Author Archives: LB

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The GAP – Day 1

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If you saw my recent post about the Youghiogheny River, you will know that 2 friends and I rode half of the Great Allegheny Passage a few weeks ago. Part of the Rails to Trails system, the GAP Trail is 150 miles long, and starts in Pittsburgh PA and ends in Cumberland MD. Work constraints kept us from doing the whole trail in one trip, but we loved the 75 miles that we covered, and we already have the other 75 planned for April of 2026!

We started our weekend adventure in the trail town of Ohiopyle, a Pennsylvania borough devoted to all things outdoor adventure – hiking, cycling, fishing, kayaking, and white water rafting. The whole vibe fuels the adventurous spirit and adds to the fun. As you know, clicking on any image in the galleries will let you see the full picture.

With a first day plan of a 40 mile ride to Myersdale, PA, we headed off! Our first stop was in Confluence, another small borough in Pennsylvania that welcomes cyclists and all other outdoor adventurers.

While in Confluence, we stopped at Mitch’s Fuel & Food where the incredibly nice folks there made and wrapped up our sandwiches for lunch later on down the trail.

It was a perfectly beautiful day to ride! Sunshine, cool temps, and interesting people along the way, like this guy who offered to let us try out his Penny-Farthing, aka High Wheeler. We declined but marveled at his speed and ability.

We stopped for lunch along the river before continuing on to the Pinkerton Tunnel.

The 849-foot Pinkerton Tunnel, built in 1911, was originally part of the Western Maryland Railway. It was rehabilitated and reopened to bicycle and foot traffic in 2015.

We thrilled at the ride over the Salisbury Viaduct, the longest trestle on the GAP. At 1,908 feet, the viaduct is 101 ft above the river and was built in 1911 (when tragically, 7 men were killed during construction).

Hundreds of spectators cheered when the first train crossed in 1912.  Abandoned as a through-route in 1975, it was decked for bike and pedestrian use in 1998. 

The GAP is made of packed, crushed limestone making for a smooth ride, and is well marked.

We arrived in Myersdale, PA where our fabulous and fun SAG Crew met us.

We checked into Yoder’s Guest House in Myersdale where we were greeted by Chuck, who safely stored our bikes in the bike garage. Chuck and Denise were so welcoming and we were soon enjoying the large front porch and a cold beverage. What a fabulous place to stop for the night! Highly recommend!

After pizza from a local restaurant, we went to bed excited about Day 1 and looking forward to of Day 2!

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Youghiogheny River

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Two weeks ago, friends and I rode half of the 150 mile Great Allegheny Passage Trail, part of the Rails to Trails movement which creates multi-use public paths from abandoned railroad corridors. We started our ride in a small trail town called Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania where Ohiopyle State Park is located. “Passing through the heart of the park, the rushing waters of the Youghiogheny [yawki-gay-nee] River Gorge are the centerpiece for Ohiopyle. The “Yough” [yawk] provides some of the best whitewater boating in the eastern United States, as well as spectacular scenery”. To see this same image in B&W, visit Monochromia

I’ll share more about this amazing trip in the next few posts.

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Support Open Streets

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As Greg and I walked through the Upper West Side on our way to dinner and then to see John Oliver and Seth Myers at the Beacon Theater, we passed through the Columbia Avenue Business District. We soon learned about Open Streets, a concept where the streets are closed off to motorized vehicles and allow people (and their pets) to replace automobile traffic for a few hours. Without cars, streets become a massive public space where people of all ages, abilities, and economic backgrounds can come together to exercise, and play

Columbus Ave was full of families and individuals walking and cycling,

playing Chess and Badminton,

And generally enjoying community on a beautiful evening. What a concept!

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Manhattan, briefly

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After our time in Philadelphia, we hopped back on an Amtrak train for a brief visit to NYC. We got to spend time with dear friends, enjoyed some delicious food, walked many more miles, and laughed out loud to the stand up comedy of John Oliver and Seth Myers. A perfect 24 hours!

