Portage Lakes State Park–A Great Way to End the Weekend

Bobby and I had no set plans for Labor Day Weekend. Since I had been under the weather most of last week and he had been filling in for his boss while she was on vacation, we were looking forward to a restful and relaxing weekend. In fact, he made me promise to not plan anything on Saturday.

Sunday was spent with our nephews, who were visiting in Lodi. We had a great time and that will be shared in another blog…stay tuned!

By Monday, Bobby was open to the idea of doing something, although what he had no idea. I offered a couple of suggestions, including dropping a large chunk of change on a new suit for him. (He is going to need one for a wedding in October). But nothing I mentioned seemed to interest him.  That is until I said, “How about we take Owney to Portage Lakes State Park?” Then there was a resounding, “Yes!”

So we piled into the car and headed to Akron — well, 5031 Manchetser Road in Akron to be precise. When we pulled into the park, I suggested that we drive around the whole thing to see what it had to offer.  We saw a hiking trail that we decided to come back to, we saw the beach parking lot (remember, we were driving around) and then we went to the dog park. It is this nice fenced in area that has a dock that goes into a portion of the lake.

Owney was thrilled to get out of the car and basically pushed his way out. He spent the first part of his visit getting to know the other dogs. There were four or five labs and one little white fluffy dog. Owney chose not to get in the water and honestly, I was glad about that. I didn’t think to bring towels with us, and really didn’t relish the idea of a muddy car. He seemed content to sniff around, leave his calling card (which I did dispose of as per park rules and good etiquette) and head out for more adventures.

After the dog park we went to the beach. Since it was hot and Labor Day, the beach was very crowded. We didn’t stay long, but thankfully our photographer got some good pictures of us—as usual! My one regret was to not bring any sandals with me. I wanted to get into the water, but had worn socks and shoes. Bobby thought I should not go through the trouble of taking them off and for once I listened to him. Unlike when I was a kid and never seemed to hear my dad when he told me not to go near the water!

Our final stop at the park was to return to the area where we saw the hiking trail. It was only a .75 mile trail, but we were so hot and tired by that time, we ended up probably walking .25 miles and turned back around. Of course we still got some great pictures, thanks to Bobby!

For an unplanned excursion it was a great time. I think I’d like to go back when it is cooler and not as crowded, but all-in-all it was a great way to end a perfectly relaxing weekend.

What did you do this weekend? I would love to hear and as always, am looking for ideas of other places to visit. Please leave me a note below in the comments. Wait until you hear about our stop at Pav’s Creamery on our way home. It’ll be a place you’ll want to visit, trust me!