Last cheat and then back to highlighting the fishing, hiking, camping, kayaking, hunting, climbing and other outdoor recreational opportunities in Northeast Ohio.

If you don’t want to get to a lake this spectacular weekend, if the Cycle race and Summer Festival of the Arts ain’t your thing, then maybe a little trip up 534 to Geneva on the Lake is what you’re looking for.  A Little wine, a little ice cream and a huge honkin’ smoked turkey leg to wave at the wenches might just be the ticket at the Great Lakes Medieval Faire.

And if Not?:

If You’re reading this today chances are it’s raining: Nice that it’s on a weekday and the weekend is going to be cool and dry. And, as I mentioned in the earlier post, this seems to be a big weekend for the region. Let’s get out and show our support.

In the meantime, you could drive down to Wheeling, or you could shop Cabela’s catalog right here.

You could drive to the Laurel Highlands, or Shop the Fishing Classic Sale at Basspro.com from the comfort of your desk.

And if you don’t find what you’re looking for at either of those places, check out Steel Valley Outdoors own Amazon Outdoor Store Here.

See, I’m saving you gas,time and money. And all I get is a couple pennies for every dollar you spend to buy a coffee at the end of the month, and it doesn’t cost you anything. So please: Support Steel Valley Outdoors. Buy me a coffee.

Cheat day. While not an “Outdoor Activity”, the YSU Summer Festival of the Arts Does happen “Outdoors.”

And while we go every year, this year we might not make it. We’re having Jamie’s Graduation party on Saturday, getting ready to send her to Columbus College of Art and Design in the fall. Since she’s gone to the YSU festival every year since, well, ever since she was a baby, I have to credit the opportunities here and the exposure to the local arts scene with her choice of careers.

YEs, There’s the Tour De Youngstown for you cyclists, but I’m Sure You’ve already registered.

Anyway, I hope to see you on Sunday. And check out Flad Mountain at Kilcawley.

Also, Because it’s going to rain tomorrow, I’ll have another couple cheat days posted. We’re heading into the heart of the summer season here, and there’s lots to do. It’s only right that I try to help promote more than the ODNR parks and Lakes.

Quick- What local park is one of the most widely documented haunted areas in the country? The same park where Pretty Boy Floyd was gunned down. Cool Enough?

Beaver Creek State Park features camping, trails, horseman’s camp, a beach, a restored village and an active community of ghost hunters for those cool summer evenings.

Another Nice day forecast. Why not get the bikes out and bike the Stavich trail from Struthers to New Castle?

This is a relatively unknown, hidden gem. This 10 mile  Asphalt trail follows an old trolley line along the river and train tracks. Nice, easy grades on land that is reverting back to woods. It crosses right through Lowellville, letting you shorten your trip or take a break in the heat.

Sure, there’s no rock climbing at Nelson Ledges. But we do have a public outdoor area to get your rappel on- McConnells Mill.  If you haven’t checked out this smaller sister of Moraine, you should.

Located on Rte 422 just west of 19/79 and east of New Castle, it’s a short hop from Ohio, but is often overlooked due to the political divide. I often blog about it: It’s on the way to my office and I pass it everyday, making day trips common.

Although it’s a day use park and picnic area, the climbing area and Slippery Rock Creek whitewater area make it an interesting day trip for the more adventurous.

In Keeping with the holiday weekend, I’m celebrating my Independence from the Web.

So here’s just a quick Video from MetroMonthly showing one of our classic regional Day Trips: Conneaut Lake Park, usually with a stop over to watch the carp at Pymatuning:

Edit: I have no idea where that typo came from or what kind of Freudian Slip it was. But it’s been corrected.

COLUMBUS – The arrival of a three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend, July 3-5, signals what is generally the busiest recreational boating weekend of the season. Ohio boaters can expect continued law enforcement activities on state waterways, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Watercraft.

“Our focus this Fourth of July holiday weekend will remain on removing impaired boaters from our waterways and enforcing all boating rules,” said Pamela Dillon, chief of the Division of Watercraft. “These efforts are shared among additional officers at the local, state and federal levels, such as our marine patrol partners and U.S. Coast Guard.”

During the past weekend, June 25-27, Division of Watercraft officers participated in a nationwide crackdown called Operation Dry Water to remove boaters impaired by alcohol and drugs from state waterways. The operation resulted in the arrests of 11 intoxicated boaters and 198 other alcohol and boating-related violations. A total of 3,810 boaters were contacted during the weekend enforcement action.

Boat operators are considered legally impaired by alcohol consumption if the blood alcohol content is .08 percent or higher, similar to Ohio’s motor vehicle laws. The Division of Watercraft says that reducing the number of alcohol-related boating accidents and fatalities is essential to further improving waterways safety.

“Our message is to boat sober, wear a life jacket while boating and observe the boating rules of the road and our boating laws to keep boating a safe activity for everyone,” said Dillon.

During last year’s Operation Dry Water, the Division of Watercraft made 12 arrests of intoxicated boaters, two drug-related arrests and issued more than 100 citations for additional alcohol and boating-related violations statewide. For more information, visit http://www.operationdrywater.org/.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at www.ohiodnr.com.

TOLEDO, OHIO— With its 312 miles of shoreline forming the northern boundary of Ohio, Lake Erie’s impact on the Buckeye State has been monumental.

To celebrate the diversity of life found within the boundaries of our Great Lake’s watershed, amateur photographers are invited to submit entries for the Ohio Lake Erie Commission’s 2010 photo contest. Winning images will be displayed as part of a traveling exhibit and in an on-line photo gallery.

The 2010 “Life on Lake Erie” photo contest is an opportunity for amateur photographers, age 16 and older, to share their talent in capturing the best that the Lake Erie region has to offer. Digital images taken between July 9, 2009 and July 9, 2010 in and around the Lake Erie watershed may be submitted to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission (OLEC) through July 16.

Winning photographs will be featured on the OLEC Web site and will become part of the commission’s traveling photo gallery. The images will appear at prime Ohio shoreline locations throughout the year including the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center in Oregon and the Lake Erie Shores & Islands Welcome centers in Port Clinton and Sandusky. Images may also be used to promote the Lake Erie region through environmental and educational programs and publications.

Submissions must be the original work of the photographer and can portray sustainable use, development, recreational use or protection of Ohio’s Lake Erie coastal resources. Both black and white and color digital images will be accepted, however, NO computer-enhanced images will be accepted. Previously submitted, late, copyrighted, digitally altered/edited or controversial photos will not be accepted.

To enter, submit your digital image on CD accompanied with a completed entry form, found at www.lakeerie.ohio.gov, to the Ohio Lake Erie Commission, One Maritime Plaza, 4th Floor, Toledo, Ohio 43604.

No more than five entries will be accepted per household; individuals may win only twice. For more information on the photo contest, please visit www.lakeerie.ohio.gov or call (419) 245-2514. The Ohio Lake Erie Commission was established in 1990 for the purpose of preserving Lake Erie’s natural resources, protecting the quality of its waters and ecosystem, and promoting economic development in the region. The director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources serves as the commission’s chair. Additional members include the directors of the state departments of Transportation, Health, Development, Agriculture and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The commission oversees the Ohio Lake Erie Protection Fund, a grant fund which promotes environmental protection and economic development in the Lake Erie watershed. This fund is supported by Ohioans each time they purchase a Lake Erie license plate displaying either the Marblehead Lighthouse or the Toledo Harbor Lighthouse, designed by Ohio artist Ben Richmond.