don't. blink.

Say What?

2010-12-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

Even though I'm not in the Mitten this year for Christmas doesn't mean I can't have a little fun with you.

Last year I collected a few quotes from our Christmas celebration and I thought I would share them this Christmas with you. How good is your memory? Can you identify who said what? Give it your best shot and I'll be back with the answers in a couple of days.

Let's get started.

1. "There are two things you don't mess with: a man's peanut butter and his ketchup."

2. "I don't sleep because I'm sick; I don't sleep because I'm crazy."

3. "I quit Farmville. I've been clean for ....."

4. I'll never leave that table."

5. "This is gonna tell a lot about him boys." Bonus points if you can identify why this was said.

6. "Oh no! My house is gone!"

7. "She has her cranky eyes on."

8. This is from a Facebook posting, "I can't trust mom with my broccoli. It's all stems."

9. "I can't end in a tie. What kind of Porter would I be?"

10. "Double the water to rice. Don't f*** up the rice."

Bring back any memories?

I look forward to your guesses.

Wedding Weekend, Part Three

2010-11-10T21:14:00.004-05:00

We woke up Saturday morning to rain. Yes, rain. An annoying rain but not the kind of rain that would ruin our day. In fact, there was the promise of clearing. Someone had told us that rain on one's wedding day is good luck. I'll take that.

The girls headed out to get their hair and makeup done. Dave and I then picked up Sarah and headed to an out-of-way spot for a late breakfast. Just the three of us and a veil. She received a lot of congratulations from the other diners in the restaurant. It was a nice way to start what was going to be a long day.

We headed back to St Mary's Inn so we all could finish getting ready. We snuck her out the back, stuffed her and her dress in the car and headed to the Basilica. Needless to say I have no photos of the wedding but from what I have seen the photographer did a beautiful job.

One of the traditions at Notre Dame is for the couple to walk around campus and have photos taken.

The wedding party in front of the Dome.

I'm anxious to see how this picture turns out. Interesting to say the least.

The rain had stopped but the ground was still wet. It was also chilly which explains the boots on Sarah's feet. Sometimes comfort comes before beauty.

The grotto.

We made our way to the library. The girls look cold don't they?

Dave sacrificed and let Tiff wear his jacket. What a guy.

Sarah and Cory heading back to the library to take the obligatory water reflection picture.

The bouquet in one hand and the train in the other. I think he may have his hands full with this girl.

to be continued....

Wedding Weekend, Part Two

2010-11-02T16:28:00.005-04:00

The talk since we had arrived in South Bend had been the weather. Would it rain? Would the sun shine? Would it be warm or cold?
On Friday it was beautiful. It was warmer than the day before and there was hope that on Saturday the sun would shine just as bright though the weather forecasters were predicting some rain. Time would tell. But for now we were enjoying a glorious fall day in the midwest.

It was another day of errands including another stop at the bookstore. Sarah and I made a trip to the florist to see the bouquets and give approval for the final decorations. We were told that they planned on draping South Dining Hall later that day. We were beyond excited to see what they had planned.

As promised draping was done later that day. Since it was fall break the university had taken advantage of that fact and had polished the floors. It was all starting to come together.

Because we had been given a 7:30 rehearsal time it had been decided to have the rehearsal dinner first and the wedding party would leave from there and go to practice. The next day's festivities were going to be on the formal side so it had been decided to have a casual rehearsal dinner/tailgate. Every one who was in town was invited with the request to wear attire of their favorite sports team. It just made sense to have the sport's themed rehearsal "dinner" at the Joyce Center.

The bride and her bridesmaid Tiff.

Rehearsal went off without a hitch. Janet, our wedding coordinator, made sure of that. She was very sure on how the wedding Mass would be conducted. Father Terry was nodding yes but in his head he was saying "no". In fact, after practice he pulled the parents aside and said he was going to make a couple changes. No need to tell Janet.

Janet said the bride and groom would sit for his homily. No they wouldn't. They would stand in front of him on the alter so he could talk straight to them. At the Sign of Peace Janet said he would stay behind the alter. When she said that I knew there was no way that was going to happen. I was right. When it was time for the final blessing of the couple at the end of Mass he wanted the parents up on the alter standing behind Sarah and Cory. It all went off the way he had planned.

All of his changes were perfect. As we were walking out after Mass I said to Janet, "He threw you a couple of surprised didn't he?" She just smiled and said, "He's wonderful". Wonderful indeed.

Practice was over and it was time to head to Legends, the on-campus restaurant and pub. It was where Cory and Sarah had first met and seemed a perfect way to end the day.

Wedding Weekend, Part One

2010-10-29T09:27:00.006-04:00

I took a break from blogging but I'm back. For a bit anyway. With Facebook it seems like I'm just repeating myself so I don't bother to come over here as often as I used to but some things are worth repeating and our recent wedding weekend is one of them.

Dave and I, Cory and Sarah and the rest of the McElraths drove over to South Bend on Wednesday. It ended up being a long day for some of us. While we waited for the McElrath family to arrive we took Cory and Sarah out to dinner and then worked on the favors for the reception. A few M & M's may or may not have been eaten.

The next day found us all at the Joyce Center.

We were there to meet Charlie our ND coordinator for the wedding. Our guests were expecting to be fed and this was the man we needed to see.

While there we also checked out the newly renovated basketball court. We were duly impressed.

After that Dave and I decided to take a walk across campus. We lucked out and this was fall break. Although we missed the energy of having the students around we did enjoy having the campus to ourselves.

The famous Golden Dome.

We also took a quick trip to the Grotto. It was really nice to have it to ourselves.

Then it was on to the Basilica.

I'm always surprised by the contrast of the outside of the Basilica to the inside of the Basilica. It never ceases to amaze me.

I learned something new on this visit. This is the pavilion, or umbrella, which signifies that this church is a minor basilica. Traditionally it was used to shield the Pope from the sun or rain when he visited. I'm not sure if the Pope has any plans to visit but it's nice to know the Basilica is ready just in case.

Even the simple unadorned corners are beautiful.

Later we enjoyed a dinner out with family and friends. Then it was back to St Mary's Inn to pack gift bags.

We all fell into bed exhausted and tried to get some rest. The next day was going to be just as busy.

Be Afraid. Be Very, Very Afraid.

2010-07-07T21:35:00.003-04:00

Dan had officially graduated.

It was a time for congratulations.

Friends

and moms topped the list.

It was a time for visiting

and posing for pictures.

It was a time for one mechanical engineer to congratulate a newly- minted mechanical engineer.

It was a time to welcome our newest graduate to the world.

Be afraid, Be very, very afraid.

I'll Drink To That

2010-06-23T11:05:00.004-04:00

We were all seated and it was time for the formalities. Speakers are always present at such events and this was no exception.

This year's Honorary Degree Recipient and Commencement Speaker was no other than Jamie Hyneman. He grew up on an apple orchard in Indiana and is now best known as the host of "MythBusters" which is broadcast on the Discovery Channel. My advice to him is to stick to his day job. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

More speaking.

Some of us even listened.

Notice that the weather has cleared and it is finally starting to warm up.

Finally! It's time for conferring the degrees. It looks like the engineers are ready.

It looks like they're ready to celebrate. Engineers are always prepared.

It looks like Dan is ready. Hey, hold on there a second. That is sparkling grape juice isn't it? Of course it is. What was I thinking?

Degree conferred.

Now the business majors were not going to be outdone by the engineers. Oh no. They were going to celebrate like there was no tomorrow.

How you ask?

By throwing baby powder! Take that, engineers.

Katie doesn't look too thrilled at the possibility of being covered in baby powder.

Ready. Set.

Go!

Truth be told we were all crouching behind out chairs waiting for the baby powder to rain down on us. The business majors need to talk to the engineers because the powder just didn't fly the way I think they expected it to.

All the degree majors had their own way of celebrating but at the end of the day they all agreed on this as their final hurrah.

Welcome, Graduates!

2010-06-10T11:41:00.005-04:00

Sunday dawned cold and cloudy. We were off to the official graduation that was being held in the football stadium. The proud uncle and dad led the way.

I wasn't kidding about it being cold and cloudy. Look at how we're dressed. Eventually the clouds cleared and the sun came out. It ended up being another beautiful day.

While we waited for graduation to begin Bob and Nancy had time to visit with friends.

Friends and family were in place and we only waiting for the graduates to arrive.

A Villanova nod to Notre Dame. Go Irish!

It looks like the graduates are gathered and ready.

Nancy had forgotten her telephoto lens and had asked me to get some photos of Dan leading the graduates into the stadium. Oh my, the pressure was on.

"There he is! Come over here so you can get a better view."

Where? Where? I don't see him leading the graduates.

Oops. My mistake. I was looking down the wrong aisle.

There's our graduate!

We all stood and watched as the graduates filed in.

Dan turned and held that flag while all of the 2010 Villanova graduates marched to their seats.

What's up with the cell phones? Back in the day we didn't have such things. After we were in our seats we would then spend the rest of the ceremony scanning the crowd looking for our friends and family. It certainly helped pass the time. This generation just calls and says, "I'm here".

In the meantime Dan kept holding his flag.

Eventually all of the graduates were seated and graduation was about to begin.

Baccalaureate

2010-06-10T09:23:00.005-04:00

Because of Dan's hard work, campaigning for President and winning, we enjoyed a few perks that weekend. One of the nicer benefits was reserved seating. Nice! I like enjoying someone else's hard work.

More waiting. Katie put the time to good use.

Here's the man of the hour.

Being the president of the student body entails many responsibilities. One of those responsibilities was to address the graduates and families at the beginning of Mass.

It also means standing around and looking presidential. I thought he did well at that.

Dan's getting his last minute instructions before Mass starts.

I wonder what he's thinking about?

How far he's come in the past four years?

How he never wants to forget this moment of this life?

What does his future hold?

Or maybe he's thinking what I'm thinking.

What's for dinner?

Yup, it was dinner. He's trying to beat the rush and texting in his pizza order early. Extra mushrooms for me please.

Let me present the official Welcomer.

Now that his part was done he came down and joined us for Mass. Good thing we saved him a seat.

This was the only time I wished we were inside. I love the smell of incense.

Mass was over and it was time to head to a small gathering of family and friends.

The perfect end to a perfect day.

We Are, We Are, We Are, We Are, We Are The Engineers

2010-06-09T00:13:00.007-04:00

The graduates were seated and so were we.

Sitting was a good thing because it seemed to take a long time to get to the Mechanical Engineers. So long that I had a chance to walk around and take some pictures.

Finally! It's the mechanicals turn.

There he is.

It's not official until the photographer takes the picture.

Now that Dan's part was finished we didn't need to pay attention. Sorry other graduates but there are just too many of you to stay that interested for that long.

Some passed the time taking photos

of others who were visiting.

Like I said it started to get a little long. Eventually that part was finished and it was time for the engineers to take an oath. New and old. So much to Sarah's chagrin her dad made her stand and take the oath with him. Be proud, Sarah. You're an engineer!

I don't know the exact words of the oath that was taken that day but I do know the words of the engineering oath that Michigan Tech engineers sing at every opportunity. Preferably with a beer in one hand. That's what makes it official.

We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the engineers.
We can, we can, we can, we can drink all of forty beers.
Drink up, drink up, drink up, drink up, and come along with us,
for we don’t give a damn for any man who don’t give a damn for us.

My father was a miner on the upper Malamute.
My mother was a hostess in the house of ill repute.
And at the tender age of three, they threw me on my ear,
And there was nothing left for me to do but become an engineer.

We are, we are, we are, we are, we are the engineers.
We can, we can, we can, we can drink all of forty beers.
Drink up, drink up, drink up, drink up, and come along with us,
for we don’t give a damn for any man who don’t give a damn for us.

Villanova engineers don't sing their oath. Or hold a beer in their hand while reciting their oath. For some reason it just isn't as much fun as the Tech oath.

It was over, finally, and the bagpipers led the engineers out of the tent.

I really tried to find Dan as he came out of the tent. Really I did but somehow I missed him. This guy will have to do. You'll have to use your imagination but I'm sure Dan looked as happy as this guy did.

Our hats are off to you, Dan, for a job well done.

Villanova, The Waiting Game

2010-06-07T20:28:00.008-04:00

Last month our family experienced another milestone. Dan graduated from Villanova with his Mechanical Engineering Degree. Dave and I decided that merited a trip east to Villanova. We joined other family members for a weekend of graduation festivities.

Our weekend started with Dan's departmental graduation on a Saturday afternoon. Luckily Saturday was a beautiful day because this graduation was held in a tent. A very big tent.

We were early to ensure that we had seats though some, like me, never did sit down. Being early meant we had a lot of time to spend waiting. That gave us a lot of time to talk and catch up.

Katie preferred the young people's version of talking. She spent most of her time texting her friends.

And some of us preferred talking to complete strangers. Though I have to say by the end of the afternoon they were more friends than strangers.

And there were those among us who just enjoyed the moment.

Finally! Here they come.

Nancy was right with me trying to get the perfect shot.

With caps and gowns on they all kind of look alike. At least they had flags for each engineering discipline. It made it somewhat easier to find him.

Finally! There he is. He really is graduating.

Everyone was seated and it was time for the ceremony to begin.

Da UP, Continued

2010-06-07T10:14:00.003-04:00

After admiring the thermometer we decided to head over to Eagle Harbor and visit the Jampot.

The Jampot is a small store on the shores of Lake Superior that sells jams and baked goods.

As the monks explain, "We are building a monastery in Michigan's Keweenaw Peninsula. For this reason we came to Jacob's Falls on the shore of Lake Superior nearly twenty-five years ago, and this is why we are here today: to embrace the struggle of life in a hard place, to heed the counsels of the monastic fathers, to come to know God through personal and liturgical prayer, and to beg His mercy upon ourselves and upon the whole world."

I don't know about all of that but I do know that their baked goods are heavenly. Trust me I know. Oh how I know. The bread I bought to eat in the car was some of the best I have ever had. So was the chocolate truffle. Why did I buy just one? What was I thinking?

As our guide in building the life of this monastery we take the "little rule for beginners" written by St. Benedict of Nursia early in the sixth century. While written for monks of a specific time and place, the Holy Rule provides an authentic witness to the ancient monastic tradition. Its precepts flow from the Gospel and from the common experience of the first five centuries of Christian monastic life.

Meet Father Sergius and Father Basil.

Monasticism does not exist as an abstraction. Buildings, Rules of Life, and traditions remain dead unless they are given meaning through human actions. Monasticism must be lived, incarnated in the daily life of specific communities of real men or women. For it is the community, not the buildings or the concept, that constitutes the monastery.

Just look at those jams and jellies. And you shall only look. We bought my not that much younger brother some of his secret ingredient that he uses in his barbeque sauce. The lady renting cars at the Houghton Airport is now enjoying that secret ingredient. We tried, Brother.

The unlikely work of picking wild berries and making jam we undertook during our first summer proved the seed of larger things. Our jam shop and bakery, Jampot, has become one of the best known businesses in our area and now more than provides for our physical needs.

Thank you, Father Basil. We and our new friend at the car rental enjoyed our purchases.

Next we decided to drive up the shore of Lake Superior and enjoy the views.

Our drive included a stop at the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse.

We had one last stop on our Keweenaw adventure. Any guesses to the importance of this stop?

Before we flew home Wednesday we had another stop to make. We needed to do some clothes shopping for Sarah's rehearsal dinner in October. They were even having a sale. Score!

One last look at the lake and it was time to leave.

It was a trip of mixed feelings. We were thrilled to be back in the Copper Country. Sad for the reason why we were there.

Goodbye, Dick. You will be missed.

Da UP, Eh.

2010-06-03T22:21:00.006-04:00

As many of you know our Dave's good friend Dick Heckel died last week. He was a professor at Tech who took a special interest in Dave and his career. He helped him get through a couple of classes that seemed impossible at the time and was there for Dave when his dad had died. Even after graduation he was there for advice on work and life. Dave and I had even taken a few trips with Dick and his wife Peg on his boat. He will be missed.

His death meant a trip to the UP this past week for the funeral. We arrived on Monday morning to a perfect UP day.

We weren't about to miss enjoying such a gorgeous day in da UP so we rented a car and headed north.

Dave had rocks and mines on his mind so our first stop of the afternoon was at the Centennial Mine in Calumet.

Centennial No. 6 holds the distinction of being the last shaft ever used for mining in the Keweenaw. The last rock skip to come to the surface at the No. 6 would be the last to ever operate in the Copper Country – marking the final death knell for a century old industry.

Being the last shaft in operation, the No. 6 has survived the ensuing years relatively unscathed. The towering steel rock-house is one of only four still standing in the Keweenaw, and the adjacent collar house, dry house, and hoist house are still intact. Recently the property has been converted for use by a local industry and is off limits to the public. However, it can still be viewed from the highway rising up over the tree-tops.

I'm not sure what they mean by off limits to the public because we drove right up to it and we didn't have to go through any locked gates to do it.

