Irwin Prairie Preserve | Toledo, OH

The second outdoorsey excursions we took near Toledo, OH was the Irwin Prairie State Nature Preserve. The tiny, rectangular green spot on the GPS map didn't look that impressive, but we're glad we stopped in there - the preserve has a great boardwalk weaving through some tree covered areas, and the seemingly barren straw-fields of the prairie. To my great enjoyment, there were also birds everywhere (I have a thing for birds...), but Amanda was less than thrilled when we looked back at pictures and realized I had taken more pictures of birds than the landscape (these non-bird photos ended up coming off the iPhone). Oops...

The boardwalk provided for an easy trip through the land and kept us on our toes - there were constant rustling noises coming up from underneath the wood planks and we kept expecting some giant creature to jump out at us. I know - city folk... Of course, nothing came, and it was probably just chipmunks and squirrels.

-Taras


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Have tips on where we should go, what we should see and do? Submit suggestions here or e-mail us!  We're passing through Iowa right now and will be in Minneapolis in a couple of days.

Toledo, OH

Toledo was an impromptu stop on our way out of Ohio. Both Amanda and I knew the name, didn't know too much about the city, and decided to see it for ourselves. We ended up driving through downtown and taking a few iPhone photos from the car. Toledo had a vibe of a one-day booming mill-, or industrial-, town. Lots of red brick, warehouse-y buildings. Nowadays, the town seemed somewhat deserted and quiet. We didn't find any interesting culinary options, so we spent some quality time outdoors.

The park across the river gave us some cool views of the sunset over the city skyline. We got in some scenic hiking in the nearby parks. The pics from Oak Opening Preserve park are below and there will be a separate post on the prairie preserve.

We did stop by a local brewery, Maumee Bay Brewing Company, for a sample of their craft. The small batch offering of Agave Chili Wheat beer was phenomenal!

-Taras

For travel updates as they happen, follow us on facebook, twitter, and Instagram (@amandabouzakine).

Have tips on where we should go, what we should see and do? Submit suggestions here or e-mail us! We'll be in St. Louis, MO this weekend.