January 16, 2011: Icicles, Dams, and Falls, Cuyahoga River

Spent a pleasant, if cold, afternoon shooting along the Cuyahoga River gorge in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. I started at Highbridge Glen Park, shooting upriver toward the Sheraton. Beginning with the Broad Blvd. dam, there’s a dramatic series of falls tumbling through the gorge – the view from the restored bridge is breathtaking. Ranging from blue, to sparkling white, to iron orange, icicles drape the gorge wall south of the bridge. Even though the temperature was in the low 20’s, enough sun hit the icicles to cause them to melt and crash into the river. Scared the heck out of me the first time I heard it.

The city built a switchback walkway into to gorge, so it’s easy to get down to a good level to shoot the wall. I met a guy who grew up in the Falls while I was out there – he said they used to rappel down the walls on a rope tie to a tree. So I’m thinking the walkway was just a bit safer for me and my camera.

After the Gorge, I drove to the amphitheatre north of Falls River Square. The pylons covered with snow and the brick wall of the old powerhouse nicely framed the dam and the start of the river rapids. There’s a picturesque old bridge piling above the amphitheatre, looks a little like part of Stonehenge.

My last shots were the sails shaping the Falls River Square concert stage. A dramatic sight with the darker clouds behind them.