We ran into only one traffic jam the entire time we were there. Where are all of those little people going?

This was tempting but we decided to pass it up. I like my pasties with ketchup, please.

If there are mines then you have to assume there are rocks nearby. We had found the mine and now had found the rocks. It was a Rock Wallmart. We couldn't just drive by.

Any sightseeing north of Houghton deserves a stop here.

It snowed for thirty straight days that winter. It never seemed to end. But those Yoopers are a hearty bunch. We only missed half a day of school that entire winter. When people around here panic at the thought of 6 inches I can only laugh.

The fun was only beginning but you will have to wait until the next installment to read about it.

to be continued.....

Good Job, John

2010-05-25T22:03:00.009-04:00

John has had a lot of firsts since moving to Western PA this summer.

Filling out his first sales order.

Ridding the house of a thirty-inch snake.

And..........

umpiring his first Pony game.

Yup, Sunday evening found John at one of our local baseball fields umpiring his first Pony game. His mask is adjusted and he's good to go.

He looks good in blue doesn't he? He even looks like he knows what he's doing.

Why look who else is here.

That's Dave out there on the bases. Sorry, Dave, but it's not about you tonight. My camera will be aimed at the youngster this evening.

Uh oh. This doesn't look good.

Call reversed. Stuff happens.

But why is Dave wearing this patch on his shirt? Reality check, Dave. We've moved from the Mitten.

The game continued under Dave's watchful eye but honestly John did fine. Dave even called me over between innings to tell me how well he was doing.

It looks like John has this umpiring thing down.

He made calls.

He watched foul balls.

He cleaned the plate. Always a fan favorite.

He called "time".

He checked his indicator which was in the correct hand.

In short he looked like a real umpire.

I think we have a real umpire in the making. Good job, John.

To celebrate we went out for ice cream after the game. All in all it was a wonderful night of baseball. Especially the ice cream part.

Try, Try Again.

2010-05-04T20:07:00.006-04:00

One of my new goals in life is to do more cooking from scratch. I've quickly learned that one ingredient that really makes a difference in cooking is fresh herbs.

Since moving here to no man's land I haven't had much success in growing herbs. I have a back deck that seems to get adequate sun and water. For a couple of years I used clay pots because I really liked the look of them. The problem is, of course, they dry out really fast. During hot summer days that can be a real problem. Last summer I switched to plastic. They didn't look as good but I figured I would sacrifice looks for function. They did somewhat better but they still weren't thriving.

This year I'm again trying something new, an EarthBox.

Double your yields of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers with less fertilizer, less watering, and no weeding at all with the EarthBox Garden growing system. The patented EarthBox was developed by commercial farmers and proven in the lab and on the farm to bolster yields while consuming fewer resources. It also takes up less space, letting you grow healthy, robust veggies, fruits and more on the balcony rail or inside on the windowsill. The EarthBox measures 30 by 13-1/2 by 12 inches (l x w x h) for a soil capacity of 2-1/2 cubic feet. The box rests on four wheels and easily rolls into full sun and then moves to the back row so another Earthbox or your favorite potted flower can get sum rays. This maintenance-free growing system controls soil conditions and eliminates guesswork so vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers grow bigger, tastier and faster! The growing kit includes fertilizer, dolomite, and two germination covers for jumpstarting your garden. The box is UV protected for years of use, and it’s recyclable.

Don't my herbs look good? Of course, it is only May but if this is any indication I think I may have a winner.

If you look closely you will see flat and curly parsley, tarragon, sweet basil, creeping thyme, oregano, and rosemary.

Watering should be a breeze. There's a tube in the back that I fill with water every day. The water is then absorbed from the bottom. No over or under watering. Or that's the promise. It even has an overfill so there's no guess work.

If you look really close you can see I have started harvesting some rosemary.

So far so good. I will update later this summer and let you know if it performs as promised.

Now i"m thinking about an indoor system so I can have fresh herbs year round.

Why Is This Golf Ball So Happy?

2010-04-04T21:16:00.004-04:00

So why is this golf ball so happy?

Because it's that time of year again. Time to guess the number of balls I will pick up behind my house this summer.

Last year's winner was Rachel (or Rachael, I don't know which) with the guess of 460. The actual count was 448. That should give you a good starting point for this year's guess.

Please don't join the Ball of Shame like my not that much younger sister did with her guess. She guessed 131. Wow. Not even close.

The prize remains the same. I will mail you the cookies of your choice or any other baked good for that matter. Golf balls too for those that are interested in such things.

Ready?

Set?

Go!

When You Come Home Early

2010-02-23T18:23:00.003-05:00

If you decide to come home early from a business trip this is what you might find at our house.

Last week Dave had business in Seattle and I thought that would be a good time to paint our bedroom. We have lived here for 4 years and that is about 4 years too long to live with peach bedroom walls. The new color? Coffee and cream. In layman's terms a muted green. It's a color I have used in other parts of the house and one that I really like.

LIke I was saying Dave was supposed to be home Thursday evening. Early Wednesday afternoon I got a call from him saying he would be home later that afternoon. What? I'm not ready for you to come home. Are you sure?

He was and this is what he found.

In fairness I do have to say I had my days mixed up. He was supposed to be home on Wednesday.

Late Wednesday.

So he did come home early. But by a few hours not a day.

Saturday the room was painted and Sunday he was gone again. This time to Wisconsin, on to Iowa and now he is in Chicago. He'll be home tomorrow.

I think.

No, he will be home tomorrow and this is what he will find when he gets here.

I still have pictures to put on the walls but this time Jo and I are ready.

He's leaving again Monday. I'm still trying to decide on what project to work on while he is gone. I'm open to suggestions.

Designed To Sell, Part Two

2010-01-13T10:35:00.004-05:00

The boys were gone and now it was time to finish up the painting, cleaning, packing and staging. The snow kept falling and Sarah and I kept working. And Jo, well Jo, was just Jo.

Here is the basement before its transformation. I think she had kept every box that had ever come into her house. As my not that much younger sister is fond of saying, "Wow".

We decided to leave the color on the basement walls mainly because of time constraints. We did have Dave and Cory replace all of the outlets and covers since the previous painter had decided to paint over them rather than doing the job right. It was amazing what a difference this little change made to the overall look of the room.

The boxes were gone and we staged it as a workout room. By the time we were done Sarah was wondering why she hadn't done this makeover earlier. Me too. It looks great.

Here is a peek at her laundry room after its fresh coat of paint.

The kitchen before.

In fairness to Sarah it usually didn't look this bad. Things were all over because of the packing and moving that was going on that day.

Luckily we had done some work in the kitchen a couple of years ago. The cabinets which had been light blue were now white and also sported some new knobs. All we had to do was clean and stage.

Here is a peek at her newly staged living room.

Sarah and I had painted her bedroom yellow a couple of years ago so there really wasn't much to do in here. Just pretty it up.

I love this lamp. Target, of course.

We repainted her second bedroom. Sarah didn't want to see the orange wall painted over but it had to go. Sorry, Sarah. We can paint another orange wall in your next house. We did keep the pillows. I love those pillows. Target, of course.

A little peek of her bathroom.

Of all of the staging ideas we had I think this was the best one we had. Just lovely.

It was a lot of work crammed into one week but the final result was well worth it. It looks so nice. I hope there is a buyer out there that agrees with me.

Thanks, Sarah, for letting me move your things all over the place. It was fun and I hope you enjoyed the end result.

Designed To Sell, Part One

2010-01-10T19:25:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, after all of the Christmas festivities in the middle of the Mitten (blog postings to come) Dave and I headed to the cold, snowy wrist of St Joe to help Sarah move. Crazy girl decided that Christmas time was the perfect time to move halfway across the country. Who raised that girl? Her dad was staying on for a couple of days and I was staying on for the better part of a week. He had won the coin flip.

We had two items on our agenda. One, get her condo ready to sell. Second, pack up most of her stuff in a U-Haul so Cory could drive it over to Philadelphia.

Everybody got in on the act.

Some caulked,

some wound cords,

some painted,

some farmed,

and some, well, some just tried to look busy.

All in all things went really well. Things went so well that we decided to celebrate New Year's Day by packing the trailer. Even though there was a lot of packing and moving of boxes that day we still found time for football,

hockey,

and, of course, farming.

While we were busy, Mother Nature was busy too.

By the end of the day we were making paths with shovels,

with feet,

and with fully loaded trailers.

We had backed the U-Haul in the garage which made for a handy staging and loading area. After the trailer was loaded Cory parked the truck in the parking lot and Sarah brought her car back in the garage. That could only mean one thing. Her father's work still wasn't done.

And neither was mine. Cory and Dave left the next day and I stayed on to finish up the painting, cleaning, packing and staging.

to be continued.....

Beef Bourguignon

2009-12-20T20:31:00.015-05:00

Last summer Sarah and I saw the movie Julie & Julia. It's a movie about a woman named Julie living in New York City and Julia of Julia Child fame. Julie was feeling lost and decided she needed to do something to give her some direction in her life. She decided to cook her way through Julia Child's famous book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in the span of one year. That, my friends, is 524 recipes in 365 days. Julie did find the direction she was so desperately seeking and did indeed complete all of the recipes in that cookbook in one year. At the same time the movie follows Julia Child and her quest to find her direction in life. The audience learns where Julia's passion for cooking came from and how she came to write her first cookbook. The movie was excellent and I highly recommend it.

The one recipe that stood out to me was Julia's classic dish Boeuf Bourguignon. I fully intended to go home and cook that recipe myself. I certainly couldn't cook 524 recipes but I thought one was doable. I even looked the original recipe up and bookmarked it. Intentions didn't get me very far because until now I hadn't tried it.

As fate would have it on the way home from Germany I watched the movie again. And again I was determined to try Julia's famous beef dish. Not a week after we got home I was reading through the Sunday paper and what recipe should be featured but Beef Bourguignon! An easy version of Beef Bourguignon. But the one thing that caught my eye was this Beef Bourguignon dish was supposed to be served over mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes!! That sealed the deal.

Today was the day.

The cast of characters were assembled.

First things first. Bacon is browned. Seriously, what can go wrong if bacon is involved?

The beef was cubed, seasoned and then suffered the same fate as the bacon.

Then it was the vegetable's turn.

So far so good.

Oh no, I've just read through the recipe. It will be eight o'clock before my Beef Bourguignon is done. What to do? Hold it for tomorrow. There is no way I can wait that long to eat. Besides aren't soups and stews better the next day?

But first I combine the beef and vegetables and let them simmer in a bottle of wine (yes one bottle of wine) for an hour and a half. Then it's off to the refrigerator to wait until tomorrow.

I have to say the house smells incredible. I can't wait until tomorrow to finish and eat my first attempt at Beef Bourguignon.

to be continued...

Butter-Pecan Kringle

2009-12-15T11:30:00.015-05:00

Brother has been posting left and right showcasing his cooking abilities. I thought it was about time I posted a baking post. He's not the only one in the family who knows his way around a kitchen.

A couple of weeks ago Dave brought some pecans home from his office that were a gift from a vendor. The women in the office decided that the best thing to do with them was to send them home with Dave and let me bake something for them. I was all about that. Especially since that very week King Arthur's blog, The Baker's Banter, had showcased a recipe starring of all things pecans. It was meant to be.

Today's experiment in baking is a Butter-Pecan Kringle. From what I understand this is a Wisconsin treat found in many bakeries at Christmas time. Is that true, Brother? I read the blog post and determined that this recipe was doable. After reading through the comments I determined I would make one change involving my one of favorite products. More on that later.

The cast of characters minus that favorite product. More on that later.

First things first. I needed to make the base which is essentially a pie dough. It's then formed into a ring on a parchment covered baking sheet. Notice it is essential that an official '72 Reds ruler is used to make that perfect sized circle. Essential.

Next I made a pastry topping and spread it over my perfectly formed pastry ring. Thank you, '72 Reds ruler.

It baked in the oven for about an hour and came out a nice golden color. So far so good.

Now it was time for my secret ingredient.

The original recipe called for caramels. After reading through the blog comments it seemed that after the caramels were melted and spread on the kringle the resulting caramel topping was somewhat hard. Dulce de leche to the rescue. I'll just make my own caramel. The only problem was the boiling time. I decided to try three hours and see if it would thicken up enough to make a nice thick coating on the kringle. I opened my can and poured it on my perfectly formed pastry ring. Ummmm. Could have used some more boiling time. The taste was a ten, the spreading consistency a seven. I would have like it to stick a little bit more. The next time I will try boiling the milk for four hours.

After the caramel came the pecans.

One last step. A glaze drizzled over the top and my kringle was done.

I have to give it a nine. The next time I will try to make a thicker caramel and thicker glaze. Other than that though it was really good. I understand Dave's office really enjoyed it.

If you are interested in recreating this Wisconsin treat yourself the recipe can be found at the Baker's Banter, http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2009/11/30/oh-my-goodness-butter-pecan-kringle/

Happy Baking!

Finished!

2009-12-12T20:13:00.005-05:00

It took me a little longer than planned and few more emails to my not that much younger sister than planned but I have finished my first quilt. Well not really my first.

This is the first quilt I ever made.

The funny thing is I don't remember when I made it. I think it was when we were living in Custer's hometown the second time. I don't even remember why I decided to make it and why I never made another one. When I took it off the shelf today to take a photo I noticed that I had even taken the time to hand quilt it. Why? I don't know. So many unanswered questions.

A few years later when Sarah graduated from high school I decided to make a quilt for her. It is composed of pictures of her and her friends. I even had her friends write messages on it for her. I do remember making it and it came out fairly well considering I just made it up as I went. Sorry no photo because it resides in western Michigan.

My not that much younger sister talks me into many things and the latest was that I should try making another quilt. After looking around the internet it was obvious that things had changed in the intervening years. I really liked what I saw and decided it was time to take up quilting for the third time. After all the third time's a charm. Or so I've heard.

Modern quilts can be very colorful and graphic. Though the basic construction hasn't changed all that much some of the "rules" have. Now many people don't wash their fabrics before sewing. They wait until they are finished and then wash and dry the quilt so it becomes all soft and crinkly. As far as patterns, almost anything goes from classic to modern freeform.

Armed with all of my newfound knowledge it was time to sew. Here is the result.

I made a few mistakes and my quilting lines could probably be a little straighter but I think it turned out pretty well. I really like the orange binding. Have I said how much I like orange?

Another big change is now people put as much time into the back of their quilts as the front. Frequently leftover material is used to do a simple design on the back. I used all of my leftover fabric to do this simple stripe on the back.

It has been through the washer and dryer and now Jo and I are enjoying it in our chair. There is nothing better than a warm fire, warm dog and warm quilt on a cold winter's night.

I had planned on making a quilt for Sarah next but the fabric she picked out has just started to show up in the quilt shops. I've ordered it but while I am waiting I have started another quilt. I bought this as a kit and am in love with the colors. I can't wait to see what it looks like when I get all of the quilt blocks sewn together.

I will keep you posted as I make progress on my current quilt.

A Christkindl Markt

2009-12-08T20:06:00.009-05:00

After two 1000 mile weekends in the car and a five day trip to Germany I think I have finally recovered. That is a lot of miles in a short amount of time.

Our flight to Germany was fast. We must have had some good tail winds because we made the flight in 6 1/2 hours. The flight back took over 8. Like I said we must have had some good tail winds going over. We landed about 6 AM and sailed through customs. Our only glitch came with our luggage. Dave's showed up buy mine was nowhere to be seen. While talking with an attendant who assured us my luggage was somewhere in the airport I happened to glance at the neighboring luggage carousel. I found my suitcase merrily circling with the luggage from a Singapore flight.

Our friend Hardy picked us up and took us back to his house for a typical German breakfast. Bread, cheese, meat and fruit. It was most welcome and very good. He then invited us to attend church with he and his wife. Our goal was to stay up all day, even though we had slept only two hours on the plane, so that seemed like a plan. Luckily part of the service was in English but after the first hour even the English wasn't helping us stay awake. That last half hour was hard. His church is located in an old army base. He gave us a tour which included a bunker. I can say I have never been in a bunker before. It was very quiet. And dark.

Hardy and his wife Dorka decided to take us to a traditional Christmas Market (Christkindl Markt) in the afternoon. Christmas markets have been a tradition in Germany for centuries. Almost every town has one and some larger cities have many Christmas Markets scattered throughout their cities. The markets open in late November and run through Christmas Eve. They feature food and more food. Also many Christmas crafts can be found for sale.

We headed to the nearby town of Wetzlar. What I learned during my time in Germany is that the towns are very pedestrian friendly. In fact, some areas of the downtowns are for people only. I liked that.

As Christmas Markets go this one was very small. In fact our hosts were disappointed for us. It consisted mostly of food stalls and very few crafts. But look at that food. You know Dave liked this stall.

It looks even better in color.

