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Bradley Woods LbNA #2497

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Sep 18, 2002
Location:
City:Westlake
County:Cuyahoga
State:Ohio
Boxes:1
Planted by:Mike
Found by: The Early Birds
Last found:Aug 16, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFaOaFF
Last edited:Sep 18, 2002
Westlake, OH Cuyahoga County
Difficulty: Easy
Planted 18 August 2002
Replanted Summer 2003
Replanted again November 2004
Log book and stamp replaced May 2007
Stamp replaced November 2008

Directions
Bradley Woods Reservation is another of the Cleveland Metroparks. It straddles Bradley Road south of Center Ridge Road. (There is a smaller area called Bradley Road Nature Park located north of Center Ridge. It's a nice playground, but not physically connected.)

As you turn into Bradley Reservation, the road winds east through the woods, opening into a park. Start from the first parking space on the right. The ground is level and the route to this letterbox takes about 15 minutes. Warning: The last leg can get pretty muddy.

Clues
Along the front of the parking area is a wood fence. My pace count from one end of the fence to the other is 57 paces (every left foot). From the east end of the fence, take a sighting of 130°. Go 103 paces.

Due south is a small fishing pier. The lake is stocked each year. During the summer, bring your pole.

Take a sighting of 75° and start around the lake. As you follow the path, keep your eyes open for poison ivy. It's easily confused with Virginia creeper. Either one can grow like a vine or like a bush. I still get them confused and they are both very plentiful here in the summer. (Leaflets three? Let it be!)

As you circle the lake, look to the right for nesting areas of ducks and other waterfowl. At about 100 paces, there is an open area to the left of the path where there are some very tasty blackberries (in season). As you continue along the path, there are benches along the way to stop and watch the ducks. Further along, the path gets very close to the water. In the summer, this muddy bank is full of small frogs. At about 306 paces, you can turn due north to another fishing pier.

Continue around the lake until you get to the flat rocks. The path turns sharply to the right. From here, take a sighting of 270°. Take the smaller path into the woods 27 paces. Turn to 215° for another 5 paces and 260° for 8 paces. Look in the crotch of the 4-finger maple on your left.

Return to the main path and continue around the lake.

Special thanks to Bayboxer who replaced the box and carved a new stamp after the first one got lost. Most recently, I found the box several meters north of the tree under some leaves on the ground. I think it's washing out during heavy rains.

by Margie and Mike

Update: Nov 2008
The stamp has been replaced yet again. Thanks to everyone for your patience. Let's hope this one doesn't get lost as quickly as the last ones. By the way, it was practically drought conditions at the park today - which meant there was only an inch or so of mud...