The Cleveland Ingenuity Festival

On Saturday after my motorcycle class I decided to surprise my wife and head into Cleveland for the Ingenuity Festival. This was the first I had heard of it, but it seemed like a different kind of festival and I thought it would be interesting to check out. I didn't know what to expect (and neither did my wife considering I didn't tell her what we were doing).

Also I apologize for the low quality pictures. Phone cameras are terrible at night.

We were greeted by this giant killer robot. Already looked promising.

Motorcycle Class (Part 2)

Day's two and three of motorcycle class proved to be much more interesting. I turned in my test and (after correcting my mistakes) picked out a helmet. I walked over to the "large" section of helmets and then laughed as I tried to pound one down on my clearly "extra large" head.

My XL helmet.

Motorcycle Class (Part 1)

That's right, "Mike on a Bike" is going motorized and today was my first Basic Rider Course with Motorcycle Ohio.

Cue "Flight of the Bumblebees".

Vermilion's Third Thursday

Once a year my wife and I take a drive West along Route 6. We normally stop at the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Plant in Ottawa County and then turn around. It is a nice drive with some awesome views. We took this trip last night and it just so happened to fall on Main Street Vermilion's Third Thursday celebrations.

On every third Thursday of the Summer months the city of Vermilion hosts local bands and vendors downtown. All of the shops are open late and sometimes they even have a car show. Here are some pictures from the event.

Minnie is ready.

[BIKE] An Old Schoolhouse and a Haunted Bridge

On this trip I decided to travel South of Vermilion into the townships that flirt with the border of Lorain County and Erie County. This area is incredibly picturesque and until I rode my bike on it I did not realize how incredibly hilly it was as well.

27.7 miles.

9/11 Used to be National 911 Day....

In 1987 President Ronald Reagan created a national holiday known as National 911 Day to recognize our countries 911 dispatchers. The reason the date was selected was also the reason that terrorists attacked the United States that same day 14 years later. They knew that the number 911 was a symbol of emergencies in our country and that it would be the most meaningful day to strike.

[BIKE] The Old Peasley Road Bridge

There is a bridge in the woods near where I grew up that up until today I had only heard of. Today I decided to finally make the trek to the abandoned Peasley Road Bridge in the woods of Brownhelm Township.

Unfortunately I was unable to bike to the bridge due to the impassible original Peasley Road, so I decided to hike it instead. Come join me on an adventure in the woods!

A map of the original Peasley Road right of way. The road now transitions from paved to bumpy gravel with some extreme potholes until you reach a gate blocking the path to vehicles. I call this the "Danger Zone".

Cleveland Oktoberfest 2014

Every year in September for the past 10 years the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds has hosted the Cleveland Oktoberfest, a smaller version of the festival held in Munich, Germany every year. The original Oktoberfest was held in Munich in 1810 to celebrate the marriage of Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxony. Today it is still celebrated around the world as a Bavarian extravaganza of sausage, polka music, wiener dogs, and of course, German beer. This is the first year Sarah and I attended the festival and it was a blast. My parents joined in as well.

The first event of the day.