Presque Isle (Erie, PA)

Presque Isle is French for "almost an island," and this Pennsylvania state park is in fact a seven-mile-long finger of land that points out into Lake Erie, connected to the mainland only by the narrowest of knuckles. It's an easy day trip from Cleveland — although Becca and I turned it into an overnight once with a stay at a pleasant Erie B&B. The biking/blading trail is well-maintained and lovely, and there's even a Quaker Steak & Lube less than a mile from the park entrance.

The obelisk in the photo is the Perry Monument, out at the very tip of the peninsula. For more information about Presque Isle, you can visit its website here. If you're reading this from anywhere in or around the Cleveland or Erie or Pittsburgh area, though, your best bet is just to hop in your car on a sunny day and visit the actual park. Come on, now, have I ever let you down?

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