess what.

HE FREAKING PLAYS RUGBY! His face perked up, he said he would love to come, and then he said "Maybe I could even play!" He quickly gave me his card and asked me to email him the details. That just happened.

Let's get back to the forum. It was an absolutely beautiful day to meet at Goodyear Heights Metropark with the golden sun, Autumn rainbow of trees, and our unseasonably warm weather. I learned a good bit about all the work required to complete a trail from start to finish. It's actually a pretty long process, particularly when the production involves several partners. The general process, as told by the Mayor of Bath township:

1. Write a Mission Statement
2. Form a Committee
3. Hire a Consultant if possible and appropriate
4. Review history and current situation
5. Solicit citizen input
6. Formulate plan
7. Solicit citizen input again
8. Implement plan
  8a. Find money
  8b. Design
  8c. Construction

You would probably guess that stage 8a above is the deal breaker in many cases, but actually, it's step 1. Without a clear vision, projects simply fall apart. It's never because of the money. That's comforting... sorta.

But the big moment of this whole shindig was the unveiling of the New 2012 Summit County Trails Map! The Towpath through Summit County has finally been completed this year and now we're moving on to Phase II. If the towpath is the backbone of our county's trail system, much like the body, we need a means to get to the blood of our county to the spine and send it on it's way. (Play with this map to see what is currently available.) Phase II is all about connecting the width of our county to the towpath. This requires the strength of many organizations working together. I wish I could show you the exciting new plan for all the trails yet to come, but I've been advised to keep it on the downlow. The OECC did promise to publish it before the end of the year, however, after we've received comments and finalized it.

Stay tuned for more information stemming from my new contacts and other Trail goodies! This is an exciting time to live and play in Akron!

How do ya like them apples?

 I've said it many times: if I could choose only one season to drink beer, Fall would be it. The flavors of my favorite drink are deeper, more satisfying, and more varied. This change is much like the changing scenery around here at this time of year. I could gaze at the hills and horizons for hours, mesmerized by the flames of red, orange, yellow, brown, and balancing green. The scent of the air when I run on the Towpath is so familiar, so enticing. Many beverages get warmer and fuller, comforting spices become more prominent in sweet and savory foods. The harvest adjusts from summer tomatoes, peppers, and zucchinis to apples, pumpkins, and root vegetables.

This year, I found a way to embrace the season a little more. Over the course of the last two weeks, I purchased 8 bags of apples from a local orchard and got to work domestic-like. I made Fall Harvest Butter from my book The Vegan Slowcooker. Much to the dismay of my Gramma, I can never make a recipe exactly as directed. Half the time it's because I don't have all the ingredients required. Other times it's because I think my changes will make it better (sometimes I'm right, sometimes not). Or sometimes it's because I am simply poor at following directions. The Fall Harvest Butter making process fell into the latter and second to latter (can I say that? If not, how do you signify not the former and not the latter, but somewhere in between?). I added molasses because I thought it would taste good and I over spiced it because I didn't notice when the specified amount switched from 1 teaspoon to 1/2 teaspoon partially through the spice list. The result is a little heavy on the cloves and I'm not sure the molasses was the best idea. Even still, I think it will be great added to oatmeal. I gave jars to my family and I'm awaiting to see their reactions. Like many families, mine tends not to pull any punches. There's no lying or beating around the bush with us. However, we don't generally go out of our way to hurt feelings. Therefore, if the fruit butter is a bust, they'll probably not mention it. But since the anticipation will likely drive me to ask them, I am sure they will tell me the truth.

One of the many, many bags of local apples I purchased.

Fall Harvest Butter, made with Ohio Maple syrup in my slow cooker.

But here's my best success story of the week: I made apple cider and it's better than you can buy at the farm! It was so sweet (no sugar added), so fresh, and so seasonal! Apple cider is really just apple juice with no filtration. Most apple cider is pasteurized (cooked) to help prevent bellyaches and based on my cider, I think it cooks away a little bit of the "punchline". I didn't pasteurize mine or even skim off the foam and pulp. I figured I would eat those apples without cooking them first and there wouldn't be too much time between juicing and drinking, so bacteria wouldn't have much time to get monstrous. I was right. I brought it to my family's first annual clam bake and it didn't last long.

This is 15 pounds of apples. I made no claim that this was economical. Just delicious!

I wonder what else I can do with Fall harvest from my local farmers...