We even found chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Even though we had already had lunch Dave did indulge in some Gluhwein (hot, mulled wine). We also enjoyed some cheese samples from a cheese maker from Switzerland.

I liked the snow on the booths.

Here's a peek of the buildings that were outside of the Market.

There was one wood carver at the Christmas Market.

After touring the Market we walked around town for a bit.

The one thing that astounded us was the age of the buildings. 1599! We weren't even a country yet.

Here we are with our friend Hardy.

German stores aren't open on Sundays but it was fun to look at the window displays.

This is the Dom, Collegiate Church of St Mary.

The sandstone cathedral of St. Mary was commenced in the 12th century as a Romanesque building. In the later Middle Ages the construction was continued under a masterplan in Gothic style. The church was never finished, as one steeple still is uncompleted. The cathedral suffered heavy damage in the Second World War by aerial bombing, but was restored in the 1950s.

After dinner with our hosts we headed back to our hotel. We were tired. We managed to stay up until 9 PM and then called it a night. Strangely we both woke up at 1 AM and couldn't go back to sleep. So we spent a couple of hours in the middle of the night surfing the net and reading. Jet lag is hard. We eventually fell back asleep and woke up in the morning somewhat rested.

We enjoyed a traditional German breakfast downstairs and we were ready to start our day.

We Have A Winner!

2009-11-20T20:45:00.006-05:00

e have a winner! I bet you're saying to yourself, "Who won what?" Why the golf ball contest. If you remember last spring I posted a golf ball contest open to all of my blog readers. The person who came closest to guessing the number of balls I picked up this summer would win the cookies of their choice to be delivered by the US Post Office.

Here's a sneak peek of what I have picked this summer.

Lucky for you I wrote down everyone's guesses. In case you don't remember your guess here it is:

Carla 131

Sarah 181

Chris 192, 630 I thought his guess of 630 was so far off the mark I gave him another chance.

Rachel 460

Traci 174

Cory 302

John 72, 219 I have no idea why he has two entries

Scott 205

Marv 225

Here's another look.

That sure looks like a lot of balls to me.

To be fair I thought I would let Jo count the balls.

She had other ideas. I don't think she has counting on her mind.

Jo, come back! My blog readers need you!

Here she comes. I knew I could count on her. Count on her. Haha.

Jo has finally decided to get down to business.

The last ball.

Well, Jo, what's the final count? Who won the cookies?

Jo says....

the final count is.....

is........

448! That makes Rachel the winner! Congratulations, Rachel. That was a lot closer than I thought anyone would be. Let me know what your favorite cookie is and I will get those out to you. Well, not right out. I will be in Cincinnati, Michigan and Germany in the next two weeks. But when I get back those cookies will be baked and in the mail making their way to you.

Jo is exhausted from all of the counting but should recover by next summer to do it all again.

Sarah's Turn

2009-11-17T20:42:00.003-05:00

ust because it was Katie's 9th birthday that didn't mean the whole day was going to be devoted to her. The morning had belonged to Katie but the afternoon belonged to Sarah.

After lunch we made our way to our next destination. Of course, we had to take photos on the way. It looks like she is still loving Sam.

These Victoria Secret Wings were all over the city. I'm not sure what it was all about but people, including us, were having fun standing in front of the wings and having our photos taken. Even Sam got in on the fun.

I couldn't convince Sarah to pose with the wings. Where is her sense of adventure?

This was our destination for the afternoon.

Do you need a closer look?

Closer?

We were at Macys to look at wedding dresses. This was Sarah's second visit to a bridal salon to look and try on dresses. They didn't allow pictures so I don't have any of the actual event but I can show you how Katie amused herself for the couple of hours we spent there.

I can tell you that she ended up liking a dress that was very much like the one she had liked in Pittsburgh. Go figure.

On our way to dinner we enjoyed a little street music. Street music is the best.

It was quite a day of contrasts for my not that much younger sister and I. We took one daughter to pick out her first American Girl doll and we took one daughter to pick out a wedding dress. Life is funny like that.

Dinner (Rolls) or Disaster?

2009-11-09T22:15:00.007-05:00

es, it is time for another installment of Dinner or Disaster. Yesterday I decided to try Pioneer Woman's Buttered Rosemary Rolls. Do I have your attention? I sure had Dave's when I told him what I was baking last night.

First things first. I had to purchase my second piece of cast iron (Lodge, of course) for this recipe. I know what you are thinking. What does a cast iron pan have to do with dinner rolls? In Pioneer Woman's world everything. And now in my world .... everything.

I'm not even going to make you wait until the end of this post for the verdict on this recipe. Five forks!

Now that you know the ending let's go back to the beginning.

One new well-seasoned pan filled with frozen bread rolls.

Three hours later I had this.

I have to admit I cheated a little. I warmed the oven up a little bit and let the rolls rise inside. The house was cold and I knew they weren't going to get to where they needed to be by dinner time.

I should have left well enough alone and baked them but I thought I would let them rise for a few more minutes and then promptly forgot about them. An hour later I remembered I had rolls rising in the oven and found this.

Next time I will be a little more vigilant.

No matter. It was time to enhance these rolls with melted butter, fresh rosemary and coarse sea salt. I then just popped those little babies in the oven for 18 minutes and ended up with this.

Can I just say, "Wow!" They tasted as good as they looked. Dave gave them five forks and then promptly ate half of them with his chili that night.

Pioneer Woman, you have a winner! I loved the taste of the salt with the butter. I have been on a salt kick lately and these fit the bill nicely. Ask me sometime about the salted chocolate I have been eating. Yummy!!

If you care to make these yourself, and why wouldn't you, here is the recipe.

Buttered Rosemary Rolls

Ingredients
Frozen, Unbaked Dinner Rolls
Melted Butter, Regular, Salted
Fresh Rosemary, Coarsely Chopped
Coarse Sea Salt

Preparation Instructions

Spray a small iron skillet with cooking spray (or coat with olive oil). Place frozen rolls in the skillet, leaving plenty of room for rising. Cover and allow to rise for several hours.

After rising, brush rolls with melted butter.

Sprinkle on chopped rosemary. Brush with additional butter. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Bake according to roll package directions (usually 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes), until rolls are a deep golden brown on top.

Serve skillet on the table.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/buttered-rosemary-rolls/

Now go forth and bake.

Sam I Am

2009-11-07T22:47:00.009-05:00

ow that the doll had been chosen it was time for lunch. Can you believe that not only was this a store to buy everything related to American Girl but it also contained a restaurant? We had reservations for eleven and we were right on time.

Isn't the dining room pretty? Just like you would imagine it would be.

I love Gerbera Daisies.

Here's one way to get us all in the same photo.

American Girl has thought of everything.

Katie's doll even had her own chair

and her own cup.

Our waiter came to our table and introduced himself and took our orders. Our waiter who when he found out that Sarah was a ND graduate had the nerve to mention the words "ND and arrogant" in the same sentence. A waiter who we were to find out was a Michigan graduate (Masters, mind you) and was serving us while wearing a pink apron. Sarah was gracious and didn't point out who was on which side of the table.

First things first. A toast to the birthday girl and her new doll.

They didn't forget about us "real" people either. Isn't the hors d' oeuvres plate pretty?

After the toast and nibbling it was time to get down to business. What was this doll's name going to be? I quickly suggested Jo. Katie said Carson. Jo or Carson? The fairest thing was to put it to a vote. Jo - 3, Carson - 1. This didn't look good for Katie. Then she had an idea. There was still one vote that hadn't been counted.

Those in favor of the name Carson raise your hand.

Uh, Katie, you are still one vote short.

The Michigan grad in the pink apron appeared at our table. Problem solved. Mr. Waiter, Jo or Carson? Jo. The waiter in the pink apron voted for Jo. It was now 4 to 1 for Jo.

Now what?

Sam. What about Sam? All in favor of Sam raise your hand. Five hands up. Sam it is.

Now that that she had a name it was time to really get down to business. Lunch!

They served our desserts in blue flower pots. Too cute.

I think she likes her.

I don't know who is cuter.

Do you see the resemblance? It is hard to believe Sam is adopted. They look like true sisters.

We finished our lunch and did some shopping for Sam. Then it was time to make our way to Macys. Katie wasn't the only one who had some shopping to do this day.

to be continued.....

Decisions

2009-11-03T19:23:00.005-05:00

ecisions. That would be the word for the day today. A decision for a brand new nine-year-old girl on what American Doll to choose for her birthday. A decision for her slightly older cousin on what dress to choose for her upcoming wedding. It was indeed going to be a day of decisions; both big in the eyes of the one making them.

Our day would begin here.

Luckily for us one one of the big decisions had been made. Katie had decided not to get one of the Historical Dolls. She had decided that she wanted a Just Like You doll. In short she could choose hair, nose, eye color and various other features. It sounded easy but given all of the choices allowed the number of combinations at first seemed overwhelming.

One of the things that I liked was that there was a trading card for every doll listing her features. Katie quickly had her choice down to five. Then the real fun began. Look at the card. Look at the doll. Does she have freckles? Do you like her nose or that one's nose? Is her hair blond or does it look red to you? One can't take these decisions lightly.

We all were looking at cards and then examining dolls. Decisions. Decisions.

Looking at dolls and cards wasn't working. It was time to get serious. It was time to lay the cards on the table and get down to business.

Five had now become two. Progress was being made.

It was time for some intervention.

Even Sarah was pondering the choices. Just think yesterday you were studying for your PE test and today you are studying American Doll cards. Isn't life funny?

She's made her decision!

Number 37! She has red hair, green eyes, freckles and the nose her mom and I liked. She's a keeper.

Now it was time to find her on the many shelves that were surrounding us. Easier said than done.

It was time to make it official.

They were meant to be.

A girl and her doll. I think this is a decision that she won't regret.

Exploring The City

2009-10-31T09:05:00.007-04:00

After lunch we decided to take a walk down to Navy Pier. Well some of us did. One of the group decided that she had better go back to our room and study for her PE test. Responsible kid. Where did she come from? The four of us minus one made our way down to the lake. I should say we slowly made our way. Lunch was good but wow. It was sitting heavy in our stomachs. Dinner was looking less and less appealing.

On our way we spotted this sign.

I couldn't agree more. It was cold that weekend. Winter scarves and coat cold.

Much to Katie's delight we were almost there. I think I heard the word "cab" more than once on our walk down to the Pier.

Navy Pier is a fun place to visit. Fun if it's summer and a tad bit warmer. There wasn't much going on that cold October afternoon. To their credit the swings and ferris wheel were operating.

We did neither. Swinging on a full stomach didn't seem like a good idea and going up in the ferris wheel on a cold windy day wasn't any more appealing.

We did let Katie do this.

We like to live on the edge.

Fortunately there is an inside mall. We went inside and enjoyed some hot drinks and a couple of shows. We caught the end of a magic show and saw a musical involving pirates. That was a hit with the younger set.

Katie decided she wanted to go back so we slowly made our way back to the hotel.

Isn't the city pretty?

Well, we did make one little detour. We spotted an interesting grocery store on our way back and decided we should check it out. When the entrance of the store looks like this

you know you are in for a treat. And a treat it was. We found all kinds of interesting things. This, my friends, was no Wal Mart. If only I could live near a store like this.

Once we had Katie comfortably in bed with the remote and Sarah comfortably at her desk with her calculator my not that much younger sister and I decided to go out and do some more exploring.

Michigan Ave was one level up from the street our hotel was on so we decided to go up the stairway to see what all the full was about. I'm not kidding when I say it was like being in another world when we got to the top of those steps. The people! The cars! The shopping!

I love the old mixed with the new.

Some day I am going to take a boat ride on this river.

I don't think they are in Kansas any more.

Did I mention the shopping? There was every store you could think of on that street. Here is one that would appeal to the punks of the family. Needless to say it was packed.

Well, look what we found! The reason for our visit.

I have to admit we did go in and look around. I'm glad we did because the store was overwhelming. There is a lot to look at. That short visit would come in handy when we took Katie the next day.

Since we were still recovering from lunch we decided to pick up some salads and sandwiches from a local grocery store and made our way back to our hotel.

Tomorrow was going to be a full day.

Don't Come Back, Giggles!

2009-10-27T21:46:00.013-04:00

As most of you know my not that much younger sister and I took our youngest daughters to Chicago. One daughter was there to choose her first American Girl doll and one daughter was there to choose a wedding dress. Talk about contrasts.

We all met in St Joe on Thursday evening and enjoyed a night of Survivor before going to bed. We had a full day planned on Friday.

Friday dawned and found us here

waiting for our ride. Needless to say one of our group was quite excited about her first train ride.

We arrived safely in Chicago, hailed a cab (another first for one of our group) and made our way to our hotel. Thanks to Dave and his points we had snagged a hotel two blocks off of Michigan Avenue. Thanks, Dave!

We settled in and decided to find some lunch. The hotel had given us a list of restaurants that were within walking distance. I scanned the list and I found the perfect place to take an almost nine-year-old. It was a place we had taken Sarah to many years ago. She had found the diner highly entertaining and I thought Katie would enjoy eating here also.

Orchestrated '50s mayhem recalls the diner in the old television series "Happy Days." Ed's is jam-packed with action: period decor and memorabilia, deejays spinning gems from the '50s-'70s ("Tutti Frutti," "The Twist") and gum-cracking waitstaff, who shtick it up by dishing out rude comments to all -- don't worry; the sass is all in good fun and part of the joint's appeal .

It is all in good fun. They insulted us when we walked in the door and insulted us as we walked out. As soon as we walked in and had been seated the wait staff got up on the counters and danced and sang much to Katie's delight.

I don't think she had ever seen anything like this before.

We had a very funny waitress who gave Katie the nickname of "Giggles". I don't know where she got that name from. Maybe because Katie giggled when she threw the straws at her or maybe because Katie giggled at her silly glasses. Katie found our waitress quite amusing and did a lot of giggling.

Look at my not that much younger sister's response to the mayhem going on around us.

I guess this view can do that to a person.

It was a fun way to start our weekend. I think both the youngsters and somewhat older enjoyed our visit to Ed Debevic's.

If you ever find yourself in Chicago you should definitely ....

Even if the last words you hear walking out the door are, "Don't come back, Giggles!"

This is Fun?

2009-10-13T14:18:00.008-04:00

We woke up to cloudy skies Sunday morning. It wasn't raining and for that we were grateful. After another hot breakfast it was time to put up the sails and pull the anchor.

First things first. Sails must go up. Because we had Lee, a folk singer, on board the sails were raised every morning while we sang "Haul Away Joe". The song is a traditional Irish tack and sheet, short haul shantey.

Way haul away, we'll haul for better weather.
Away haul away, we'll haul away Joe.

We hauled every morning but never seemed to see better weather. Maybe today would be different. Or maybe not.

Some people were born for watching

and some were born for hauling.

We had dropped anchor the previous day so that meant we had to pull that anchor back up. A 500 pound anchor. That is a four person job with people rotating in and out. Dave is getting his instructions before he takes his turn.

Push, Dave, push!

I have to give Brendan and Cara credit. They didn't get to rotate out. They were in for the duration.

Dave did rotate out and decided he would go back to the stern and help Captain Dave out. This sailing business is hard work.

Are the Daves expecting rain because they both are wearing their rain pants? I don't like the direction this could be going.

Now that the anchor is at the water line it is time to winch it up to the side of the boat so it can be tied down. It looks like Brendan is ready.

Look who is back. Cara is pulling and Dave is in charge of the line. Don't let go, Dave! I don't think Cara wants to do this twice.

Good job. He didn't let go. A final tie down and another job is done.

I don't want you to think I didn't do anything but watch. Some mornings I did help pull the big sails up. This morning I was in charge of one of the jib sails. I got it up but wasn't strong enough to tighten it. I tried but Brendan had to take over.

Dave still wasn't done. It was time to tighten up the large sails. He was one busy boy this morning.

It wasn't all work. There was a lot of mud on the anchor and chain when it was hauled up and some of the crew couldn't resist having a little bit of fun with it. Youth.

All of the sails and anchor were up. We had a nice breeze and it was time to make out way out of the harbor of Beaver Island and into Lake Michigan. Look who's been promoted from deck hand to captain.

We made our way out to Lake Michigan and this is what we found in front of us. There would be no avoiding that. It was full steam ahead. What lay ahead for our journey across the lake? Only time would tell.

Hang on, Cheyenne! This boat is really starting to roll.

to be continued...

The Big Lake, part two

2009-10-12T13:39:00.006-04:00

Dave was exhausted from all of that looking up and decided a nap on deck would be just the thing. That guy can sleep anywhere.

Look at all of those lines. I hope Brendan and Cara know what they are for because I sure don't.

Cara decided to make a trip to the top of the mast too. She couldn't let Brendan have all of the fun now could she?

Notice the blue skies. You, not Cara. Cara needs to keep her eyes on where she is going.

Now it's Brendan's turn.

See he really is tied off once he gets to the top.

The rain had moved back in and we were approaching Beaver Island; It was time for Cara to bring in one of the smaller sails on the bow the boat.

