The Great Allegheny Passage: Rural to Urban

June 2, 2026 by LB

This is my fourth and final blog post about our bike trip on the Great Allegheny Passsage, a 150 mile Rail Trail that runs between Cumberland, MD to Pittsburgh, PA. The first two posts, here and here, are from the first 75 miles, ridden in the Fall of 2025. The third post is about the Art and History of the GAP. If you are just learning about the trail, check out the GAP Trail website and learn about how you, too, can enjoy a great adventure – whether by foot or by bicycle.

On our third day, we rode 45 miles from Ohiopyle, PA to Smithton, a small rural town in Pennsylvania, population 400. On this, our final day on the GAP, we only had a 30 mile ride to get to Pittsburgh, population 2.2 million (in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area).

The first 15 miles found us following a tree lined rail trail (we called it a “cathedral of trees” – see first photo), riding through small rural communities. We met our support crew for coffee and hot chocolate at a tiny little visitors center in Boston, PA.

Soon enough though, we began to see signs of larger, urban communities, and we enjoyed the changing scenery. The cloudy day made for a great contrast against the railroad tracks and steel trestles.

The Linden Tunnel is a 63-foot-long, 8-foot-high concrete structure located in Duquesne, Pennsylvania. The tunnel walls were adorned with gorgeous, colorful murals (mural photo by Ruth).

After a quick stop for lunch in Homestead, located along the Monongahela River, we got back on the bikes and rode onward to Pittsburgh.

The GAP Trail ends at Point State Park, a Pennsylvania state park located on 36 acres in Downtown Pittsburgh at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River. To be honest, the last couple miles were a bit of a confusion as the GAP signs that we’d been following the previous 147 miles were no longer visible (photo taken by Ruth).

Despite that, we soon rode up to the beautiful fountain at Point State Park (photo taken by Linda).

To give you a better view of the fountain, I have included a photo from a sunny day visit in 2022.

We were so excited to be there and to celebrate completing the entire GAP Trail.

After locking up our bikes and changing out of our gear, we ended the day at PNC Park, where we met our crew and enjoyed watching the Pittsburgh Pirates play baseball.

What a great way to end our ride! And yes! We are already planning the next adventure!

History and Art on the GAP

May 25, 2026 by LB

The Great Allegheny Passage is a 150 mile Rail to Trail that runs between Cumberland, Maryland and Pittsburgh, Pennyslvania. Work contstraints had my friends and I doing half of the GAP in the Fall of 2025 (you can see the posts about that ride here and here) and the second half of the GAP just three weeks ago.

We arrived in Ohiopyle, PA the night before the ride, glad to be reunited with the beautiful Youghiogheny River.

Ohiopyle is a super fun “trail town” that caters to cyclists, walkers, backpackers, and river runners. We enjoyed dinner at Falls City Restaurant and Pub and slept well at the Falls Market Inn.

The next morning, after a delicious breakfast with our support crew at the Falls Market Restaurant, we set off!

It was an incredible day and we were so happy to be back on the GAP.

One of my favorite parts of riding a rail trail is learning the history of the people and communities along the way. The GAP runs through the Laurel Highlands region which is “shaped by Native American heritage, pivotal early American conflicts, and coal, coke, and steel booms”.

An unexpected pleasure is seeing public art along the way. “The Connellsville Gateway Arch, with it’s colorful stained glass fanning 16 feet into the air, welcomes eastbound travelers on the Great Allegheny Passage. Built from formed concrete, coal, and riveted steel, the arch features materials made in the town’s own Youghiogheny Opalescent Glass Factory”.

We loved the murals on three industrial silos owned by Youghhiogheny Glass. Artists Chris Galiyas and Meeghan Triggs originally painted the silos in 2008, and due to fading over the years, were restored in 2022 by Galiyas.

“To honor the steelworkers past and present, the Yellow Dog sculpture was developed through the collaborative efforts of sculptor Jim West, George Junior Republic’s Fine Arts program, and the welding program at the William H. Gladden Career and Technical Center on the campus of George Junior Republic”.

We also enjoyed the unofficial pieces of art that bring smiles.

And then we came across the Darr Mine Memorial Mosaic.

