Despite the lovely weather, the forecast for the weekend and beyond was rain, rain and more rain. If I was going to get in a ride, it was Thursday. So, I rolled the Moto Guzzi V7 out of the garage, threw a leg over, fired it up and headed out of the neighborhood.
Wandering the backroads, I headed towards Loveland, OH, a lovely small town with lots going on.
Looking for a photo-op, I decided to stop at the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial, near the Little Miami River.
Having paid my respects, I turned towards home on familiar roads. The Guzzi hummed along like a faithful steed.
With every river that runs through it, there is a river that runs to it—a merging of waters, a confluence of streams. Locally, there is a stream called Todd Fork that meets the Little Miami River in SW Ohio. Morrow, Ohio, to be exact.
On previous occasions, I have seen kids recreating at this spot along the shoreline. Kayaks and canoes are launched here also. During my brief stop, several vehicles slowed or stopped to check the quality and level of the rivers, as I did.
What is it about water—rivers or lakes—that brings us to the water’s edge? Is there something spiritual or soul refreshing? Perhaps there is something intuitive in the hymn, “Shall we gather at the river?” I think so.
What a great day for a ride. Sunny and in the lower 50s, I suited up and rolled my 2020 Moto Guzzi V7iii Rough out of the garage. Kissed my wife and reassured her I would ride safe.
I rolled out of the neighborhood and turned east along familiar roads. I always wanted to stop at the bridge over Todd’s Fork, but always seemed to be going in the other direction. Not today. This stream has some good fishing, but parking is not so easy to find.
Further down the road, and on Ohio SR 350, I stopped for a photo at Fort Ancient. This Hopewell Mound Community is one of the sites in Ohio that is under application as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Further on SR 350, where the highway crosses the Little Miami River, a popular river access site enables canoers and kayakers to enter the river. Morgan’s Canoe, sits next to this state access site, and offers canoes and kayaks for rent giving you a lazy meander down the river.
Crossing the river and winding up to the top of the bluff, I headed home to get ready for the opening day for baseball, Cincinnati Reds vs. Pittsburgh Pirates. It has always been a big rivalry. Go Reds.
Previously, I wrote about how mesmerizing it was to watch the eagles now that they are back in our area. And of course, a big thanks goes to the Little Miami Conservancy for the Eagle Cam.
The pair of eagles, named Baker and Bette, have been judiciously nesting a pair of eggs, and now, the first one has hatched. Of course, this happens on the first day of Spring. What could be a better sign of Spring than a new eagle chick. Small, still weak and uncoordinated, the chick depends upon the parents for food, and it comes quickly.
We are so fortunate to be able to watch the eagles. Yes, it is mesmerizing, and now everyone is waiting for chick #2. It is hard to see, but there appears to be a small crack in the egg from the inside out! Will we see #2 today? Tomorrow?
UPDATE: The second egg hatched today at 12:22 p.m. The screenshot is a little fuzzy, but here it is. The chick is climbing out of the egg just to the right of the first chick.
All things considered, I really want to finish this project. Accidentally, it began when I moved to the Cincinnati area and started photographing towns along the Ohio River. Eventually, I realized I had a project.
