Dunno ‘bout where you live but here on the north coast of Ohio we were treated to freezing temperatures, snow flurries, and big gusty winds today. In other words, it’s spring in name only! But calmer days and warmer temps are not far away! We figured today was a good day to drop the 2022 Blazing Paddles Paddlfest stoke video to boost your paddling spirits!
Read MoreOn Thursday, March 10, Interlake Steamship Company's Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder kicked off the 2022 Maritime season on Cleveland's Cuyahoga River with an iron ore shuttle run from the Port of Cleveland’s bulk terminal on Lake Erie to Cleveland-Cliffs!
Read MoreWhen we established the Blazing Paddles Paddlefest, we decided to name two of our events (the 5.3-mile Ruth Patrick Memorial and the 13-mile Rachel Carson Memorial) after significant women who helped move the needle on the environmental movement. International Women’s Day gives us a perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on these two pioneering women.
Read MoreOn a brisk Friday afternoon in early March, we caught up with two paddlers at Cleveland Metroparks’ Merwin’s Wharf along Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River.
Read MoreAfter a one-year virtual hiatus, Brite Winter returned to the west bank of Cleveland Flats with its vibrant mix of music, art, food, and beer. It was a great reminder that spring isn’t far away and Cleveland’s Waterfront is open for business!
Read MoreWe LOVED President Joe Biden’s announcement in Lorain yesterday of a $1 billion infusion from the bipartisan infrastructure deal to restore Great Lakes harbors and tributary rivers, arteries of commerce like the Cuyahoga River, that have been polluted by industrial toxins.
Read MoreLocal Great Lakes freighter fans were abuzz on a balmy first day of February when the classic freighter Alpena made its way from Lake Erie to its winter layup on the Cuyahoga River.
Read MoreCleveland Rowing Foundation’s 25th Annual Head of the Cuyahoga Regatta’s return on a splendid September day in Cleveland where over 1400 rowers in 441 shells from 50 clubs and 12 states competed on a 4,900-meter course on the Cuyahoga River!.
Read MoreOn a beautiful Sunday morning at Cleveland Metroparks Edgewater Beach, youngsters from the Kids That Tri Cleveland program took their first open water strokes in Lake Erie after a winter and spring of pool-only training. The swim was part of the broader Kids That Tri program, in partnership with the Parker Hannafin Downtown YMCA, that was created to provide a pathway for children of the Greater Cleveland area to learn how to swim, bike, and run and participate in a competitive triathlon.
Read MoreThis week’s Slow River happens during the Veteran's Memorial Bridge Open House in 2017 as the 635 foot-long Great Republic (1981) navigated the Superior Bend portion of Cleveland's Cuyahoga River.
Read MoreSaturday’s 20th Annual Ohio River Paddlefest in Cincinnati, OH was a return to normalcy for almost 2,000 paddlers hungry for the opportunity to reconnect with each other and the Ohio River.
Read MoreOne week ago on what some are calling a history-making day on Cleveland’s hard-working, scenic, and historic Cuyahoga River, many of you were part of the 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest. During a short vacation (and an exhilarating whitewater rafting trip down the Cheat Narrows) in Dryfork, WV we’ve had a chance to reflect on what transpired on that amazing Saturday morning and we wanted to share a few thoughts. And some background.
Read MoreWow. Saturday's Blazing Paddles Paddlefest was an amazing sight for us to watch unfold. Brett Fisher's drone video footage gave us the opportunity to synthesize the vibrancy of Cleveland's hard working, historic, and scenic Cuyahoga River on that epic Saturday morning
Read MoreToday is a variation on our weekly "Slow River" where we share ground level video with natural sound from yesterday’s AMAZING Blazing Paddles Paddlefest on Cleveland’s hard-working, historic, and scenic Cuyahoga River. Many thanks to our tireless volunteers, sponsors, Cuyahoga River industrial stakeholders, partner organizations, kayak rental livery partners, and yes, you, our Blazing Paddles paddlers!
Read MoreThe Blazing Paddles Paddlefest is not immune to one of Cleveland’s favorite urban planning subjects - PARKING!. With no on-site parking at the Cleveland Rowing Foundation or Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf, some out-of-town paddlers coming to Cleveland may be slightly challenged finding parking on the Columbus Rd. Peninsula. We took a quick ride around after tonight’s check-in to give you a locals look: Click on each image for the Google Maps link.
Read MoreAs fate would have it, our founder, Jim Ridge, will be on Ideastream Public Media/WCPN/The Sound of Ideas to talk with pro’s pro Rick Jackson about the July 24 Blazing Paddles Paddlefest at Rivergate Park/Cleveland Metroparks Merwin’s Wharf/Cleveland Rowing Foundation. But the convo will also touch upon Cleveland’s (and Cleveland’s waterfront) history! Jim will open the show from appx. 9:04 to 9:25 am. You can stream this morning’s interview here. Jim starts the show at the top of the hour.
Read MoreThis week’s Slow River episode is a short one. In September 2015 we had the pleasure of collaborating on an amazing project with visual storytellers Ben Harper and Christopher Cymbalak at Breakwall Media. The sunrise shimmer of the Cleveland skyline as the launch’s gentle wake made its way across the Cuyahoga’s old river channel was a thing of beauty.
Read MoreShare the River is grateful and honored to announce the new event for the July 24, 2021 3rd Annual Blazing Paddles Paddlefest, an 8.6 mile recreational paddle and float on Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River, will be named in memory of Dave Vasarhelyi, a northeast Ohio conservation hero.
Read MoreThis week’s Slow River goes back to a raw April day in Cleveland in 2018. We had noticed scholastic rowing teams navigating their way around a small bump on the surface of the water - a bump that wasn’t moving. River veterans surmised it was a tree that had been driven into the riverbed 28 feet below by a passing freighter. So the tree became a permanent obstacle (instead of floating down the river to the lake).
Read MoreHannah Ross Smith was kayaking on the Cuyahoga River near the Carter Rd. Bridge last night when she came across some exotic wildlife. No it wasn’t a Blue Heron, peregrine falcon, or a beaver. It was a rooster. A salmon faverolle rooster to be exact. One can easily imagine the rooster channeling Talking Heads’ Once in a Lifetime’s classic lyric “Well, how did I get here?!”.
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