Category Archives: Road Trip!

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Pilot Mountain

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On the way home from a weekend in Greensboro, NC, I made a quick stop at Pilot Mountain State Park.

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I’d driven by this natural landmark hundreds of times, but had never stopped.  Despite the chilly temps and overcast sky, it was a nice way to recognize the Spring Equinox.

“Rising abruptly more than 2,000 feet, Pilot Mountain has been a navigational landmark for centuries”.

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Pilot Mountain is capped by two prominent pinnacles.  Big Pinnacle, with walls of bare rock and a rounded top covered by vegetation, rises 1,400 feet above the valley floor, the knob jutting skyward more than 200 feet from its base.

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The mountain is a remnant of the ancient Sauratown Mountains.  To the native Saura Indians, the earliest known inhabitants of the region, Pilot Mountain was known as Jomeokee, the “Great Guide” or “Pilot.” It guided both Native Americans and early European hunters along a north-south path through the area.

The Redbuds are blooming!  Visit these links if you’d like to see more images of the beautiful purple / pink blooms that are some of the first signs of spring.

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The views were limited, yet still enchanting, on such an overcast day.

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The park offers miles of trails, camping, and climbing, and since it’s only an hour and a half from home, I’m thinking it will make for an excellent destination for a spring bike ride.

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Happy Spring Equinox!

Two weekends in a row spent traveling, bracketing full days in the office, leaves very little time for catching up with life, chores, and WordPress.  I miss checking in on all of you and hearing about the interesting things that you are up to, and I’m hopeful that I’ll find some time this week to visit.

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Dems Da Rules

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So many things at the beach are camera worthy, and let me tell you, I sure do have a lot of  photos to work through!

The water!  The sunsets! The wildlife!

and yes, the signage!

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No Pets, No Fires, No Parking

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So many places you can’t go …

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and things you can’t do.

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Don’t litter,

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pick up after your furry friends,

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and be sure to call 473-5252 if your vehicle is gone.

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But you know what?  It’s all worth it!

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More photos from Nags Head soon!

 

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Nags Head, NC

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This woman is on vacation!  Woop Woop!!

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The 420 mile ride to Nags Head, NC included

*wonderful views and roads,

*a downpour that thankfully lasted only 15 minutes,

* riding in the dark with my way illuminated by lightning (which also illuminated the “Bear Crossing” signs –  I SO want to see a bear!),

and as always, a cold beer at the end of the ride.

I wish I was better able to express myself with words so that you would understand what it felt like to ride across the Intracoastal Waterway in the dark, to smell the water, and to see the lights in the distance, but not see the water.  To see the huge orange moon and not be able to stop and capture it with my camera.  To know that somehow I had to share the glory of that ride in words instead of photographs.

You’ll just have to trust me.

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Infinity … at Keswick Hall

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Isn’t it incredible how sometimes all we need is 24 hours away from life’s routines and life’s chaos?

We drove through a snow storm to get to Keswick Hall and while there, soaked up the many comforts that we found.  Next time, we’ll make sure to enjoy the heated infinity pool.

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The steam rising off the water added a misty quality to the images,

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whether in color or in monochrome.

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Beautiful scenery in a historic building, incredible food and drink, and a wonderful friendship = 24 hours of fabulous!

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How incredibly lucky am I?

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Inside Keswick: The Pampering Continues

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When you left us last, Jan and I were enjoying a bottle of champagne and yummy chocolate covered strawberries delivered to our room by the incredibly attentive and caring staff of Keswick Hall.  Restored and refreshed after our snowy ride to the resort, we set out to explore.

When I made the reservations, I did not realize that the Hall was originally a private residence.  “The seventeen-room Villa Crawford, the north wing of Keswick Hall, with it’s original fireplaces, ornate ceiling molding, and grand staircase, was built in 1912”.

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“Designed to resemble an Italian villa, the 8000 sq ft, two-story, stucco clad, slate roofed home originally cost $100,000”.

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We enjoyed a delicious dinner in Fossett’s Restaurant,

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and then wandered down to Treble, the wine cellar named after Thomas Jefferson’s use of the word:

“I have lived temperately….I double the doctor’s recommendation of a glass and a half of wine each day and even treble it with a friend.” – Thomas Jefferson

“The cellar features a glass entrance door framed with handmade wrought-iron gates and lanterns reminiscent of old-world European wine cellars that were kept– like prison cells or bank vaults– under lock and key. Two adjoining rooms offer both informal and more formal dining. You’re also surrounded by 600-700 labels, at least 5,000 bottles in all” (http://www.readthehook.com/89940/stellar-cellar-treble-it-over-keswick)

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Treble is a wine lovers paradise,

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and a photographers challenge.