The Darr Mine disaster occurred on December 19,1907 and was the deadliest coal mining tragedy in Pennsylvania history, claiming the lives of 239 men and boys. Created by mosaic artist Rachel Sager, “the memorial includes 239 individual mosaic plaques mounted on an old stone retaining wall. Each unique mosaic is built into a vintage film canister—resembling the metal miner tags left behind in the earth”.

The explosion left 130 widows, 300 children without fathers, and 542 people without a source of income.

Rail Trails follow historic railroads, pass through small and large towns, and preserve the surrounding countryside and history. Next post will be about our fourth and final day on the GAP.

The Mississippi Gulf Coast and Unexpected Pleasures

May 18, 2026 by LB

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how much I would like visiting Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but I came away a fan! Biloxi is known for it’s casinos and gambling, but we enjoyed so much more! The food, the history, the resilience of the people who have survived the devastation of Hurricanes Camille and Katrina, and of course the Gulf Islands and wildlife. You may not have seen my post about the Hurricane Katrina Sculptures, so please take a look if you have a moment.

Within minutes of landing at the airport, I asked my friend Tim to pull over so I could see and smell the Gulf of Mexico. I knew right away that a long weekend in this part of the country would allow me to just skim the surface of the richness of this place.

One of the best places that we visited was the Gulf Islands National Seashore where we learned so much about this National Park entity that runs 160 miles across two states and encompasses five barrier islands and one mainland. (I do hate that the website does not use the correct name of the Gulf, but in 979 days, it will get it’s name back).

We were all relieved that this turtle got away before the alligator ate him for lunch!

I wish I’d had a lens to capture the Osprey in flight, but I loved hearing them call. If I were a more tech savvy gal, I’d have figured out how to insert the audio here, but alas, no luck!

I got up early one morning and watched the pelicans diving for food behind this fishing boat (quite the name for that boat, eh?).

This Great Blue Heron was not at all bothered by me as he was much more interested in whatever was being pulled out of the water by the men, women, and children fishing.

The trees and flowers were vibrant with color.

We enjoyed the local flavors at many places including White Pillars,

were surprised by an Elvis sighting,

and enjoyed the Triple-A Baseball Team, the Biloxi Shuckers.

I already look forward to going back and plan to spend more time at the National Seashore, and hopefully get out on the Gulf of Mexico. What a delightful surprise the Gulf Coast was!

Biloxi Live Oak

May 5, 2026 by LB

A few weeks ago, we visited the Gulf Coast, Biloxi in particular. I have yet to find time to share photos and stories from the trip, so this Live Oak image will serve as my placeholder until I find that time. In the meantime, if you haven’t already seen my previous post about the Hurricane Katrina Sculptures, please take a look. You can also take a look at the alligator that I saw in the Gulf Islands National Seashore. I’ll be back soon!

Hurricane Katrina Live Oak Sculptures

April 18, 2026 by LB

Recently, Greg and I spent a weekend in Biloxi, MS with our friend Tim, and prior to arriving, as I always do when trip planning, I researched things to see and do (oh my gosh, so much! More on that later). What immediately captured my interest were the sculptures made from the remains of Live Oaks.

Hurrcane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005 and caused over 1800 fatalities, billions in dollars of damage, and is considered to be one of the five deadliest hurricanes to have hit the United States. The Gulf Coast’s natural spaces and places were also impacted, including dozens of Live Oaks, victims of the saltwater storm surge.

Biloxi’s Katrina sculpture project began in January 2007 when Mayor A.J. Holloway and Public Affairs Manager Vincent Creel spoke with Mississippi “chainsaw artist” Dayton Scoggins about sculpting marine-related figures from the dozens of standing dead trees in the median of Beach Boulevard in Biloxi.

“Scoggins’s initial five sculputres — a $7,000 investment for the city — inspired Fort Walton Beach, Fla, sculptor and frequent Biloxi visitor Marlin Miller to approach the city about donating his time and talent to sculpting more standing dead trees in the center medians in Biloxi”.

There are approximately 50 tree-sculptures along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, including the world’s largest eagle sculpture, standing at 17-feet-tall, located on Highway 90 in Pass Christian.

My friend Tim was kind (and patient) enough to drive along Highway 90 / Beach Boulevard, dropping me off at various places, and then coming back to get me. Imagine this: me dodging cars to cross the road and then standing amongst biting ants to capture these images. It was high noon so the photographic timing wasn’t the best, but I was in awe none the less. I captured some of the images up close, but others from afar so you’d be able to see the remains of the base of the trees.