Dave's up just in time to bring the big sails down.

Our destination for this day was Beaver Island. It is the largest island on Lake Michigan and is thirteen miles long and three to six miles wide. It was a year round population of approximately 300 people.

Beaver Island was at one time a Mormon kingdom. The island's association with the Mormonism began with the death of Joseph Smith, founder of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most Mormons considered Brigham Young to be Smith's successor, but many others followed James J. Strang. Strang founded the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite), claiming it to be the sole legitimate continuation of the church "restored" by Joseph Smith. Strang moved his followers to Beaver Island in 1848. In 1850 Strang proclaimed himself king, but not of the island itself. Rather, he claimed to be king over his church, which at that time contained most of the island's inhabitants. While Beaver Island's would-be monarch held many progressive ideas (such as the conservation of woodlands), his autocratic style of rule came to be seen by many as intolerable. Eventually there was a rebellion and Strang was killed. The followers of Strang were then driven off of the island.

Irish fishermen from Gull Island, Mackinac Island, various port cities on the mainland, and County Donegal in Ireland quickly replaced the Strangites on Beaver Island. Their community, increased by more Irish immigration, would develop a unique identity that was enhanced by the island's isolation from the mainland. Church services and even ordinary conversations were conducted in Gaelic for many years.

Now Beaver Island is a favorite vacation spot of people around the Great Lakes.

The marina doesn't have a dock big enough to accommodate the Manitou so Captain Dave threw the anchor in the harbor. It turns out it is much easier to throw the anchor out than it is to bring it back in. Dave would realize that the next morning. Our transportation to town would be a dinghy that was lashed at the stern of the boat. The most important thing about that is to know the dingy schedule. You don't want to miss the last dingy ride back to the boat.

We enjoyed another dinner cooked by Wendy and D, took the dingy into town to explore and then made our way back to enjoy more stories and songs by Lee.

The Big Lake, part one

2009-10-11T23:39:00.007-04:00

Part one? Don't panic. Lots of pictures and little talking.

Saturday dawned cloudy with no wind and no rain. Quite a change from Friday's weather of 25 mph winds and a temperature that barely broke 50 degrees. Look how calm the marina looked that morning.

I took a walk up to the marina bathroom to collect my now dry clothes and snapped a couple of photos of the Manitou as she sat at the dock.

Every morning at eight o'clock we enjoyed a hot drink and freshly baked muffin or scone on the deck while breakfast was being prepared. At nine o'clock breakfast was served in the galley and shortly after we would leave our port for that day's destination. Today we were headed to Beaver Island which was approximately 40 or so miles away. That seems like a long way on a boat with sails.

Speaking of sails it was time to tighten the lines.

Once the two main sails were up Brendan climbed up the rope steps to raise one of the smaller sails at the top of the mast.

That sure is a long way to the top.

For you people who worry about safety, yes he does tie himself off once he gets to the top.

I see there are lots of lookers but few volunteers.

Can you blame them?

The crew is always busy with something.

Dave is still amazed at how high Brendan has climbed. So am I.

In case you're concerned he did make it safely back to the boat deck.

Is that a little bit of blue sky peaking through the clouds? I think it is. Though the day was a bit warmer and the lake much calmer than the day before it also meant less wind. Less wind means the sails aren't very effective. In fact, there was so little wind that we ended up using the engines most of the way across the lake. Some days are like that.

This is Cheyenne. She is part Cherokee and a full-blooded sailer. She is the captain of the boat on many of the day sails throughout the summer. For this trip she was a deck hand but she was okay with that. She didn't mind letting Captain Dave shoulder the responsibility of this trip. I don't blame her. Being the captain isn't an easy job.

Because we were under power there wasn't a whole lot for the crew to do. Brendan kept himself busy working on this. Many times we would find the crew reading with an occasional trip down to the galley to look up a work in the dictionary. This crew was really smart and very interesting to talk to. The crew said they enjoyed these longer trips because it gave them a chance to talk to the guests on board and get to really know them. We felt the same way about them. They have led such interesting lives.

to be continued....

Bon Voyage

2009-10-11T15:48:00.008-04:00

I promise you this is our last vacation of this year. For some reason we ended up with all of our vacations grouped together this year. We went out west for a couple of days, biked from Pittsburgh to Washington DC and now we were headed back to the Mitten to do some sailing on Lake Michigan.

When we were in Michigan last summer we had found a brochure about sailing Lake Michigan on a tall ship. In the summer The Traverse Tall Ship Co. does three two-hour trips every day with some of those sailings themed such as wine and ice cream tastings. They also do four 4-day cruises in the fall which are also themed. We had chosen the music cruise. We would be enjoying the music of folk singer Lee Murdock. He would be entertaining us every night with songs and stories of the Great Lakes.

We would be sailing on the Manitou, a schooner. She is one of the largest sailing ships on the Great Lakes. The Manitou is constructed of modern materials and is a replica of an 1800's "coasting" cargo schooner. The boat is a traditional two-masted, gaff rigged, topsail schooner. The Manitou is 114 feet in length with over 3000 square feet of sail and displaces (weighs) over one hundred tons. For day sails she can accommodate 62 passengers and for the overnight sailings she can carry 24 guests. In short, she is a beauty.

We boarded in Traverse City on Thursday night so we would be ready to set sail Friday morning. After a great breakfast prepared by the cook, Wendy, and her helper, D, we were ready to set sail.

Neither the crew or the passengers know what the day's destination will be until that particular morning. It all depends on the weather and wind. On this morning it didn't look good. By mid-morning it was decided we would be staying in Northport for the night. There were gale warnings out on Lake Michigan which meant we wouldn't be venturing out of Grand Traverse Bay that day. Northport was a good option. With Grand Traverse Bay at 32 miles long and 10 miles wide we certainly had room to roam. Those gale warnings meant we had good winds in the bay and in fact reached Northport three hours early. Like any good captain, Captain Dave turned her around and went back and forth a couple of times. He felt that we paid to sail on the water not sit at a dock. He was right. We all preferred sailing to docking.

The winds also brought in wind and cold. We may have reached fifty degrees that day and we saw plenty of rain. This is where Dave and I parked ourselves for the afternoon. It was a bit sheltered but there was no getting away from the rain. We spent the entire afternoon standing there watching the rain fall. I can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

While we were standing mid deck the crew and other passengers opted to stand at the stern of the boat. I don't think they were any drier than we were. That's Brendan, one of the crew, at the wheel while keeping his eyes on the sails.

It looks like one of the lines needed to be tightened.

While Brendan and Dave were working two of the other deck hands decided to use the deck as a slip and slide. It actually worked quite well. You have to make your own fun on a boat.

Eventually it was time to dock at Northport. That could only mean one thing. The sails we had put up that morning now had to come down.

Even Captain Dave helped with the sails.

Docked at Northport.

This would be the only night we would be tied off on a dock at a marina. In short this would be the only night with heated bathrooms and hot water. We all took advantage of the heat and the showers. In fact the bathrooms were so warm that one of the guys bought a clothesline and clothes pins so we could hang our clothes up overnight. I can't tell you how nice it was to walk in those bathrooms the next morning and find nice warm, dry clothes.

We also enjoyed a delicious meal prepared by Wendy and D.

What is really amazing is all of the cooking is done on a wood stove in a very small galley. Her food was incredible.

We enjoyed some folk music by Lee and everyone crawled into their cozy bunks and listened to the wind and rain.

Lessons Learned

2009-09-28T21:47:00.008-04:00

Would we do the trip again?

It wasn't nearly as hard as we had feared it would be. We did get lucky with the weather. Cloudy is good. We didn't see much sun and most of the rain occurred at night. It doesn't get much better than that.

Some things we learned along the way:

Go east, young man. It is much easier to ride west to east than east to west. We could see that on the faces of the riders we met the day we rode down the east side of the Continental Divide.

Try to avoid Ohiopyle during a weekend or a holiday. We were there on a weekend and a holiday. Crazy.

Expect the unexpected. When the unexpected happens just go with it. One member of our group saw a deer in the canal who had just fallen off a cliff. That, my friend, was unexpected.

Even if you start on a tricycle in your backyard

you can end up 322 miles down a bike path with a great feeling of accomplishment.

Wear a helmet! Let me say that again, wear a helmet!! One of our group would have ended up with a cracked skull if he hadn't had been wearing one. Luckily it was the helmet that ended up with the crack in it.

We found 50 to 60 miles a day to be doable and enjoyable. It allowed plenty of time for sightseeing and numerous breaks.

This trip doesn't require extensive training. We had those that rode a lot of miles to get ready for this trip and some that rode just a few miles to prepare. All rode the entire 322 miles.

There is very limited cell phone coverage in many parts of the trail.

For those driving the sag wagon be forewarned: Dollar General was the highlight of one of the day's activities.

KOA's don't come with linens. Live and learn with that one.

I don't think riding the towpath in the fall is the best idea. We all agreed it would have been much harder to ride the towpath if the rocks, ruts and tree roots had been covered with leaves. Note the helmet warning.

Bill's in Little Orleans is a "must see". Don't forget to put a dollar on the ceiling.

Most importantly choose the people you are going to ride with wisely. We choose very wisely and ended up having a great time.

I will sum our trip up with a quote by Ernest Hemingway.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.

Would we do it again?

In a heartbeat.

332 Miles Brought Us To Here

2009-09-28T13:12:00.009-04:00

Day Six: Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

After 332 miles and six days we had come to this. The very beginning of the C & O Towpath.

Rosy and I had been patiently waiting for over an hour to see this:

It's Jack! They had made it. We're over here, boys! They all had made it and here they come!

Jack sure does look happy. I bet he's glad Chris stopped him from riding back to Pittsburgh this morning.

One more bridge, boys. It's not the highest nor the longest bridge of the week but I'm sure it will be the most memorable one you cross during this trip.

Pittsburgh

to D.C. I see a lot of happy faces.

The official portrait.

Contrary to what Rosy and I had been told earlier that morning, the guys hadn't encountered any rain. That twelve mile head start that morning had made all of the difference. They didn't run into rain but they did have to deal with the mud.

At least my brother isn't wearing his old man socks.

There was one more bit of business to attend to before their ride was official. When Rosy and I were at the visitor's center we had gotten some certificates commemorating their achievement. Since this trip was a celebration of Dave's fiftieth birthday and he was the one who put this whole trip together, we thought it only appropriate he hand out the certificates.

Congratulations, Jack. Aren't you glad you aren't riding back to Pittsburgh right now? I have no words for my brother's face.

It's now official!

Once the congratulations were over and many photos taken it was time to head to Arlington. That could only mean one thing. Get out the maps.

Jack decided to wash some of the mud of the morning off of his bike while the guys figured out how to get where they were going next. It's probably just as well.

Congratulations, guys. Job well done. It was a trip of highs (standing on the Continental Divide) and lows (landing on one's head). It was a trip of the expected and the unexpected. It was a trip of old friends and newly made friends. Would we do it again? Stay tuned and find out.

to be continued...

Talk To Me, Shirley!

2009-09-27T17:33:00.029-04:00

Day Six: Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

Point of Rocks to Washington DC

Would you believe the day again dawned cloudy with the threat of rain? I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

While the innkeeper Chris was preparing breakfast we took some time to explore Laurel Lodge.

Can you see why we liked it so much? Dave really liked the jar that was kept filled with cookies for guests.

The view from the back porch was incredible. If you looked really close you could see the Potomac meandering through the valley. Because the house was situated on the edge of a hill/cliff it was almost like being in a treehouse. Do you think they would let me move in? I would bake cookies for the cookie jar in the foyer. I promise.

It was time for breakfast and it was well worth the wait. We even had two courses. That was one more course than any of the other places we had stayed at that week. I think we all agreed that this was the favorite B & B of the trip. Thanks, Laurel Lodge.

It was time to head for Point of Rocks. That morning, yesterday's decision to ride that extra 12 miles seemed like a very wise choice. If it rained the way it was threatening to that morning the ride today could be slow and muddy.

Are you tired of unloading bikes yet, Dave? I know I'm tired of watching.

Some last minute adjusting was done.

As the bikes were being unloaded and adjusted Chris was giving Rosy and I some last minute instructions. We were nervous about today's trip to DC. Until today we really hadn't seen much traffic and keeping two cars together had been relatively easy. But today would be a different story. Shirley, our GPS's, had been reliable. They didn't always agree on the same route but when my Shirley was forced to follow Rosy's Shirley my GPS had never failed to adjust. Chris said we would have to bear right two times but other than that it should be an easy drive into the city. I'm counting on you, brother, to be right about this. We don't need any surprises today.

Directions were given and bikes and riders were ready. It was DC or bust!

Hey, do you guys need a Shirley? There seems to be some confusion on which way you're going.

That way. Jack is going that way.

They're off!

Hold on. What's that, Chris? "We're going the wrong way. We're supposed to be heading in that direction." Someone better stop Jack or else he'll be in Pittsburgh before he knows it.

Looks like all of the guys are headed in the right direction so now it's time for Rosy and I to fire up our GPS's. It seems like there may be a problem. Both of our Shirleys are saying that there will be a toll road involved. Chris didn't say anything about toll roads. We both had I-Passes. But the question was did they work where we were going? We didn't know. My I-Pass has worked in Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New York, and soon-to-be Ohio. But here? We both agreed if for some reason we got separated we would just continue on by ourselves. We were sure we would both eventually end up where we were supposed to; The Hilton Garden Inn in Arlington. We were off. But, unlike the boys, we started out by going in the correct direction.

While we made our way to Arlington the boys were exploring White's Ferry. There used to be 100 ferries operating on the Potomac; this is the last one still in operation and is still quite busy. The guys in the photo had also started riding from Pittsburgh the same day we did. Periodically the guys had run into them on the trail. They would see them one more time this day near the end of the towpath.

Rosy and I had made it to the tollbooth that Chris hadn't told us about. We had decided earlier that we would just go through the cash lane and if our I-Passes worked it would flag us through. As we got close to the toll booths I realized I didn't have exact change and couldn't follow behind Rosy who was in the exact change lane. No worries, I just got in the lane next to her. Or so I thought. When I came out of the other side of the tollbooth (our I-Passes did work) Rosy was nowhere to be seen. Okay. Just drive slow and she is sure to catch up. No Rosy and now I have come to a split in the road. Right? Left? I don't know. Talk to me, Shirley! No response. All I could think of was Chris saying you will always go right. So go right I did. When Shirley started to recalculate my route I knew I had chosen wrong. I didn't know it at the time but Rosy saw me driving off in the wrong direction but there was nothing she could do about it. I didn't have time to ponder my dilemma because I immediately faced another split in the road. Which way? Talk to me, Shirley! No answer so I choose right. She recalculated which means I had chosen wrong again. Thanks, brother. I had a beautiful drive into Arlington and without much trouble found the Hilton. As I circled around the block for the second time looking for the entrance who should drive through the intersection in front of me but Rosy! We both had made it. We found out later we had driven into Arlington from two different directions.

As we made our way to Georgetown to look for the end of the towpath the guys were making their way down the towpath. Their next sightseeing stop was Great Falls Park.

Many people consider the Great Falls of the Potomac to be the most spectacular natural landmark in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Here, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. This dramatic scene makes Great Falls Park, located just fifteen miles from the Nation's Capital, a popular site with local residents and tourists from around the world who are visiting the Washington area.

The falls consist of cascading rapids and several 20 foot waterfalls, with a total 76 foot drop in elevation over a distance of less than a mile. The Potomac River narrows from nearly 1000 feet, just above the falls, to between 60 and 100 feet wide as it rushes through Mather Gorge, a short distance below the falls. The Great Falls of the Potomac display the steepest and most spectacular fall line rapids of any eastern river.

The guys were somewhat disappointed. The falls weren't falling. Chris had been there just a few weeks before and said the falls had been spectacular. This just means we'll have to go back.

The guys had one more bit of sightseeing to do and then it was the final push for the end. And what was that last bit of sightseeing? It seems this had reared its ugly head again.

Yes, Dave hit another rock. This time he flew off sideways and landed in the bushes with his bike on top of him. His friends were useless because they were laughing too hard but some guy on his way to his fishing spot heard the commotion and came running to help. He pulled the bike off Dave and was the one who kept asking if he was okay. Is there anyone out there watching out for my husband? Laughing while he is laying in the bushes? I am shocked. I would have at least waited until he was back on his feet.

Meanwhile Rosy and I had found the towpath in Georgetown and were making out way toward the end. We kept counting down the locks knowing we had to get to Lock One. As we walked closer to the end we came upon this:

We found out later that at certain times of the year this boat is in operation. They even use mules to pull the boats just like they used to. Today, obviously, it wasn't in operation. Another reason to go back.

