To recap, we were in Erie for the weekend of Ron's birthday. As much fun as we had in Erie on Saturday, we had at least that much fun on the way back to Ohio on Sunday.
As I stated, we had stayed at the Hampton Inn on Old Oliver Road in Erie. I highly recommend this hotel!
We started our Sunday down in the lobby at the hotel for the free breakfast. What is there about the word "free" that just makes you hungry? I'm not a big fan of breakfast but tell me it's free and I put on the feed bag. For real. And trust me, I wasn't the only one!
After a huge breakfast, we went to our respective rooms, packed up and hit the road. It was another beautiful day for travel. The sun was out, the weather was warm and of course, the company was stupendous.
We had decided the day before to continue our sight seeing ways in Ohio. The place we chose was Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland. I know, I know, who goes to a cemetery to sight see. Let me tell you, if you're ever in the Cleveland area, stop in and take a look around. You'll be freakin' amazed!
They have many famous residents at the cemetery. One famous resident is President James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the United States. Unbelievable! A monument was built to President Garfield at Lake View Cemetery in the late 1800s. Let me tell you, this was built when people were smaller and definitely had smaller feet. More on that in a bit.
President Garfield was the only president to rise from the House of Representatives to the Presidency. Way cool. Unfortunately he was only President for six months. Regardless, that man ran this country, a position only 44 men in this country's history have held. That is an awesome feat.
As you can see, there are quite a few steps to climb to get into the monument. Once you're in, you soon realize that the climb was so worth it. Immediately inside is a statue of President Garfield.
The main floor is beautiful. There is stained glass almost all the way around the room and if you look up, the inside of the dome is beyond belief. These pictures just don't do this place justice. You really need to be there to appreciate it.
You can climb up from here and you can climb down from here. Holy crap, this ain't for the faint of heart! Here are the steps heading downstairs to the crypt. Trust me, these are the easy stairs.
I got a little dizzy looking down, and these were the easy steps! We headed down to the crypt where President and Mrs. Garfield are entombed. It was a surreal experience. To be that close to such a powerful man. It was so awe inspiring, I can't even put it into words.
As you can see, we walked around the room that held the caskets and there are barred openings to look through. At the head of the caskets are two urns. These hold the ashes of one of their daughters, (I don't remember what her name was) and the daughter's husband.
Too bad I wasn't smart enough to take pictures of the stairs that went up to the balcony around the outside of the monument a few stories up. If you look up at the picture of the monument, at the top of the square part, you can see the black railing before the tower starts. That balcony goes all around the building. Here is a view of downtown Cleveland from on top of the Garfield Monument.
From Garfield, I precariously walked down the spiral staircase that was barely wide enough for me with steps so narrow my whole foot didn't fit on it! That part wasn't pretty. However, on to bigger and better. Our next step was to head over to see John D. Rockerfeller's grave. You can definitely tell who had the money in the cemetery. I'm not sure but I believe this to be the tallest monument, aside from Garfield's. I was actually laying on the ground trying to get the whole monument in the picture!
This cemetery is also known as an arboretum and an outdoor museum. People are walking all over the place checking out the horticulture as well as the architecture. Here are some examples of the monuments in this cemetery. Words fail me, they are just that amazing.
For real, if you need someone to look over you while you're laid out in a cemetery, this is the guy I want looking out over me. Dang.
The grounds of Lake View Cemetery are very scenic and very family friendly. There are actually picnic tables all over the place! Here are just a couple of pictures of two of the ponds on the grounds.
We also went to see the grave of Eliot Ness, the infamous US Treasure agent assigned to bring down none other than Al Capone!
We took a walk around the pond next to Eliot Ness' grave and came across a tomb. Here is Larry trying to read the writing on the tomb but it was near impossible. This place has something for everyone. Underground, over ground, in a hillside, unbelievable.
Finishing our walk around this pond, I saw a Canadian Goose enjoying a quiet dip in the pond. You know how I love birds! I just had to hunker down and get a picture. I guess these birds are so used to people and so used to being fed, he had to assume that I had food for him! He kept coming closer and closer and before I knew it, he jumped up a foot high ledge to get out of the pond and on to the grass with me! It actually scared the crap out of me and sent me running! I know, I'm a wuss.
We left the cemetery after a good day of climbing and walking and just enjoying the adventure. I can't stress it enough, if you're in the area, stop in. You won't regret it.
Our last stop was for a late lunch at one of our favorite places, BD's Mongolian BBQ! One of the few places I know where you will never get the same meal twice! I love this place!
We finally made it home about five in the afternoon after dropping off Larry and Linda. I'm not saying we're old, but as soon as we got home and got the car unpacked, Ron headed up stairs to take a little nap. I on the other hand didn't have that much energy. I napped on the couch!
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