Chicago & Detroit Marathons
In mid-October we headed to Chicago for the Chicago Marathon and planned to spend the week in the mid-west hitting the Ohio and Indiana high points, visiting friends and then meeting our friend Dawn in Detroit for the Detroit Marathon.
We arrived in Chicago and headed to the convention center to pick up our bibs.
Since the marathon was on Sunday we had all day Saturday to explore Chicago. We took an Architecture and True Crime tour that was loosely based on the book “Devil in the White City”, which was about how H. H. Holmes murdered a large number of people in the late 1800s before and during the World’s Fair. Chicago has a storied history of architectural leadership and an amazing number of incredible buildings.
In 1921, the Chicago Theater set the standard for lavish theaters across the US.
Halloween was a couple of weeks away and the monsters were out in force.
Looking down Michigan Avenue.
Sunrise before the marathon was beautiful.
Getting ready to start running with 55,000 other runners on a spectacular fall day.
The crowds along the course were incredible. The only other marathon that felt like this was New York City.
After the marathon we met Rich’s Son Ryan and his girlfriend Emily for dinner.
We stopped by Indiana Dunes National Park after leaving Chicago. Indiana Dunes was the nations 61st National park, created in 2019. The area was originally preserved to protect the sand dunes and its flora along Lake Erie.
Hiking in Indiana Dunes.
We visited Hoosier Hlll, the highest point in Indiana. It is located on flat Indiana farmland.
We went to the Airstream facility in Jackson Center, Ohio to take a tour of their manufacturing facility.
Airstream Trailers being built.
Our next destination was Campbell Hill, the highpoint in Ohio.
Unlike Indiana, at least Campbell Hill was on a hill!
We spent a night in Bellefontaine, Ohio. Although the name is French, it is pronounced “Bell Fountain”.
Bellefontaine was the first city in the United States with a Concrete street.
We headed north toward Cleveland and stopped at Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Just like Indiana Dunes, it is one of the few parks near major cities (Cleveland and Akron).
Hiking in Cuyahoga Valley.
Cleveland Ohio was the biggest surprise of the trip. It was clean and easy to get around - much nicer than we expected.
The Arcade Cleveland opened in 1890 as the first indoor shopping mall in the United States. It has a beautiful glass skylight connecting two towers and a Hyatt hotel (where we stayed).
Other than sports, Cleveland is probably best known for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
There were several floors of exhibits and musical artifacts.
The Cleveland waterfront.
From Cleveland we traveled to Catawba Island. Staci lived in this house on Lake Erie when she was young and her dad grew up in this house.
Staci and her friend Linda.
The weather was beautiful and Linda and Mark took us out on their boat to the island Put-in-Bay.
Arriving in Detroit for the marathon.
Visiting the Henry Ford museum.
The weather had been beautiful all week but turned colder and rainy for the Detroit Windsor marathon.
This marathon is among a small number that cross into a different country. Runners start in Detroit, cross the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, Canada, and then return to the U.S. through the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel under the Detroit River.
