Travels With Clancy: Ault Park

After the rainiest Spring I can remember, we finally had some sunny days over the weekend here in Cincinnati. So, Clancy and I were able to get our Travels With Clancy project up and running.

We woke up to a perfect Sunday morning, and the temperature was just right for a walk outside. I thought it was a great day to get started on our travels, and Clancy agreed. Since the rest of the weekend had been a bit hectic, we decided to go somewhere local, and ended up spending the morning at Ault Park.

Ault Park is on the east side of Cincinnati, in a neighborhood called Mt. Lookout, and it is celebrating its 100th birthday this year. While it's only about a 30 minute drive from where I live, I'd never been there, even though I'd always heard how pretty it is. I was glad to learn that what I'd always heard was indeed true.

As Clancy and I drove into the park, I couldn't help but notice the lush greenery all along the windy, hilly road. If there's a bright spot to all the rain we've had, it's that everything is incredibly green. The sun peering through all of those green, densely packed trees made the entrance to the park quite beautiful, and set the stage for the peaceful morning ahead.

Feeling exhilarated, we parked the car and started walking. The first thing we came to was Heekin Overlook.

We climbed across the stones and looked down on the magnificent views of the Little Miami River valley.

According to a nearby sign, the valley was formed by the pre-glacial Ohio River. I have to admit, geology is not my thing, and I'm generally clueless about it, but I was still interested in reading the sign and getting an idea of how the park developed. But, Clancy disagreed, and made it clear he didn't care one bit about reading that sign when there were so many great smells all around us. He was very anxious to get a move on and see more of the park.

He won out.

We walked a bit, and came to the Ault Park Gardens. With their rows of perfectly trimmed hedges, pink roses, cobblestone pathways, and shaded benches, the gardens looked like an English Garden transplanted into the heart of Cincinnati. For a moment, I wished I could sit on one of the benches and have some tea.

We started to walk along the paths, but were stopped short by this sign.

Clancy was more than a little bit offended, but he didn't push the issue. We said goodbye to the gardens, and went on our way.

Not far from the gardens is the Pavilion, the centerpiece of the park. The Pavilion is an architectural beauty with two flights of stone steps, and a fountain of water cascading down the center.

The view from the top of the Pavilion is spectacular, especially on a sunny morning when the sky was so blue and clear that I could see the faint half-moon in the sky in addition to the bright sun.

After climbing all of those stone stairs, the heat was starting to be a bit much, so we looked for a place to sit in the shade.

As we sat on one of the benches, Clancy's tongue was nearly hanging to the ground. He decided he'd had enough of the heat, and was ready to get back in the air conditioned car.

If you've read my blog for a while, you know there's nothing Clancy loves more than riding in the car. And, he has a special affection for air conditioning.

So we made our way back to the car, cranked up the ac, and headed home, happy and energized for the rest of the day. We enjoyed our trip to Ault Park, and couldn't have asked for a more beautiful Sunday morning.

We're planning on traveling a bit farther next time, so stay tuned for more of our travels!