Closer to home: Inns along Ohio's Towpath Trail can turn your travels into an adventure

As one of more than 1 million people who visit the Towpath Trail each year, I can stand on the finely crushed limestone path and see a summer bike ride, an autumn stroll and a beckoning link to a young Ohio. Still, I haven't begun to really see it.

A friend and avid hiker once threw his European lens on the 103-mile route that runs from Cleveland to New Philadelphia along the old Ohio & Erie Canal. "Wandern ohne Gepäck," he said, recalling his life in the 1980s in Germany. He translated the phrase for me: "Traveling without luggage."

The good news: The infrastructure is easy to find for a two-day trip. Several charming inns sit on or near the towpath route, many of them built in the days when horses pulled boats on the canal through town. It's easy to slip into the slow lane.