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A Few More From Philly

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View of the City from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge

The Philadelphia Free Library

Authorized copy of The Thinker (Le Penseur) by Auguste Rodin

The Promenade and Gazebo at Fairmont Water Works

The Fairmont Water Works, a National Historic Landmark, at the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

See the previous post for more about our 36 hours in Philadelphia

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One Day in Philadelphia

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Years ago, in June of 2012 in fact, I started to blog in an effort to document my travels through life. But life, as you know, gets in the way of our best intentions and I shared just one post in 2023, and two in 2024. Now though, I am back and making a go of it. Years from now, when I can no longer journey, I want to be able to read about the places that I visited.

When elderly parent challenges had us canceling our long planned trip to Great Britain, we opted to take two long weekend trips instead. For one of those two weekends, we took the train from Roanoke VA to Philadelphia PA, and knowing that we only had 36 hours to explore, we got right to it!

Philadephia is flanked by two rivers: the Schuykill and the Delaware, and we calculated that we walked over 30 miles going from one to the other and everywhere in between. I particularly loved seeing the contrast of historic buildings set against new ones.

We started the day at Reading Terminal Market where we devoured our cajun breakfast.

We then walked the Benjamin Franklin Parkway past the JFK Love Park, the Barnes and Rodin Art Galleries, The Philadephia Free Library, through the Oval, and to the Philadephia Museum of Art.

We walked back down the other side of the Parkway, by the Dilworth Park Interactive Fountain, and strolled through the City Hall courtyard.

After a Philadelphia Cheese Steak lunch (what else?) we walked to the Old City. Visits to the National Constitution Center (oh how I wish more Americans would remember the Constitution) and Old City Hall reminded us of our country’s history.

As the day began to wind down, we walked to Penn’s Landing on the Delaware River.

After a stroll along the river, we took the pedestrian walkway on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge over the Delaware and halfway to New Jersey. The views of the city were remarkable, and the bridge itself was beautiful.

After an amazing day, we finally took an Uber back to the hotel.

We already know we will return … there are so many wonderful museums dedicated to art, history, and science, and we look forward to checking them out.

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Just a Hint of Fall …

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… and I could not be happier!

The first image with my Fuji XT3 and the second with my Samsung Galaxy s21

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Skyline Drive

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“The Skyline Drive runs 105 miles north and south along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park and is the only public road through the Park. It takes about three hours to travel the entire length of the Park on a clear day”

It was a perfect day to drive through Shenandoah National Park, located just 2 hours from our home.

We took the short, 2 mile hike to the highest point on the Drive (4050′) and enjoyed the views from Hawksbill Mountain.

And then it was time to head home after a day of fresh air, exercise, and gratitude for those before us who had the foresight to preserve these natural spaces.

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Former Railroad Trestle Bridge

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The New River Trail is a 57 mile linear State Park in Virginia. Created from an abandoned railroad right of way, this bridge is one of 30 along the trail. I recently crossed this bridge on my fairly new gravel bicycle (not the one pictured in my header image) while training for an upcoming ride in October.

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After several false starts, I am determined to get back into blogging (I’ve certainly said that before!). After posting regularly for almost a decade, life, work, and caring for parents seemed to keep me from following through on my goal. Fingers crossed, this time I will succeed!

Life on the Bike started as a travel journal and a place to share photos from the road with friends and family. Sadly, there was a two year time span when I wasn’t able to ride either the motorcycle or the bicycle.

I had also not picked up my DSLR for a year! But two weeks ago, I took a photography class in DC and have been practicing / refreshing daily. When I started this blog back in 2012, I had little more than an eye and a “point and shoot”. I look back at those photos now, and see good intentions but not much more. Hopefully, I’ve improved since then!

I am going to commit to posting once weekly, most likely the same day that I post on Monochromia. If you are a fan of B&W Photography be sure to visit and see the work of some amazing photographers.

I look forward to catching up with the blogging community and friends who have been much more diligent than I in maintaining their blogs.

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Roussanou Monastery – in Color

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To see this image (and other excellent images by many other photographers), visit Monochromia.