We walked just a little further and look what we found:

The end of the towpath! After 332 miles we had found the end. Now we just had to wait for the guys. As we walked back up the path we ran across two very muddy, wet guys with bikes. So we asked them, "Is this really the end of the towpath?" They assured us it was. They told us that they weren't riding the distance they did without going to the very end. They had started the day in Harpers Ferry and said that it had poured. We told them our guys had started 12 miles further down the trail and were hoping they had missed the rain. They assured us the guys were surely as soaked as they were.

When we saw the guys later that afternoon we asked the how wet they had gotten. They hadn't. They had managed to avoid the rain the entire day.

As we continued on my cell phone rang. We had service and it was Dave. I excitedly told Dave we had found the end of the towpath and were waiting for them. "Do you see the stone monument with a zero on it?" Noooo. We have a problem. We weren't at the end. What to do? There were no signs directly us from that spot. Luckily Rosy had remembered seeing a visitor's center so we made our way there. The girl in the center confirmed what Dave had told me. We hadn't found the end. We got directions and continued on our way. I have to say this was very poorly marked. There was nothing to indicate where to go. After crossing roads, under bridges, through a park, a shopping area and around and behind a boathouse we finally found our final destination. We needed Shirley. Those poor guys we had met earlier. They never did know that they hadn't biked the towpath to the very end. Maybe it's just as well.

We called the guys and gave them the directions as best we could and settled in to wait. We would spend an hour standing and watching from this spot. We weren't going to take a chance of missing their grand entrance.

A Change In Plans

2009-09-26T08:25:00.007-04:00

Day Five: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Rosy and I had done some shopping, sightseeing and had decided we should make our way to the towpath and wait for the boys. The towpath was located on the other side of the Potomac so we made our way over the bridge. The bridge is located where the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers converge and makes for a really pretty view.

Here, the forces of nature created a natural corridor for commerce. The Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers carved a notch in the mountains, providing passage west. Communities grew up on both sides of the river and later a turnpike, railroad, and canal came through this notch. The railroad and canal competed constantly until the railroad gained dominance. Because of the devastation of the Civil War and decreasing dependence on waterpower the area declined in importance.

Not only do rivers converge and the railroad and canal compete for space but the Appalachian Trial also makes an appearance at this spot. For a short distance the towpath and Appalachian Trail run together. There is a lot happening in this one spot on the towpath.

While we were exploring this area the boys were taking in the sights along the towpath.

They're here! Good because it's late and I'm getting hungry.

While we were standing there sharing our morning adventures one of the gang looked up and spotted this flying overhead.

Do you know what it is? Here is a closer look.

If you guessed an eagle with his lunch then you would be correct. Speaking of lunch it was time for ours.

While we enjoyed our lunch in town we decided to make a change of plans. The weather wasn't looking good for the next day and it was already quite late in afternoon. We really weren't going to have time to do Antietam Battlefield justice. It was decided that the guys would ride 12 more miles down the towpath to Point of Rocks. This would give them a head start on tomorrow's ride which if wet and muddy would be slow going. In retrospect this turned out to be a wise decision.

After lunch the boys made their way to the towpath

and Rosy and I did a little more shopping before heading back up the hill to Laurel Lodge and our cars.

The boys also did a little sightseeing as they made their way to Point of Rocks. The major point of interest of the afternoon was the Catoctin Creek Aqueduct.

The Catoctin Aqueduct is an historic canal structure of great importance to the transportation, structural, cultural and social fabric of Frederick County, the Village of Lander, the C&O Canal, the State of Maryland and our nation. The Catoctin Aqueduct site is where the C&O Canal and B&O Railroad, two arch rivals, first competed to concurrently cross a major tributary of the Potomac River– Catoctin Creek. It’s one of 11 stone aqueducts on the 184-mile long C&O canal.

In October 1973, after over fifty years of neglect and repeated ravishment by storms and floods, the 139 year-old aqueduct collapsed into Catoctin Creek. Since 1978 an unsightly, yet functional, WWII-era steel frame Army Bailey bridge has temporarily spanned Catoctin Creek to convey hiker/biker traffic over the creek. The remains of the Catoctin Aqueduct are scattered under this "temporary" bridge–deteriorating and unnoticed.

Of course, photos had to be taken.

Eventually we all made it to Point of Rocks though it wasn't easy. Luckily Chris spotted us driving around the Amtrak parking lot looking lost. We just didn't look lost we were lost. I wish they could mark some of these trailheads better than they do. We would have never found this one on our own. To find this trailhead one had to go down a dirt road next to the train tracks, cross over the tracks, drive over a one lane bridge and hang a right into a small dirt parking lot. Like I said we were lucky that Chris happened to spot us in the Amtrak parking lot or else we would still be driving around in circles.

We headed back to the inn, cleaned up and walked to a local restaurant and enjoyed a lovely dinner.

Today's distance by bike: 48 miles

Tomorrow was the day. It was DC or bust. Would everyone make it? Could Rosy and I navigate DC traffic with two cars and end up in the same place? Would a rock rear its ugly head again? All that and more in the next installment.

to be continued......

A Morning of Surprises

2009-09-25T21:34:00.011-04:00

Day Five: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Williamsport to Harpers Ferry, West Viginia

Today was the only day on the trip where we were on our own for breakfast. So we headed to the local Bob Evans, enjoyed our breakfast and then headed to the towpath in Williamsport for that day's ride. We sure spend a lot of time loading and unloading bikes. Some things never seem to change.

It wasn't long and the guys were ready to roll.

Today's itinerary was going to be a bit different from the previous day's rides. Rosy and I were going to drive the cars to our B & B in Harpers Ferry while the guys were going to ride the entire distance to Harpers Ferry that morning. We would have lunch together and then planned on taking afternoon OFF from anything related to biking. Yes, you read that right. We were going to take the afternoon off and do a little sightseeing by car. The Antietam National Battlefield was located near Harpers Ferry and we were all interested in seeing it.

Some things were not going to change that day. The towpath was still rutty and rough,

The scenery was still beautiful,

and Rosy and I would still be surprised by what we would find for that night's lodging.

The towpath held a surprise for the guys as well.

This was a pleasant surprise

but this not so much.

The sign should have said "over narrow, HILLY, paved roads".

As the guys made their way on the detour Rosy and I had arrived at our B & B. This is my kind of surprise.

Laurel Lodge is owned by Chris and his partner Ed and was every bit as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. We loved it. The inn was situated about a mile up from the river so we decided to leave both cars there and walk down to where we were gong to meet the guys.

Hey, kitty, we're walking not riding.

Rosy and I were so excited. This was the first real town we had been in so far on our trip. It even had stores. For shopping. Another happy surprise.

The city itself sits on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It consists of the town of Harpers Ferry and a National Historical Park.

THE HISTORY OF HARPERS FERRY HAS FEW PARALLELS IN THE AMERICAN DRAMA. It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It is multi-layered – involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. It was also the starting place of the Lewis and Clarke expedition.

I wish we would have had more time to explore. There was a lot of history in one little area.

While we explored Harpers Ferry the guys had made their way back to the towpath

and were enjoying the sights along the path.

The boys made their way to Harpers Ferry and we made our way to the towpath but one more surprise was in store for us that day.

to be continued....

Moving Forward and Looking Back

2009-09-24T17:45:00.011-04:00

Day Four: Wednesday, Sept. 9,2009

After a nice break it was time to hit the trail again. Unfortunately for me the rail trail ended at Big Pool and we were back on the towpath. The clouds seemed to be thinning and it looked like we might see a bit of sunshine during the afternoon.

John had decided to ride on ahead of us and join Rosy at the other end of that afternoon's ride so it was up to Jack, Chris, Dave and I to do the sightseeing. We didn't have to ride far to come to the first stop of the afternoon, Fort Frederick State Park.

The stone fort, named in honor of Maryland's Lord Proprietor, Frederick Calvert, Sixth Lord Baltimore, was erected by Governor Horatio Sharpe in 1756 to protect English settlers from the French and their Indian allies. Fort Frederick was unique because of its large size and strong stone wall. Most other forts of the period were built of wood and earth. The fort served as an important supply base for English campaigns. During 1763, an Ottawa Indian chief named Pontiac forged a massive Indian uprising. Several hundred settlers and militia force sought protection within the fort during this brief uprising.

The stone walls and two barracks have been restored to look as they did in 1758.

There is always time for photos.

Where are you going, Dave? Can I come too?

Break time is over, boys, time to move on. Boys? Are we moving on? Boys?

At canal mile 110 we came to Four Locks.

Four Locks was once a thriving community of homes and businesses supporting the canal. In 1836, a one-mile shortcut was built for the canal to avoid a four-mile loop in the Potomac. The shortcut required the construction of four locks to handle a 32-foot difference in elevation. Lock houses, a mule barn (now restored), general stores, warehouses, and a drydock for boat repair were built along this section of the canal. Because it was approximately half way between Cumberland and Washington, canal boats frequently stopped here for repairs and supplies.

It was time to move on but it wasn't long before we came upon this.

These boys have never come upon a site that didn't require a break. I have to admit that the views of the Potomac were really pretty from this spot. Note the sun. It made a brief, welcome appearance that afternoon.

Of course we couldn't resist putting ourselves in front of the view.

The siblings.

Have we changed much through the years?

Enough reminiscing, time to move on.

We had one more photo break before the end of the trail that day. The Stonewall Jackson at Dam 5.

The dam was originally built to retain water for the C&O Canal in 1835. It was modified in 1993, and is 20 feet (6.1 m) tall, retaining 490 acres (200 ha) of reservoir.[2] The 1835 dam was constructed of wood cribbing, and was attacked by Confederate forces under General Stonewall Jackson in December of 1861 with the aim of destroying the dam, depriving the upper C&O Canal of water and consequently cutting off coal shipments to Washington, D.C.. Two assaults by Jackson's forces failed to cause significant damage to the dam.[3] The dam was later replaced with a stone structure,[4] which has been upgraded with concrete.

Another great day on the trail. We made our way to the KOA to find freshly laundered sheets and towels waiting for us. Thanks again, KOA. We really appreciated it. We enjoyed a nice dinner at the local Olive Garden and happily retold our stories of that day's ride.

Mileage for the guys 45. Total miles so far in the trip stands at 227. 105 left. Will everyone make it? Time will tell.

to be continued.....

Smooth Sailing

2009-09-23T14:39:00.005-04:00

Day Four: Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2009

Wednesday dawned bright and oh who I am trying to fool? It was cloudy and misty like most of the mornings of this trip. But it wasn't raining so for that we were thankful. Steve fixed us a breakfast of French toast which was made with some of his homemade bread. It was excellent. Steve likes to talk and told us a lot of stories but one thing he told us that morning is that we needed to go a few miles up the road to a lookout. He said it was one of the top ten views in the United States according to National Geographic. Well, something like that. I was too busy enjoying my French toast to pay much attention to what he was saying. But the top ten part caught everyone's attention so off we went to see for ourselves.

The overlook is accessed from Oldtown Road, the oldest colonial road in eastern Allegany County. In 1758 during the French and Indian War, Colonel Thomas Cresap, Maryland’s great pathfinder, blazed this road to improve and shorten the route between Fort Cumberland and Fort Frederick.

This doesn't look promising.

It is believed that the name "Point Lookout" originated during the Civil War when Union troops stationed at neighboring Little Orleans were assigned to protect the C&O Canal and Railroad from Confederates intent on destroying the bridges and aqueducts along the Potomac River. Lookouts were established at Point Lookout and other nearby ridges from which Union troops could observe the canal, railroad and Confederate movements through the valley.

Despite the fog some were still determined to get a picture of one of the prettiest views in the United States.

I was one of them.

Visitors to Point Lookout today can enjoy the same view that the Union troops had 140 years ago. From the overlook can be seen 243 acres of land that was once owned by George Washington.

We didn't see much that day but I would sure like to go back and try that view again.

We headed back to the lodge, packed the cars and got ready for this day's ride.

Today's ride held a pleasant surprise. For 22 miles the towpath would be paralleled by the Western Railroad Rail Trail. Twenty-two miles of smooth riding. No ruts, no tree roots and most importantly none of these:

Pure bliss. This portion of today's ride would be in the morning when I wouldn't be riding. Cherry picking indeed, brother.

While the boys were enjoying their fun Rosy and I made our way to that night's lodging. Our destination was a KOA in Williamsport. Now we knew better to think there wouldn't be some kind of surprise awaiting us. The question was whether it would be a pleasant surprise or an unpleasant surprise. I was hoping for the former.

We arrived and it sure looked like a pleasant surprise. It was nice. Really nice. We were renting a cabin of sorts. It was portable but looked like a cabin and most importantly was new. We had a small kitchen for cooking and a front porch. We went to the office and they had our reservation. Everything was working out that day. We decided to take a look at it and drop off one of the cars. We went in and that's when things started to go downhill. It still had that new smell and everything looked new and clean but there was one small problem. There were NO linens. None. No sheets. No towels. This could be a problem. We went back to the office and explained our dilemma. I have to say they went out of our way to help us. Somewhere they managed to find enough sheets for the beds and four towels. They even washed them for us. Thanks, KOA.

We made our way back to Big Pool to meet the guys.

Here they come!

After yesterday do you really think Dave should be in the back?

He looks pretty good considering the wear and tear of yesterday.

It was time for lunch and some rest and relaxation.

to be continued......

Only In Orleans

2009-09-22T20:11:00.004-04:00

Day Three: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

Dave had recovered, somewhat, and we continued on our way. We met up with Jack and told him what he had missed going on behind him. We all had a good laugh and off we went. Destination: Little Orleans. John and Rosy were at the trailhead as planned. We retold the story again and had another good laugh. Even in the retelling the story wasn't growing old.

There was no doubt we were headed in the right direction from the trailhead to the Little Orleans Lodge. Bill's was halfway there and there was his sign pointing the way. Thanks, Bill.

Brandy was there to greet us.

We ran into Steve upon arriving, "Bill called and said to tell you he would be open tonight". Isn't it gambling night? Why wouldn't he be open? But regardless it looks like it's Bill's tonight for dinner.

Rosy and I had seen our rooms but the guys hadn't. Rosy and John were on the second floor sharing a bathroom with three construction workers who were working in the area. Jack, Chris, Dave and I were in another room on another floor. We had one and a half baths and a very convoluted layout. It was interesting to say the least. The entrance to our rooms failed to impress Dave.

But it was clean and there was that promise of ice cream and blueberries before bed so I was happy.

We cleaned up and headed to Bill's. Looks like we're in the right place.

First things first. Drinks. The guy who had helped Rosy earlier in the day was still at his place at the bar. He had now been joined by Bill's son Slim. Bill's sister was also there and was in and out of the kitchen.

Once the drinks had been taken care of dinner was ordered. While waiting for dinner a game of Euchre seemed like a good way to pass the time.

Every good bar should have signs and this bar was no exception. I think we could have spent all day looking at all of the stuff he had on the walls.

I bet you are wondering where the gamblers are. Me too. We were the only ones in the bar the entire night. Oh, Steve, you jokester. You better not be joking about that ice cream.

I am sure you wouldn't be surprised to be learn that Bill was quite a talker. By the end of the night he had his pictures out and was telling the stories that went with them.

Bill's was quite a place. Chris couldn't help but buy a t-shirt with Bill's photo on the front.

It had been a long day so we called it an early night. We headed back to the Little Orleans Lodge and much to my delight enjoyed some ice cream and blueberries. Thanks, Steve. We sat around his table for awhile enjoying our ice cream and talking.

Despite Dave's misgivings at the beginning of the trip about this night's lodging it turned out just fine. It was probably the most interesting place we stayed at the entire week. Was it the nicest and most elegant? Not even close. But by far the most fun. That counts for a lot in my book. I will take fun over fussy any day.

As I went to bed that night I happened to glance down and saw two clamps holding the front of the bed together but I was too tired to even care. As long as the bed didn't collapse in the middle of the night I figured all was good.

I'll leave you with a quote by Bill:

"You'll look long and hard, but you won't find another place anything like this place, I can tell you that," says Bill through a haze of cigar smoke. "And no," he adds, "we don't have a no-smoking section in our dining room. If you don't want to smoke, you can go outside and not do it."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

to be continued......

That Hurt!

2009-09-21T22:34:00.015-04:00

Day Three: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

The guys and I made our way down the towpath. Meanwhile Rosy had exhausted all of the possibilities at General Dollar and had made her way back to the trailhead at Little Orleans. But first she made a stop at Bill's to pick up some snacks for the bikers. We thought this was the grocery store.

We were wrong. The grocery store was in the bar. Really when you think about it why not? It surely makes it a lot easier for Bill. Rosy went in and found one lone patron at the bar. Bill was nowhere to be found. But she did find the grocery store.

Bill conveniently keeps the mouse traps next to the salad dressing.

If you look closely you can see dollar bills pinned to the ceiling. There are over 6000 bills signed by donors from forty-two states and fifteen countries. We meant to pin a dollar bill on the ceiling later that night and forgot. Next time.

Rosy made her choices and went up to the bar. What to do? Bill is nowhere to be found. No worries. The bar patron took her money, went behind the bar and put it in the cash register.