These artists created egrets, seagulls, pelicans and dolphins, and seahorses, eagles, and herons.

I can only imagine the comfort these donated works of art offered to a devastated Gulf Coast.

If you are ever in Biloxi, know that these inspiring sculptures, created by generous artists, await to be viewed.

Monochrome or Color?

April 4, 2026 by LB

To see this in B&W, visit Monochromia

Which do you prefer?

Preservation vs Restoration: “Preserve as Found”

March 23, 2026 by LB

If you’ve seen my recent posts here and on Monochromia, you’ll know that I visited an antebellum mansion in Charleston, SC last month. The Aiken Rhett Museum, purchased by the Historic Foundation of Charleston, has decided to “preserve as found” rather than restore the home to it’s former beauty. If you look closely at the front entrance, you will see peeling paint and cracks in the marble.

Seeing the structures as close to what they were almost 200 years ago, was fascinating, and in terms of the quarters of the enslaved, disturbing. Please see photos from those quarters here, here, and here.

From the website, we learn that the Historic Charleston Foundation assumed ownership of the property in 1995 and in adopting a preserved “as-found” preservation approach, the structure and contents are left in an “as-found” state, including furniture, architecture and finishes that have not been altered since the mid 19th century

“The Aiken-Rhett House’s kitchen, laundry and quarters – with their original paint, floors and fixtures – survive virtually untouched since the 1850s, allowing visitors the unique chance to better comprehend the every-day realities of the enslaved Africans who lived on-site, maintained the household and catered to the needs of the Aiken family and their guests”.

Our tour was a self guided audio tour and as the website notes “If these walls could talk… they’d tell you a compelling tale of urban life in antebellum Charleston through the eyes of the powerful and wealthy Governor and Mrs. William Aiken, Jr. and the enslaved Africans who maintained their house, property, and way of life”.

Charleston offers much in terms of cuisine, shopping, and history, and I was grateful that in the Aiken Rhett Museum Home, and in The Charleston Museum (the oldest in the country!), history is not being erased!

Another Side of Charleston

March 13, 2026 by LB

Our weekend travels took us to Charleston South Carolina a couple weeks ago, where we of course enjoyed all the many wonderful things that are expected. I’ll be sharing more about that trip when I find a spare moment, but for now, I wanted to briefly tell you about our afternoon at the Aiken-Rhett House Museum, c 1820s.

Purchased by the Historic Charleston Foundation in 1975, the house is being “preserved as found” and represents a stark example of the wealthy vs the urban enslaved. The house and its surviving furnishings offer a compelling portrait of urban life in antebellum Charleston”.

This hallway connected the quarters of the enslaved as well as the kitchen and laundry. Walking the halls, seeing the rooms, visualizing the conditions of the enslaved was disturbing. How did slave owners not see how wrong they were?

To see this image in B&W, visit my post on Monochromia here.

Eve’s Apple

February 19, 2026 by LB

Greg surprised me with an over night trip to Bristol, a small city whose mainstreet is split down the middle. Half in Virginia. Half in Tennessee. We walked around the downtown area before enjoying a delicious meal at Vivian’s Table, the restaurant located in the Bristol Hotel. The city offers much more than this post shares, so check out these two previous posts if you like, here and here.

My dessert was called Eve’s Apple: Apple Mousse, Apple Compote, Lager Cookie Crumble, and Smoked Salted Caramel. Delicious! Sadly, my cellphone image in a dimly lit dining room just does not show the beauty of this artistic dessert.

The view from our room and the famous Bristol sign.

Just a couple other shots from our walk around town.

Virginia’s Prolonged Winter

February 12, 2026 by LB

Unlike many, I actually LOVE Winter! I do want to add that I have a well insulated home, a car with heat, a healthy body, and I work indoors. There are many who are not so fortunate, and it’s especially difficult on the days where temperatures have been consistently below 15 degrees Fahrenheit (not typical for Southwest Virginia).

I love a good snow, especially in these days of climate change when, at least here in Virginia, we don’t see the snow as in the past. It’s all about the beauty, the peace, the quiet, AND the time with friends.

On my Morning Commute