While visiting Greg’s Uncle in San Francisco last month, a friend took us on a walking tour through Chinatown. The Chinese Lanterns were so vivid in the shining sun.
The Lanterns of Chinatown
Category Archives: Travels
The GAP – Day 2
Despite the light rain and cooler temps, we were ready for our second day of riding the GAP. See the previous post to learn about Day 1 on the Great Allegheny Trail.
Chuck and Denise, of Yoder’s Guest House, served a great breakfast, helped us get our bikes ready to ride, and captured our rainy day cycling attire.
Soon enough, we were back on the trail and within a mile, stopped to take photos of the Bollman Bridge, an 81-foot cast- and wrought-iron truss bridge built in 1871 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Just half a mile later, we rode over the Keystone Viaduct. “Curving nearly 100 feet high above Flaugherty Creek and active railroad tracks, the massive 910-foot Keystone Viaduct carries GAP travelers through a narrow cut into a rocky ridge three miles east of Myersdale.”
The light rain did not dampen our enthusiasm.
The next point of interest on the GAP was the Eastern Continental Divide. At 2392 ft above sea level, it is the highest point along the Great Allegheny Passage, and showcases murals of the Western Maryland Railway and the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad.
Just a mile later, we entered the Big Savage Tunnel. At 3,291 ft long, the tunnel was built by the Western Maryland Railway in 1912, and refurbished for bicyclists and hikers in 2003.
By this point, we’d barely ridden 10 miles, and had already stopped 5 times! The GAP Trail is just one fascinating historic amenity after another. We exited the Big Savage Tunnel and almost immediately came upon the Mason & Dixon Line.
“The famous Mason & Dixon Line marks the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland, and culturally, the demarcation between the northern and southern United States”. The English Team of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were commissioned, and the boundary was surveyed between 1763 and 1767. Ruth, from Maryland, took the M side, and Linda, from Pennsylvania, took the P side.
The next tunnel, and the second to the last one we rode through this day, was the Borden Tunnel. Constructed in 1911, the 957ft tunnel now has motion controlled lights making travel easier and safer.
As we rode along, we suddenly heard the sound of a train whistle. Much to our surprise and utter delight, the Frostburg Flyer came around the curve!
We had smiles on our faces for miles!
When planning a ride like this, it is important to make sure your partners have the same goals. We all wanted to take our time, to enjoy the natural and historic scenery, and to have a great time.
Goals Accomplished! AND we got a little bit muddy!
The rest of the ride was a gentle downhill grade and we loved the views.
All too soon, we rode into Cumberland, Maryland and our ride day was over. What fun it was to have our team waiting on us!
We rode 75 miles over 2 days from Ohiopyle, PA to Cumberland, MD and if work commitments were not an issue, we would have ridden all 150. Thankfully, we have already booked our calendars to complete the other 75 miles and cannot wait!
The GAP – Day 1
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!
Support Open Streets
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!
Manhattan, briefly
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!
A Few More From Philly
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
One Day in Philadelphia
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.
Skyline Drive
“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.
Roussanou Monastery – in Color
To see this image (and other excellent images by many other photographers), visit Monochromia.
Suburban Wetlands
Before heading back to the mountains of Southwest Virginia, I took a short walk on the Virginia Capital Trail. The Cap Trail is a 51.7 multi-use, fully-paved trail that runs from the City of Richmond, Virginia to James City County, near Williamsburg, Virginia.
The goal is to add a 7 mile connector to the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg, as well as the College of William and Mary.
Part of the trail runs through a suburban wetland. Please follow the link for more information about the importance of preserving these spaces.
Life on the Bike and other Fab Things 