While Rosy was busy shopping at Bill's we were continuing to make our way down the towpath.

Parts of it was very rough and rutty. The towpath was living up to its reputation. Riders in front would frequently call out, "Rock!, Tree Root!, Rut!" It was helpful but one still had to be careful. It was slow going by most biker's standards. Jack was leading, followed by Dave with Chris and I taking up the rear. We had become somewhat spread out and for a bit Chris and I couldn't see Dave and Jack.

That's when we came upon this scene.

Chris and I looked at each other. Why was Dave sitting on the side of the towpath? That seems strange. Maybe Jack decided to take a swim in the Potomac. Jack would do that. But the banks were steep and it was a somewhat cool and cloudy day. Why would Jack be swimming? Ah, maybe Dave is just waiting for us since we had fallen behind.

We came closer and things were beginning to become a little clearer.

"Where's Jack?"

"Somewhere up ahead."

"Why are you sitting here?"

"I just flipped over the handle bars of my bike."

What! You did what?! As soon as we determined that he was really okay and nothing was broken, the sound of laughter erupted.

Well, one person was laughing. There is no proof that I joined in. None at all.

It seems this was the cause of Dave's accident. Jack must not have yelled, "Rock!", loud enough.

Dave composed himself and we continued on. I see Brother is still smiling. There is no proof that I was smiling. None at all.

Lucky for us there are campsites with water and portable toilets every five miles. The water came in handy for the scrapes on Dave's arm.

Just to be accurate this photo was an reenactment. I made them do redo this scene for me because I was in the porta potty when they did it the first time. Thanks, guys!

Dave composed himself again, Chris and I tried to stop laughing and we continued on our way to Little Orleans. I think Dave was looking forward to that beer that was awaiting him at Bill's Place.

That night we found the bruises and scrapes. Poor Dave not only was his arm banged up but his back had a nice large scrape on it. His one hip was so bruised that he couldn't lie on it that night. The next day we discovered that his helmet had a large crack in it. He hadn't even realized that he had hit his head when he had flipped off his bike that afternoon. He was a very lucky guy. It could have been much worse than it was.

Our adventures weren't over. Steve and Bill were waiting for us in Little Orleans.

to be continued.....

Who Turned Out The Lights?

2009-09-21T19:40:00.017-04:00

Day Three: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

Lunch was over and it was back to the towpath and to whatever adventures lay ahead.

Once on the towpath it was only a 1/2 mile ride to the Paw Paw Tunnel.

The Paw Paw Tunnel is a 3,118 feet (950 m) long canal tunnel in Maryland on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which was built to bypass the Paw-Paw bends, a six-mile stretch of the Potomac River containing five horseshoe bends. Construction on the tunnel began in 1836, and the tunnel was not completed until 1850. Although it was originally planned to be completed in two years, there were many difficulties in the process of construction. The construction company seriously underestimated the difficulty of the job. Violence frequently broke out between various gangs of immigrant laborers of different ethnicities, and wages were often unpaid due to the company's financial problems.[1] The tunnel was finally completed with a cost overrun of 500%. Though surpassed by many tunnels today, it remains one of the world's longest canal tunnels and was one of the greatest engineering feats of its day.

We were a little nervous about this tunnel because it wasn't lit and a water-filled canal ran along the towpath. We had read warnings about this path being rough and to be careful not to step off into the water. In fact it was strongly recommended that bikes should be walked through this tunnel. It wasn't nearly as bad as advertised. True it was dark, and true the path was very rough but there was a nice waist-high fence separating us from the water. We would most certainly stay dry if nothing else.

But first things first. There was a convenient set of steps running up either side of the tunnel and boys being boys couldn't resist climbing those steps. I had seen a sign on my previous visit with Rosy stating NOT to climb the steps but who I am to ruin their fun? It looked safe enough to me. So climb they did.

One last picture of John and then he made his way through the tunnel. He wanted to get to Little Orleans to meet up with Rosy. When we had left her she was headed to Dollar General in Paw Paw to kill some time. That was the only shopping available in Paw Paw and let's face it a tour of Dollar General isn't going to take a whole afternoon. Bye, John, see you in Little Orleans.

Two still weren't done playing.

Hey, yahoos, did you know that you're not supposed to be up there?

I don't know them.

It was time to navigate our way through that tunnel. Dave and Jack had flashlights. Dave led, followed by Chris, then Jack and I brought up the rear. It didn't take me long to realize this wasn't a plan. All the light was in front of me and I really couldn't see where I was going and truth be told it was really dark behind me. Jack and I switched places so now we had a light at the front and the back. I liked that much better. That was one long tunnel. The light on the other end didn't seem that far away but it took us quite awhile to reach the other end. Of course the path was rough and we were pushing bikes so that did slow us down somewhat.

Did I mention it was dark?

About two thirds of the way through Dave stopped and turned to the three of us behind him and announced, "There's a deep puddle of water back there".

"No sh**, Sherlock! We're standing in it and the water is seeping in our shoes. Move!" Well, I didn't swear at him but I did think it. Chris and I were both yelling "Move!" as we hopped up and down trying to keep our feet dry. I should have stayed in the back. Jack's feet stayed dry. Sheesh. We didn't need to worry about falling into the canal and getting wet. Dave was taking care of the getting wet part quite nicely all by himself.

We continued to slowly make our way to the end of the tunnel.

We took a few more photos

and continued on our way.

More sightseeing.

What is it about men and steel? Well, I know my man loves steel.

I'm smiling now but in the next installment someone else won't be.

Who could that be and whatever could have happened?

to be continued...

It's All Downhill From Here

2009-09-20T10:22:00.017-04:00

Day Three: Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

Today dawned ..... cloudy again. Do you see a trend here? I don't know if we have seen any sun yet on this trip. But I'm not complaining. Cloudy is much better than sunny and hot. We enjoyed a yogurt granola parfait and a heart-shaped piece of French Toast for breakfast this morning. It was very good and the fanciest breakfast we had enjoyed so far on this trip.

As nice as it was to sit on the porch and relax we had to get moving. After seeing how steep the hill was up to the trailhead no one was volunteering to ride their bike back up this morning.

How many people does it take to rack the bikes on the car? Evidently four, though in my opinion that may be three too many.

Bikes were loaded, bikes were unloaded and riders were ready.

Today's destination was Little Orleans (pronounced with a long e). We didn't know it then but Little was an understatement. As usual Rosy and I would be driving to Little Orleans and dropping off Chris's car. Then we would backtrack and meet the boys in Paw Paw for lunch. Highlights of the day would be leaving the Great Allegheny Passage and starting the C & O Towpath. It would prove to be an unforgettable day in more ways than one. But first things first.

The boys were off and so were Rosy and I.

Rosy and I were headed for Little Orleans Lodge. Originally it was a one room schoolhouse that had been converted into its current form as a B & B. Because it sits 1/2 mile off the towpath it would be an easy ride for the bikers later that day. My only concern was some information Dave had told me earlier that morning. He had called all of the B & B's we would be staying at the previous week to confirm our reservations. When he had called the Little Orleans Lodge to confirm our reservation and obtain the confirmation number he was met with this response, "What do you need a confirmation number for? You have a reservation." Dave's advice to me, "I don't know what you're going to find". That sounds promising.

While I pondered the possibilities awaiting us in Little Orleans the guys were enjoying their ride. Their downhill ride. They said it was one of the most fun rides on the trail to date. I think my brother's theory of me cherry picking the best rides was disproved this morning. Downhills will do that. After less than a twenty mile ride they had arrived in Cumberland where the Allegheny Passage joins with the C & O Towpath.

While the boys were enjoying a break in Cumberland had wound our way through the mountains to the Little Orleans Lodge. We later found out that Steve the owner of the B & B had just recently made this sign. He was quite proud of it.

We drove up the road a bit and found this.

Rosy pulled up on the side of the road and I pulled up behind her. Is this our B & B? This doesn't look like a one house school house let alone a B & B. We stood there looking at each other. I know I was frantically thinking of alternatives. As we stood there this appeared.

A chow. Whoa. This is going downhill fast. As she slowly approached me I slowly backed up. I finally had backed up far enough that I had the car door between me and her. Then the door opened and Steve called out, "That's Brandy. She's just lonely and lookin' for some lovin'". Riiiiight.

I called out, "I think we have reservations for tonight".

His response, "If you don't know how am I supposed to know?"

Dave's prediction was coming true. He was going to be difficult. We were all now standing in the middle of the road. I am sure Rosy was thinking the same thing I was. How are we going to get out of this?

I asked, "Where's town?"

"You're here."

"No, really. Where is Little Orleans?"

"You're here. It's just me and Bill's."

I think the reality that we were really going to be spending the night there was sinking in. But another reality was sinking in too.

Steve asked, "How many of you are staying tonight?"

"Six."

"That's too bad. I only have beds for five."

I just smiled. I get you, Steve, and I like you. Things are starting to look up. This may not be so bad after all. When we asked him where the trailhead was he offered to go with us in our car to see it. So off we went. It was only half a mile away and Bill's was conveniently on the way. Bill's consisted of a grocery store

and a bar. It seems this was the only choice for dinner tonight. Steve did warn us that tonight was gambling night, "Gambling comes first, customers come second". Sounds like our kind of place.

It turned out that Steve was quite a character. We actually enjoyed our little tour of Little Orleans with him. As we were getting ready to leave for Paw Paw to meet the guys for lunch he had one more piece of information for us, "Rumor has it there's ice cream and fresh blueberries before bed". We're in!

While Rosy and I were having our adventure the boys were having an adventure of their own. They had reached the end of the Great Allegheny Passage and had started the trip to DC on the C & O Towpath.

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal, and occasionally referred to as the "Grand Old Ditch," operated from 1836 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, D.C. The total length of the canal is about 184.5 miles (300 km). The elevation change of 605 ft (185 m) was accommodated with 74 canal locks. To enable the canal to cross relatively small streams, over 150 culverts were built. The crossing of major streams required the construction of 11 aqueducts (10 of which remain). The canal also extends through the 3120 ft (950 m) Paw Paw Tunnel. The principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains. The canal way is now maintained as a park, with a linear trail following the old towpath, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

The towpath is overall much less improved than the GAP, as it was built for mules and not railroads. Be prepared for ruts, tree roots, mud and mosquitos.

They left out rocks but that is a story that will come later. For now the guys were adjusting to a much rougher ride though still downhill and enjoying the sights along the way. From this point on the canal would be on the rider's left and the Potomac on the right.

Looks like there's a photo op.

I was right. It was one of the locks on the towpath.

Pace yourself, boys, you have 74 more locks to go.

Rosy and I had found the trailhead in Paw Paw and had some time to kill while we waited for the boys. We did a little sightseeing of our own. This is the Paw Paw Tunnel which we would be walking through after lunch.

The boys are back in town!

The boys followed us to town where we all enjoyed a well deserved break and traded stories of our morning adventures. If one of us at known what the afternoon would bring that person might have lingered over lunch a little longer.

to be continued....

It Was Worth the Climb

2009-09-19T07:56:00.008-04:00

Day Two: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009

Lunch was over and it was time to go but first things first.

Use those knees, Brother!

The morning ride had started in Ohiopyle, lunch was in Meyersdale and our afternoon destination was Frostburg/Mount Savage. It had been a slight uphill climb all morning. The afternoon promised more of the same, that is until we crossed the Continental Divide and then it promised to be all downhill from there to DC. It was to be an afternoon of bridges, tunnels and divides. My brother accused me of cherry picking the best part of the day's ride but I like to think that I was just smarter than him. That would be proved later in the day. Ha!

Isn't that a pretty bridge? We had ridden past it and I had convinced Chris that we needed to go back and take pictures. I'm glad he agreed to be convinced.

He convinced me we needed to take pictures from the bike path. I'm glad I agreed to be convinced. I like it.

It looks like Jack and John are enjoying the afternoon ride.

The first highlight of the afternoon. Big Savage Mountain Tunnel.

The tunnel was one of the last portions of the GAP trail to be completed. It was originally built as a railroad tunnel over in 1911 for the Western Maryland Railroad and has been abandoned for over 30 years. The tunnel is 3,291 feet long - which is longer than 10 football fields. The tunnel has been totally renovated for the bike path. The tracks were removed and a new roadbed, 32 overhead lights, a liner and a drainage system were installed.

Spooky.

Spookier.

As tunnels go it was a nice one. It was lit and DRY which later in the week would prove to be lacking.

A few more miles uphill and we had arrived! Two days of uphill riding had broght us to the Eastern Continental Divide. A few years before Dave and I had ridden over the Western Continental Divide on bikes but this was our first time to ride a bike over the Eastern Continental Divide.

We, well some of us, had climbed 1662 feet in the 126 miles from Pittsburgh to reach this point. In the next 24 miles to Cumberland the trail would drop 1754 feet. It is much easier grade-wise to ride Pittsburgh to DC than the reverse. Thanks, Dave, for thinking of that.

We enjoyed a nice break here. We talked to the girl from Cincinnati, another girl traveling alone, took pictures and especially enjoyed the view on the Eastern side.

If you closely you can see a bare strip of land running through the photo. That is the Mason-Dixon Line. Pennsylvania is to the left and Maryland to the right.

The ride down the eastern slope of the ride proved to be as fun as advertised. Compared to the pace earlier that afternoon we were flying down that hill. I almost felt sorry for the people we met who were slugging their way up that mountain. Almost. Next time have Dave plan your trip, people.

We had arrived at our last highlight of the day. The Mason-Dixon Line.

Since I now live in Pennsylvania and my not that much younger brother lives in Maryland we thought it only appropriate that we stand in our respective states.

John refused to choose sides.

It was time to make our way to the B & B. Earlier that morning when Rosy and I had talked to the innkeeper we had mentioned the spot in town where we had planned on getting off the trail. She had informed us if we rode another three miles further down the trail we would end up only a mile from the Castle instead of three to four. She said the ride was shorter and much safer. We were sold. We noted her directions and then drove it with the car. The last turn was at Patty Baker Road and we would find the trailhead a little way up the road. Perfect.

We rode from the Mason-Dixon Line, past our original trail head exit point and continued on three more miles. This is what we found.

The road was supposed to be Patty Baker not Paddy Baker. More importantly this isn't what Rosy and I had found earlier in the day. What to do? Mmmm. T. D. Close enough for me. I say let's try it. It turned out to be a STEEP curving road. Halfway down I recognized what Rosy and I had thought to be the trailhead. Whew. We wouldn't be riding back up that hill. Wait a minute. Brother is behind me. He doesn't know that. Wouldn't it be fun to play with him a little? Of course it would. Dave, Jack and I waited for John and Chris at the bottom of the hill.

"Chris, I was wrong. This isn't the right road. We have to ride back up that hill."

The look on his face was priceless. If only I had a picture. To his credit he wasn't fooled for long, but, oh for that one minute I had him. I live for those moments. But I wasn't through with him.

"Brother, there is a short steep hill just before the Castle. You might want to walk your bike up." Ha! He's a Porter. I knew there was no way he would walk his bike up that hill. And he didn't. Really, there should be a law against taking advantage of people like that. Cherry picking indeed.

We enjoyed a nice dinner at a local Mexican establishment and then came back to the Castle to find a bat flying around in the sitting room. The fun never ends.

No rain, one broken spoke, great scenery and good friends. The guys had ridden 63 miles that day. All in all it was a great day.

What would tomorrow bring? Trust me on this one. More surprises. The most memorable B & B of the trip was in store for us and someone gets up close and personal with the trail.

to be continued.....

That's Not Good

2009-09-17T14:53:00.003-04:00

Day Two: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009

Monday morning dawned bright and early. Well, early. It was cloudy with showers. No matter we had miles to bike. Our destination for the night was Mt. Savage, Maryland. We would be staying at a B & B called The Castle. I was sure hoping it would live up to its name.

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the front porch of the Quiet House, loaded the bikes and headed for Ohiopyle. On the ride to Ohiopyle the guys agreed that they were glad they didn't have to ride it with their bikes. Eight miles of curvy, hilly, wet roads was not appealing that early in the morning.

Our destination.

It looks like the rain wasn't getting some bike riders down.

Turn that frown upside down, Dave.

Water, snacks, bikes and riders were ready.

The rain had stopped and the bikers were off. See you at lunch, boys!

It was time for Rosy and I to find our lodging for the night, drop off a car and meet the guys at Meyersdale for lunch. But first things first. I needed five minutes to adjust mirrors, seats, radio stations and get my GPS up and running. Would it be too much to ask Chris to leave things the way he finds them? Sheesh. I was ready and saw where Rosy had exited the parking lot. As I entered the exit a policeman was entering and surprisingly was rolling down his window. ??? One way? Sorry, officer, I didn't know. Can you see I have Wisconsin plates and a GPS up and running? I readjusted my exit strategy and continued on my way.

While Rosy and I enjoyed our misty views of the mountain from our cars the guys were enjoying views of their own.