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Our nightcap in the Villa Crawford Bar, the original family dining room, was happily interrupted by the engagement announcement of one of the employees.  We felt a part of the family and joined in on the celebration.

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The staff of Keswick completely pampered us and their kindness and care added so much to the experience.

How’s this for a view while eating breakfast?  Those of you who checked out Monochromia yesterday may recognize the two chairs off in the distance.

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 Here they are again from another angle.

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The weekend was coming to an end and it was almost time to begin the journey home.  In a couple days, I hope you’ll join me for one final post about Keswick.

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Uptown Charlotte

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My visit to Charlotte, the largest city in North Carolina, was all too brief, yet a vigorous walk the evening that I arrived and another the next morning gave me an introduction to this city of just under 800,000.  I dropped my bag in my room, grabbed my camera, and headed towards the door of the hotel.

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It was early in February, and while the northeast was getting hammered with snow, Virginia and North Carolina were experiencing a clear 50 degree weekend.

Il Grando Disco (The Grand Disc) is a coin-shaped piece of art that sits at Bank of America Plaza on Tryon Street. The piece is a large, bronze wheel with dark edges and designs etched throughout. Created specifically for the space by Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, Il Grande Disco was installed on October 2, 1974 (http://charlotte.about.com)

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Across the intersection is a far more traditional installation.

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My friend Tim pointed out that for a brief moment, the sounds of the traffic were drowned out by this fountain.

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In the previous post I shared two images of the fence that surrounds the First Presbyterian Church. Built in 1857, the church is a one-story, Gothic Revival style stuccoed brick building.  The evening light was waning by the time I got there, so I’ve processed these two images differently, although they were taken just moments apart.

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The power line remains in this photo, because it is a more accurate portrayal of the street scene.

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The next morning, with my visit drawing to an end, I took a walk in search of coffee and breakfast.

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The morning sun cast a bright light on this fountain and also of the homeless man still sleeping.

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The Mariachi crepe at Hazelnuts Creperie, was filled with egg, black beans, bacon, tomato, mozzarella, onion, avocado & jalapeño cream.  Oh my gosh YUM!

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The only other time I’d been to Charlotte, other than for runs to the airport, was to see my beloved Hokies play football, and I didn’t see much more than the stadium.  I’ll definitely return for more explorations soon!

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Oh How The Mood Changes

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A quick trip to Charlotte, NC offered me a chance to have a mini 12 hour vacation.  The day was beautiful for driving (I very much regretted not riding the bike) and I met friends in Uptown.

How wonderful it was to walk and wander, to point and shoot, to breathe and relax.

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As an aside: I wondered why the residents of Charlotte call it Uptown and learned that this is a common question, one that Brad Panovich, Chief Meteorologist a WCNC-NBC TV answered in this blog post.

While I have many photos to work through and share, I loved the contrast between these two. Without a tripod, I took one with, and one without, flash.  The mood changed dramatically in comparison, and the second begged to be converted to monochrome.

The first evokes a lovely evening stroll …

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while the second encourages you to turn around and head home.

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Oh the joy of photography!

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Parting Shots from Pittsburgh

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Can you handle just a few more photos from a great trip to Pittsburgh?  I sure hope so because this is the last post!

Ruth and I rode the Monongahela Incline, one of two cable-powered inclines designed for transportation between the river valleys and the communities on top of the overlooking bluffs.  The first two photos are mine, but I really think my friend Ruth’s photo captured the feel of the inside of that cable car.  Please check the link for information about these historic inclines!  So very cool!

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Check out that 78% grade!

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Once at the top, we walked the Mount Washington community, enjoyed a warm beverage from a local ice cream / coffee shop, and enjoyed chatting with the local business owner.

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Ruth holds the framed article about that same business owner, while he tells us about the Mount Washington community and it’s local businesses.

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Ruth thankfully is a photographer, one who has taught me much, and has complete patience with my non-stop shooting.  Before riding back down, we posed for a picture in front of a the beautiful cityscape.

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Just a few more shots that I think capture the essence of Pittsburgh.

Catsup 🙂

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Bridges

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Rivers and History

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and Sports

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Thanks for coming along on our road trip to Pittsburgh! I wonder where we’ll travel to next year?