Sorry but I love my black and white landscape photos. It's the Ansel Adams in me.

Rosy and I were in Mount Savage and after a couple of wrong turns had found our destination.

What would we find around that curve in the driveway?

It really is a castle. Wow. This is the kind of surprise that I like. Here is a short description of its past

In 1840, The Castle began its life as a plain, yet substantial, stone house built by the Union Mining Company. Just before the turn of the century, the house was purchased by a young entrepeneur from Scotland, Andrew Ramsay. Ramsay was the owner of the Mt. Savage Enameled Brickworks Company which was enormously successful in producing a special colored, glazed brick that was highly sought after for its smooth, bright, easily cleaned surface. Mr. Ramsay used his new found wealth to convert the stone house into a replica of Craig Castle, which he had seen near his home in Scotland. Large verandahs and terraces of glazed tile were constructed around the house. Ramsay also added an entire third floor and a kitchen-library wing which almost doubled the size of the home. A large carriage house, formal gardens, and a tennis court were added to the two acre grounds. As a finishing touch, Ramsay surrounded the entire property with a sixteen foot stone wall. Mr. Ramsay and his family lived at The Castle until the Great Depression when his fortune was lost and the house was sold off.

and a description of its present.

The Castle endured many trying times after Ramsay's untimely departure. It was in the hands of private families for a while before it was sold off again and transformed into a dance hall, brothel, casino, and eventually into seven apartments. In 1984, the deteriorating structure was given a second chance to be the grand home of its past. After two years of grueling renovation, The Castle proudly opened its gates as a unique Bed & Breakfast. Today, innkeepers Tony and Judi Perino welcome you as guests with a four o'clock refreshment hour that is served either in the parlor or on the tiled front terrace. Your choice of fresh lemonade, iced tea or favorite wine is served with a delightful array of cookies, fresh fruit and assorted cheeses. In the crisp winter months there is always a selection of hot teas, coffee or a steaming mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream. While guests are relaxing, they may hear the haunting whistle of the Scenic Steam Train as it makes its way along the mountainside from Cumberland to Frostburg. During the chilly winter months, guests warm themselves by the fireplace in the comfort of the parlor. Perhaps making plans to dine at one of the fine eating establishments in the area.

We went in and met the innkeepers. Dave had booked The Cottage which was a small stone house on the property. It slept six with one shared bathroom. But surprise! Judi said if we wanted to we could move up to the main house for the same price. We all could have our own rooms with private baths. I could get used to these kind of surprises. We determined that it was only a short bike ride with one small, steep hill from the trailhead to the B & B. That was doable. We left Chris's car and headed to Meyersdale for lunch.

While we were dealing with our surprises the guys had a surprise of their own.

Not to worry though. It was only a broken spoke on John's bike. A stop a little further way down the trail took care of that. It would turn out that would be the first of four broken spokes on John's bike. Amazingly that would turn out to be the only mechanical problem of the trip.

The girl standing on the left of the photo was from Cincinnati. She was biking Pittsburgh to DC by herself. We would see her again later in the day. It would turn out that we would run into the same people day after day. It was fun to meet up with people again and again and compare stories. We even started to look for certain groups just to hear how they were doing. It gets lonely on the trail.

All wasn't lost for the guys. They continued to enjoy some spectacular scenery on their numerous breaks.

Rosy and I found Meyersdale without too much trouble and with some hunting found another Subway. We sat at the train station and waited for the guys. It turns out that much of this trail goes through areas of very little cell phone availability. I think John said at one point on the trail he saw a sign that said the next 46 miles had no cell phone service. It made for a lot of waiting for us since we never were really sure how far away they were.

Eventually they arrived and it was time for lunch.

The afternoon would bring The Big Savage Tunnel, the Continental Divide and the Mason-Dixon Line.

to be continued...

It's All Uphill From Here

2009-09-15T21:46:00.008-04:00

Day Two: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009

Lunch was over and it was time to move on. I would be joining them for the afternoon ride.

The trail is crushed limestone on an old railroad bed. It is fairly smooth but has some loose rocks and ruts. Because we were biking toward the Continental Divide it had a slight uphill grade that proved to be tiring after the second day. For afternoon riders it didn't seem to be a problem. In short, the guys complained about the grade on the second day and I didn't.

See how tiring this trail was? Looks like Jack needed a break.

While Jack was taking his break a couple of bikers came by and asked if everything was ok and if we needed help. Yes, the rest of us are calmly standing around talking while one of our group is in trouble on the ground. It was nice of them to ask but really.

Look, sister, he is wearing his new socks! I strongly suspect though that those calf-high white socks are still in use. Check out those tan lines.

That slight uphill climb that those guys were grumbling about was worth it. Look at the view.

Well, if those yahoos would move maybe you could see that spectacular view.

Break three (maybe four?) found us with more vistas to admire. Those guys sure take a lot of breaks.

Off we go. We need to get to Ohiopyle where Rosy is waiting for us.

What another break?

Let's go boys!

The closer we got to Ohiopyle the busier it got. One it was a holiday weekend and two there was a festival. The trail was getting too busy for us so we were quite relieved to reach our destination.

After two trips we and our gear were all safely at our B & B, the Quiet House, for the night. A shower for all and we headed out for dinner at the Stone House.

We all agreed it had been a great first day. No mishaps, somewhat cloudy which kept the temperatures cool and everyone had made it through the first day. Mileage for the day totaled 61 miles for the guys and 17 for me.

We would wake up to rain Monday morning and would be heading for Mount Savage. What surprises would tomorrow bring?

to be continued....

DC or Bust

2009-09-15T17:40:00.008-04:00

Day One: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009

The Great Allegheny Passage officially starts in downtown Pittsburgh. There is a gap in the trail between there and McKeesport that is somewhat dangerous by bike so it seemed best to start the trip in McKeesport. If they ever figure out how to bridge that gap I guess we will just have to do the trip again. But for now McKeesport is the starting point.

As you can see the starting point isn't very pretty or impressive. I hope the end three hundred and some miles later is a bit better. I would hate to ride all of that way and end up in an empty parking lot. Time will tell.

The bikes were unracked, water bottles filled and snacks packed in bike bags. The guys were ready to ride!

Rosie and I gathered our things and drove to our destination for the night to drop off one of the cars. While we drove the guys started their long trip to DC. Their first stop of the day was West Newton, PA.

After a little sight seeing they continued on for a bit and then stopped for a snack. Snacks are important. I live for snack stops. Unfortunately I missed this one.

While the guys were sightseeing and snacking Rosie and I were headed to the Quiet House, our B & B for the night. We didn't know it at the time but these fact finding missions would turn out to be one of the most interesting parts of our day. We ended up being surprised every day. Some good surprises and some not so good surprises.

We had two goals for our drive to that night's lodging. One goal was to drop of a car so we could drive back and meet the guys for lunch. If possible I would then ride in the afternoon. The second goal was to see how far the B & B was from the trail and to ascertain if that route could be biked safely.

That day's surprise. No one was there. We called their number and no one answered. Mmmmm. What to do? If we don't leave a car I can't ride. Decision. Leave a message and explain the car in the driveway is ours. We then drove to Ohiopyle to see if the route could be safely biked. After eight twisty miles with very little shoulder we decided that we would have to rack the bikes at Ohiopyle and drive them to our lodging for the night.

It was on to Connellsville our lunch stop that day.

After some searching we found the trailhead and a Subway. Lunch was ready, we just needed the guys. After a short wait look who showed up. They're smiling so the morning ride must have went well.

Four riders had left that morning and four riders arrived in Connellsville. It was a good beginning. Only 280 miles to go.

After lunch it was time to ride to Ohiopyle.

to be continued....

We're Off!

2009-09-14T21:57:00.005-04:00

Day One: Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009

As many of you know Dave turned 50 this year. He wanted to celebrate in a big way and finally decided he wanted to do a bike trip with some friends and family. But where? After much thought he decided that biking from Pittsburgh to Washington DC would be the perfect way to celebrate his 50 years on this earth. After much planning and preparation the day had arrived.

Maps were ready.

Bike racks were gathered.

Bikes stood at the ready.

Everyone had arrived at our house the night before we were to leave. Dave, Chris (my brother), John (he works with Dave) and Jack (his good friend from Monroe) would be attempting to ride the entire way. I would be driving Chris's car and was hoping to ride part of the trail. Rosie would be driving Dave's car. We didn't have all of the particulars worked out but hoped to work out the kinks as we went.

The first half of the ride would be on the Great Allegheny Passage. After leaving Pennsylvania we would connect up with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath for the ride into DC. Here is a short description of the trails:

The Great Allegheny Passage Trail is the crown jewel of the Mid-Atlantic Rail Trails. Thanks to this excellent trail and the C&O Towpath National Historic Park, we now have a 335 mile long traffic free corridor between Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC!

In December 2006, the final trail connection was completed linking Cumberland, MD to McKeesport, PA (just outside of Pittsburgh). This effectively extends the 184 mile C&O Towpath (which ends in Cumberland) an additional 150 miles. Over the next few years, additional segments will be added in the Pittsburgh area so that you can eventually bicycle from downtown Washington, DC right into downtown Pittsburgh.

Much of the trail follows the abandoned right-of-way originally used by the Western Maryland Railway. This route offers some really wonderful views as it cuts through the rugged mountainous terrain of Pennsylvania's Allegheny Highlands. Along the way, you will encounter several points of interest including, crystal clear mountain streams, a 1000 foot long trestle, numerous tunnels (including the monster Mount Savage Tunnel), and some really great white water rapids.

Sunday morning arrived bright and early. Chris was in charge of breakfast and he didn't disappoint. The blueberry pancakes were a hit. It was time to load the bikes and hit the road.

Jack and Chris took care of one bike rack

and Dave and John took care of the other one.

We were off! Destination: McKeesport, PA.

Moving On Up

2009-09-13T07:24:00.002-04:00

For some birds government-run subsidized housing just isn't good enough.

Love

2009-09-05T14:53:00.004-04:00

It was finally time for the show. The show Dave had picked was The Beatles Love Show by Cirque du Soleil. I have seen Cirque du Soleil shows in Orlando and they were fantastic so I had no doubt that this show would be just as good.

Here is a description of the show I found on the internet.

The loose story of the production traces The Beatles’ biography in broad strokes from The Blitz, through the band's founding and climb into superstardom, their psychedelic and spiritual works and their break-up in 1970. The finale is a joyous celebration of The Beatles' "reunion" that the show itself represents.
Love traces this path without relying on literal or historical representations of individual people. Its landscape is inhabited by fictional characters plucked from The Beatles' lyrics. Sgt. Pepper, a central figure, encounters many familiar faces, including Lucy in the Sky, Eleanor Rigby, Lady Madonna and Mr. Kite. In an exception to this stylistic choice, the "Here Comes the Sun" scene features a character resembling Krishna. Similarly, several scenes include mop-topped, dark-haired figures in black suits resembling Teddy Boys. The international cast totals 65 performers. Each song or medley is the name of a scene.

If the lobby was any indication this show was going to be good.

Here are the lads.

It's orange! Could it be any cooler?

It was time to enter the theater and enjoy the show.

It is an interesting theater on the inside. It is a theater in the round and contains 12,000 speakers. Yes, that isn't a typo, 12,000 speakers. Each of the 2013 seats is outfitted with 6 speakers. I hope that means the acoustics are good and that the music is loud. I like loud. After all I am my father's daughter.

Dave had gotten us second row tickets so we could see everything up close and personal. I found that to be good and bad. Good because you could really see what was going on in front of you but bad because there is a lot of things going on all at once on the stage. Sitting so close means you do miss some of what is going on in other parts of the stage. But despite that I loved being that close. What isn't to like about having confetti raining down on your head?

I looked around the internet to find some pictures of the show itself but I really couldn't find much. Here is one that I found that shows the Bug that appeared a couple times during the show.

Here is a YouTube clip that I found. At the one minute mark they show a part of the show that I really liked. They covered the entire audience with a parachute like covering. I've never had that happen before.

I have to say that it was one of the best shows I have ever seen. As I sat there the thing that really struck me was how good their music is. To have music that is 30 plus years old and still sound as current as today's music is astounding. If you ever have a chance, go. I bet you would love it as much as I did.

Thanks, Dave.

Not One Nickel

2009-09-04T14:20:00.003-04:00

We were headed to Las Vegas. Honestly it isn't one of my favorite places. Too hot. Too many people, It's just too busy for me. But it is convenient for getting to Zion so we found ourselves in Las Vegas on a Saturday night.

Dave had surprised me with tickets for a show that he had seen earlier in the year and had really liked. We had some time before the show so we walked around to take in the sights and people watch.

Hey, it's my friend Bobby. While standing there I told him how much we liked his Winner of a Chicken Dinner recipe: Chicken with a Honey-Tangerine Glaze. That recipe is a winner!

More walking and sight-seeing.

By this time I was getting hungry so we started to look for a place to eat. Look what we found, Sister! It's your friend Toby's restaurant.

Me and my friend Toby. I thought he would be taller but he was real nice just the same.

We did walk through a couple of casinos and found this couple having the time of their lives.

After the show we walked around for little bit and stopped and watched the show in front of Bellagio. The fountain is set to a song which plays every 15 minutes. It wasn't as good as the show I had just seen but it was fun to watch.

I just want you to know that we didn't gamble one single nickel. I can think of a lot of other things I would rather spend money on than gambling. Like shows for instance. Tune in tomorrow to see what show Dave took me to. I will give you one hint. The show featured music by the most famous band in the world. Any guesses?

to be continued...

What Are You Doing Here?

2009-09-03T09:42:00.005-04:00

This is the was our last activity for the day. Was he saving the best for last? Not in my book. We were now going to zip line over the canyon where we had been rappelling and rock climbing. A campground also happens to be in the canyon which explains the swimming pool you will see in the following photos.

First a safety lecture.

First things first, Mr. Todd. I just want you to know that I don't do ferris wheels or the aerial trams that cross amusement parks. His response, "Then what the hell are you doing here?" Now that's a good question. Why am I here?

While I pondered his question he continued with our safety instructions. We would be going at a speed of approximately 30 miles an hour so it was important that we don't grab the cable. In fact he had a hand hold installed for no other purpose than to hold onto so we wouldn't be tempted to grab the cable.

Because of the set-up of this particular zip line, over a canyon and the drop in height, the real danger is hitting the oncoming canyon wall. He came up with a clever solution that keeps the speed at a reasonable level and allows the rider to stop before the canyon wall. See if you can figure out what his solution was.

I think we are ready.

Because I had made Dave rappel first I had to do the zip line first. Am I hanging on tight enough?

They say the first step is the hardest. Would I take that first step?

I did! Do you see his solution to the speed issue? Yes, it's a parachute. It seems crazy but it serves two purposes. It keeps the speed down at a reasonable level and keeps the rider facing forward. This way you will see the canyon wall before you hit it. No worries though. I stopped right where I was supposed to.

Dave's turn.

Off you go.

Does it look like we enjoyed the ride?

It was fun but it went so fast it was really hard to enjoy it. Plus being scared out of your wits doesn't help either.

Out of the three activities we did this was my least favorite and the hardest. This was the only activity where you had to step off the cliff facing forward and were aware of just how high you were. That first step off the cliff is hard.

After a morning of fun we were off to Las Vegas for a little sight seeing and a show.

to be continued....

Porters Don't Quit

2009-09-02T09:39:00.004-04:00

Rappelling, no problem. Rock climbing? Well, let's just say I didn't know we were rock climbing until that morning. I should have known something was up when they asked for our shoe sizes the day before this adventure. I didn't know why we would need special shoes for rappelling but what do I know. Maybe I should listen more closely when Dave is talking. Maybe.

But rock climbing it is.

In rappelling you back off the cliff so don't really see the height, not scary. In rock climbing you are looking for the next toe hold or hand hold which should be above you so you aren't looking down. Not scary. It did help that we were tied off so there is no way of falling. The rope will stop the fall if you should slip. In fact, that rope has another useful purpose which I would find out later.

There was no being nice and letting Dave go first, we would be climbing at the same time.

Off you go.

Looks like Dave has this rock climbing down. I hope I don't disappoint.

Look at us go! We look like mountain goats up there.

Hey, Mr. Todd. If you are taking pictures just how tight are you holding my rope? I'm counting on you.

Then we hit the wall so to speak. This one was tough. There weren't as many hand and toe holds. We had been given special shoes to wear that are extra grippy and for this climb they were essential.

Trust your shoes, Dave!

Despite a valiant attempt Dave didn't make it all the way to the top. Uh oh. This isn't looking good for me. I started strong.

There came a point that I actually used my knees. They were handy and it worked. I did get yelled at for that and lost style points but I didn't care. I had made it another three feet higher.

I know you are all wondering if I made it to the top. I was approximately 8 feet from the top and just couldn't go any further. My arms and legs were tired. Plus I'm short, it is so much harder because the hand and toe holds are much harder for me to reach than the taller people. I told Todd that was far enough.

"Are you quitting?

Quitting? Am I quitting?

Am I?

No!! Porters don't quit.

I made it to the top. Not without scratched and scraped legs (using knees isn't really a good idea), but I made it to the top. I also think Todd was holding that rope a little tighter than usual such as maybe even pulling. He denies it but I have my suspicions.

Yes, rock climbing is hard. Physically hard. But the hardest part of rock climbing is coming down. You must let go, lean back and hop down the side of the cliff. In rappelling you lean back but you still have a rope to hang on to. But not with rock climbing. There is nothing to hold. Just lean back and trust the person on the ground to hold the rope. I found this really hard. I have to say by the last climb I was hopping down the cliff face like a pro and it ended up being the most fun activity of the day. Go figure. The hardest thing to do ended up being the most fun.

Proof we made it to the top. Dave: 3 3/4 out of 4 climbs. Me: 4 out of 4. Well, you know, Porters don't quit.

Rappelling. Fun. Rock climbing, Hard but fun. Zip lining? Well, we shall see.

to be continued....

You're Not Afraid Of Heights

2009-09-01T09:16:00.003-04:00

Saturday dawned bright and early and promised to be another hot one, well over 100 degrees. We were leaving Zion and headed back to Las Vegas but Dave had a little adventure planned for the morning. We would be stopping in St. George and meeting up with Todd who owns a company called Paragon Adventures. Todd offers several outdoor adventures for vacationers like us who are looking for something a little different to do. Dave had chosen The Endeavor in which we would be rappelling, rock climbing (I had no idea we would be rock climbing) and zip lining in a canyon of the Santa Clara river gorge. As we would soon see the top of the canyon is desert but the bottom of the gorge is a lush, green and most importantly cool environment. We would also be accompanied by Eric who we later found out had attended Michigan Tech. A Huskie in the middle of the desert! The world is indeed small.

We met Eric in St. George and drove out to the canyon to meet Todd who had everything set up for our morning adventure. I quickly informed Todd that I was afraid of heights.

"No you're not", was his response.

"Well, yes I am. I am quite sure about that."

Just work with me, Todd.

"You're not afraid of heights. You're afraid of falling."

After thinking about that for a minute, he was right. I'm not afraid of heights, I am afraid of falling. That doesn't change the fear of stepping off of a cliff but now I have a different fear to concentrate on.

First adventure of the morning was rappelling which in my opinion is the easiest. Let's face it you are stepping off a cliff backwards. Backwards. You can't see where you are going and really have no sense of the height you are at. The hardest part is letting go of the death grip on the rope and letting yourself drop to the canyon floor. I volunteered Dave to go first. I tend to be nice like that.

Let the fun begin.

The say the first step is the hardest.

Are you having fun yet?

Hey, Dave, feet down, head up.

My turn.

Wasn't Dave just here?

He was. Now he was here. Looks like he made it safely to the bottom.

I'm on my way, Dave.

Watch and learn, head up. You too, Eric, head up.

I'm coming.

Free falls are the most fun. Just don't let the rope out too fast.

By the end of the morning we were looking like pros.

I love hopping down the side of a cliff.

We survived rappelling and enjoyed it.

Like I said earlier stepping backwards off of a cliff is easy. Some of our other adventures of the morning would turn out to be much harder.

to be continued...

Walk On

2009-08-31T09:40:00.006-04:00

We continued our walk upstream. Naturally the farther we walked the fewer people we saw. By now we were meeting people who were doing the two day hike down the river. Most often the first thing said to us was, "How much farther?" They always looked tired and, of course, wet. Hiking downriver requires a permit and one night of camping on the river bank.

We also continued to enjoy the scenery around us.

I'm channeling Ansel Adams with this version of the previous photo.

Don't forget to look up!

As we walked further upstream the river was narrowing and the canyon walls were becomig higher and steeper.

We walked to a section of the river called Wall Street. At that point the water deepens as the river narrows and the canyon walls go straight up. I was too busy concentrating on not falling so I have no pictures of that part of the hike. Plus it was a real pain to have to stop and take my camera out of my backpack and then out of two plastic bags. There is no shore line at this point so it would have required more coordination than I am capable of. I value a working camera over a couple of photos.

While waiting for a more photo friendly spot I will take a break and let Dave model the three essential items required for this hike: good sturdy shoes, a walking stick and long sleeves.

After three hours of walking upstream we decided to turn around and head back.

The scenery continued to amaze.

Ironically the deepest part of the river occurs near the beginning of this hike. The hike ends early for those unwilling to get their clothes wet. That's too bad because the canyon is spectacular. The last time we had hiked up the Narrows we had reached a point about three hours up that would have required swimming. It is amazing how much the river changes from year to year.

This is as deep as it got this year. Last time at this spot it was chest high. Who knows what next time will bring?

By the time we got near the beginning the air temperature had warmed up (109 in the park) and had gotten much noisier. The afternoon hikers were out and about.

We really enjoyed our day in the river and would strongly recommend this hike for anyone looking for something different to do for a vacation.

Next we are going to climb, zip line and rappel down those canyon walls.

To be continued....

That's Cold!

2009-08-28T17:16:00.004-04:00

Friday dawned bright and early for us cross-country travelers.

With a projected temperature of 109 degrees it was looking like it was going to be a hot one. Lucky for us we were planning on hiking up the Virgin River in Zion more commonly known as "The Narrows". Water temperature, mid sixties. The river itself meanders for approximately 16 miles and cuts through Navajo sandstone canyon walls up to 2000 feet high. The Virgin River contains the tallest cliffs of the narrowest canyon found anywhere in the world. Though a strenuous walk the only real danger is the possibility of flash floods. If a wall of water should come down the river there is no place to escape. But with a forecast of hot and sunny, flash floods were of no concern of ours.

Zion allows very little car traffic in the park itself so we boarded the bus and headed for the Temple of Sinawawa.

After getting off the bus we then had a one mile hike on the Riverside Walk.

"The paved River walk trail winds along the cliff wall for 1 mile, and leads through marshes, hanging gardens and numerous springs before it ends abruptly at a point where the river spans from one cliff wall to the other. From here it is either get wet or go home."

We decided to get wet.

It looks like Dave almost got wetter than he had planned on.

I learned from Dave's good example and was extra careful with my river crossings. That water is cold!

Wow!

There are three important things we had learned from hiking the Narrows a few years ago. Despite a cloudless sky, very little of that sunlight reaches the canyon floor. It may be 109 but it is nowhere near that warm down in the canyon. Long sleeves are welcome. Second, good shoes are a must. Third, walking sticks make hiking the river much easier. Some use fancy hiking poles and some like us use sticks that have been left for use by previous hikers.

We slowly made our way up the river. And I do mean slow. It is slow going for us. The rocks are slippery and the current is quite fast in some places.

Time for a break.

to be continued...

That's Hot!

2009-08-25T17:20:00.005-04:00

As many of you know Dave and I took a short vacation last weekend. Because of Dave's frequent travel we had a couple of free airline tickets just begging to be used. Our destination? Zion National Park in Utah. We had been there a few years ago and had really enjoyed our time there so we thought a repeat trip would be fun. Even though I knew where we were going Dave had also planned a couple of surprises along the way.

We left Thursday morning and landed in Las Vegas early afternoon. We got our car and headed for Zion.

It looks nice outside the car window but a glance at this thermometer shows a different story.

You are reading that correctly. It was 112 degrees outside. I know they say it is a dry heat but let me tell you that is still hot. It should come as no surprise that we were driving through the desert from Vegas to Zion.

Though we were driving thorough the desert to get there Zion is the land of canyons and spring fed rivers. If you like rocks you would like Zion. By late afternoon we had arrived at our destination and our home for the next two nights.

This was the view from our front porch. Pretty.

Not wanting to waste a beautiful evening Dave studied the map and picked out a short after dinner hike.

The hike he chose meanders by some emerald pools and small waterfalls. It was a nice break from the heat of the day. As we were walking along we passed a hiker who said, "There's a tarantula on the path ahead". Huh? I told Dave but then added I must have heard that wrong. Why would there be a tarantula on the hiking path? Well, look what we found around the bend up ahead.

Well, hello, Mr. Tarantula.

We stood and watched him for a bit and then he went about his business and disappeared in a rock crevice. We later told a park ranger what we had seen and she became very excited. I guess it is just the beginning of the season to begin spotting them around the park.

We continued on the path and enjoyed the water and rocks until the dark drove us back to our cabin.

Tomorrow: hiking up the Narrows.

Watch Out!

2009-08-19T12:21:00.002-04:00

Watch out Chippies! I can't stand in my driveway 24/7 protecting you from danger.

The View From Within

2009-08-18T14:54:00.001-04:00

The cool summer (up until now) and frequent rain has been kind to my garden this year.

Dessert or Disaster

2009-08-16T21:19:00.003-04:00

Instead of Dinner or Disaster tonight I am doing a Dessert or Disaster post. Today's recipe is Plum Kuchen which I found on Smitten Kitchen's food blog. Now this recipe is a little different than the rest. It is a cake but it also has yeast in it which kind of makes it a bread. Maybe I should call this a Brake recipe. It sounded interesting and I am always up for interesting so I thought I would give it a try.

Now I couldn't leave well enough alone as you can see I used peaches instead of plums. I had just been to Michigan and had brought back some fabulous peaches that were begging to be used.

Arranging the peaches on the bottom of the pan turned out to be the easy part. The hard part was the "brake" batter. I mixed everything up and it looked just the way the recipe said it should look. Then I left it to rise in the bowl. And rise and rise and rise. Do you see where this is going? It wasn't rising the way it should. I let it go twice as long as the recipe called for and called it a day and continued on. I didn't have any yeast that was fresher than I had used so there was no sense in starting over.

The "brake" batter went in the pan over the peaches for a second rise.

After more than twice the time it should have taken this is what I had.

Do you see much of a difference? Me either but I was determined to continue on so into the oven it went. Much to my surprise it did rise somewhat while it was baking and when I took it out this is what I had.

It looked good and really it tasted pretty good too. I had a few issues with peaches sticking in the pan but other than that and the yeast not working right this was an easy recipe.

Plum Kuchen
Adapted, barely, from Gourmet

This yeasted cake is unbelievable: moist, light and with a complexity to its sweetness that most standard coffee cakes don’t have. Mine dipped a little when it baked, no doubt because it was left to rise almost an hour too long. That said, don’t skimp on the rising times — you want to get all of the lightness and height possible out of your dough.

Gourmet notes that this can be made with any stone fruit and that it tastes the best the first day. I don’t know, though, I had some that had been wrapped in foil in the fridge overnight and couldn’t find a thing not to like. Two days, however, might be pushing it.

Gourmet says it serves 8, but I cut mine into 16 squares

2 1/4 teaspoons or 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105–110°F)
2 cups (267 grams) plus 2 tablespoons (18 grams) all-purpose flour, divided
1 cup sugar (220 grams), divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt (124 grams) (preferably Greek-style, but I used regular yogurt and it worked just fine) at room temperature
1 large egg, warmed in shell in warm water five minutes
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 sticks (5 ounces or 142 grams) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened, divided
3/4 pound firm-ripe plums (about 4 small), halved and pitted

Stir together yeast and warm water in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about five minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.)

Add two cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, yogurt, egg, zest, and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix at medium-low speed 1 minute. Beat in one stick of the butter, one tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny, about five minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.) Scrape down side of bowl and sprinkle dough with remaining two tablespoons flour. Cover bowl loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Spread remaining two tablespoons butter in bottom of an 8- or 9-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Cut each plum half into five or six slices and arrange in one layer in pan. (I had quite a bit of extra plum slices to snack on, but my plums were also giants.)

Stir dough until flour is incorporated, then spread evenly over plums. Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle. Bake until kuchen is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan five minutes, then invert and unmold onto a rack to cool completely.

Serve with additional yogurt, lightly sweetened, or sweetened crème fraîche.

http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/plum-kuchen/

I am going to try this again with fresher yeast. I am thinking I will end up with a lighter cake if it rises the way it should. Four forks out of five for the first try. Here's to second chances.

Dinner or Disaster

2009-08-14T21:46:00.004-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Parade magazine had a grilling article. Who should be spotlighted but Bobby Flay! That had my attention and when I saw the picture of one of the recipes he had chosen for the article I was hooked. I had my next Dinner or Disaster candidate.

The recipe I was trying was Chicken With Tangerine-Honey Glaze. Now, really, how can you go wrong with a recipe with a name like that? Now his recipe called for boneless, skinless chicken breasts but I decided to try using chicken thighs instead. Except for the time required to make the glaze this recipe is easy peasy. I also had to use regular paprika because this part of the world doesn't have Spanish paprika. But I figured that neither one of these substitutions should make much of a difference in the end result.

It is time to Fire up the Grill!

Here is the chicken having some glaze brushed on. Go, Dave, go!

While we wait for the chicken to finish cooking why don't you admire one of my flower pots that is sitting next to the grill. Isn't it lovely?

.... waiting ...... waiting ...... Is it done yet, Dave? ...... waiting .....

Ah, done!

What do you think? I just have to say they tasted as good as they looked. Dave declared them a five out of five winner. I have to agree. They were excellent. They were so good that we had them a few days later. This time we used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. There were good but I think the chicken thighs were a wee bit better.

Cory, Sarah and Cory's parents were here for the weekend and Dave requested this chicken recipe again. For something different I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs. That was the best so far. They would be perfect for sandwiches. We will definitely be making this recipe again. Thanks, Bobby Flay.

Bobby Flay’s Winner of a Chicken Dinner

Chicken With Tangerine-Honey Glaze

3 cups tangerine juice or tangerine-orange juice (not from concentrate)
5 fresh thyme sprigs
1/4 cup clover honey
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 Tbsp Spanish paprika
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp dry mustard powder
2 tsp ground fennel seeds
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 8 oz. each)
2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish

1. Combine the juice and thyme in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 1/2 cup; remove the thyme stems and discard. Whisk in the honey until incorporated and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

2. Heat grill to medium-high.

3. Stir together the paprika, cumin, mustard powder, fennel, and 1 teaspoon each of the kosher salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Brush both sides of the chicken with the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Rub the top of each breast with some of the spice rub and place on the grill rub-side-down. Cook, without touching, until they’re lightly golden brown and a crust has formed, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over, brush the tops liberally with some of the glaze, flip them, and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 155°F. Remove from the grill, brush the spice-rub side with more of the glaze, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4. Per serving: 460 calories, 39g carbs, 48g protein, 12g fat, and 125mg cholesterol.

http://www.parade.com/export/sites/default/food/recipes/parade/090719-bobby-flay-chicken-dinner.html

Say Yes To The Dress

2009-08-10T10:37:00.004-04:00

What an exciting weekend! A new baby has joined the family and Katie has touched a cat. I'm not sure if weddng dress shopping can compete with that but while we wait for those baby pictures I thought I would entertain you with dress shopping pictures.

Sarah's original thought was to go to a couple of bridal salons that were unique to Pittsburgh. Long story short it didn't work out at all and we ended up at David's Bridal which has locations throughout the country including South Bend. But when it was all said and done I think it worked out for the best.

We started our day with an early lunch at Sibas in Cranberry. Dave and Cory joined us (Sarah, Cory's mom Dreda and me). It was a beautiful day so we requested a table outside and enjoyed a lovely lunch. I strongly recommend the Lobster BLT. The guys left for a round of golf and we headed to David's Bridal.

Sarah was so well organized that she had printed off some dresses she liked from their website. This was the first dress she tried on and one of the dresses that she had liked online.

A closer look.

It was a pretty dress online and pretty in person but not the dress for her.

She tried on another dress she had chosen.

Pretty but not right for her.

Now the woman who was helping us started pulling dresses that matched the style of dress that Sarah was looking for. Or at least what she thought she was looking for. Nothing seemed right. Now she started pulling dresses that she thought might work.

I have to admit that this dress was my favorite. It was the first dress she had tried on that day that looked beautiful on her. Sarah liked it but eventually decided that it wasn't for her. She thought it was too "beachy" because of the chiffon overlay and that wasn't the feeling she was looking for.

Then the lady helping us said she had a dress that she really liked. Though it wasn't what Sarah had described as what she was looking for she would really like it if she would try it on. No problem, she would try it on for her. She walked out of the dressing room and Dreda and I both gasped. It was perfect. We loved it, the saleswoman loved it and more importantly Sarah loved it. Then she put the veil on and that was it. Perfect.

Just to be sure she tried a couple more dresses on.

But she kept going back to "that" dress. I'm not going to tell you what she choose but I will say it was nothing like she what she thought she had wanted. She is going to take her girlfriend to the David's Bridal in South Bend and get her opinion. I have a feeling that this is "the" dress. Even though I'm not going to tell you what she chose I will give you a couple of sneak peeks. That will have to do until you see her walking down the aisle of the Basilica.