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Pittsburgh: Come Walk with Me

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During our six mile walk around Pittsburgh, in addition to enjoying the bridges and rivers, we were impressed with the mix of old and new, the historic and the modern.  We stopped for a light lunch, and of course I had to taste a Pittsburgh pilsner, but otherwise we didn’t shop.  We just looked, and walked, and marveled and exclaimed.  It was a perfect day to explore.

Ruth pointed out that the leaves of the Honey Locust tree, which we saw all along the streets, are the colors of the sports teams of Pittsburgh.

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The Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail complex, designed in 1883 by Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson, and built between 1884-1888, is a beautiful historic building right in the middle of Pittsburgh’s downtown business district.

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The P&LERR (Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad) terminal building, or the Landmarks Building, was constructed in 1900.  This historic landmark, once a busy passenger station and hub of the P&LERR railroad, has been renovated and in now contains shops, restaurants, and is a wedding venue.

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The interior was being set up for a wedding but we were allowed to take a quick look.  The low light made for difficult spur of the moment photography, but wow! Isn’t it a beautiful room?

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The Union Trust Building was erected in 1915–16 by industrialist Henry Clay Frick. The Flemish-Gothic structure’s original purpose was to serve as a shopping arcade. Known as the Union Arcade, it featured 240 shops and galleries. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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This beautiful movie palace was a major theatre in Pittsburgh, opened originally as the Grand Theatre in 1918.  Renamed Warner Theatre in 1930, it was used as a cinema through the 1980s, deteriorating all the while.  The auditorium was demolished, and a two story shopping center named Warner Center was built on the site. The beautiful doors and a portion of the huge lobby have been retained.

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The clubhouse of the Harvard, Yale, and Princeton Club of Allegheny is a National Historic Landmark.  Built in 1894, the building originally contained 12 three-room apartments and served as workers’ row housing. Pittsburgh architect and club member Edward B. Lee (Harvard Class of 1899) was commissioned to transform the space into a private club, and after extensive renovation was re-opened in 1930.  The courtyard reminded us of one that might be found in New Orleans, and had a quaint feel in the middle of the big city.

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The Buhl Building is a historic commercial building in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. Built in 1913, the building is faced with multi-colored terra cotta tiles.  It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.  The yellow honey locust trees look even better against those blue and cream tiles, don’t they?

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Isn’t this pedestrian walk way, with water feature and lovely purple lights, wonderful?  We came across this as we were walking near the Rachel Carson bridge (I think), but I was not able to find any information online about it.

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One PNC Plaza is a high-rise office building located in the Central Business District.  Constructed in 1972, and 30 stories high, it currently features the world’s largest green wall.

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I sure hope you enjoyed this walking tour of downtown Pittsburgh.  The information for this post was taken from Wikipedia and from a variety of Pittsburgh websites.

 Next and final Pittsburgh post:  Inclines and other sites in this fun city.

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Pittsburgh: Rivers and Bridges

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Venice is known as the City of Bridges, but Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania actually has more.  Three more in fact, for a total of 446!

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Ruth and I planned our trip to Pittsburgh with a primary goal of watching a football game, but we had plenty of other fun things planned as well (see the posts about Fallingwater and the drive through southwestern Maryland and western Pennslvania).  We spent most of Friday exploring the city, walking over bridges, and soaking up the history, architecture, and culture of Pittsburgh.  Over 6 miles, and too many photos to count later, we felt we’d gotten a real taste of the city.

Many of you have posted photos of locks of love on bridges from around the world, and it appears that Pittsburgh is getting into the act, too.

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Some of the bridges in this river city have pedestrian walkways which join a riverwalk. The Three Rivers Heritage Trail evolved from five separate trails and today comprises several unique sections over 37 miles.

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The confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River is at Pittsburgh’s 36 acre Point State Park.  It is there that they form the Ohio River.  As we walked along the riverwalk, we passed a vibrant collection of runners, walkers, cyclists, and dogwalkers.

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Expansive views of the city can be found from many vantage points, including the Monongahela and Dequesne Inclines (more on these in the next post).

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Three of the 446 bridges are known as The Three Sisters.  Similarly built self-anchored suspension bridges that span the Allegheny River, the bridges have been given formal names to honor important Pittsburgh residents:  Roberto Clemente, Andy Warhol, and Rachel Carson.

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We walked over 2 of the 3.

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We were never at the right vantage point to catch a photo of the 3 Sisters in one view, so I downloaded this one so you could see how beautiful they are.

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The melding of the historic and the modern are everywhere.

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What a fabulous city!

Next post:  Pittsburgh – Buildings and Architecture