Bob is biking along the Allegheny trail from Washington DC to Pittsburg.

Bob left for a trip biking from DC to Pittsburg. He is doing it self supported so all his gear has to be carried by him. We took several test runs last week and something always seemed to go wrong but he appears to have worked out those kinks. They traveled by car to their drop off point and then took a shuttle with all their gear to DC where they will start their journey. Saturday they spent the day touring DC and visiting all the monuments and some museums. They ate at a German resuraunt on Sat and Bob ordered Vienese goulash with red cabbage and potatoe salad. They spent the night in a youth hostel.
My first note from Bob on Sunday was that he was 17 miles up the trail and the views were of gorgeous rapids. The trail was muddy because it had rained the night before. His bike is very muddy. Later he tell me that he and two other guys fell because of the mud. There were lots of water filled depressions. Only five of the eight finished the 64 miles that day. Three gusy camped about 22 miles back because of bike problems and what not. Bob stayed in another hostel last night and was glad for it. He was muddy head to toe and hosed himself and his bike off at the hostel. Today they are touring Harpers Ferry and vicinity. I look forward to hearing more about his trip. I told Bob to send me some pics with his phone but have not seen any yet.

Tuesday May 25: Got word from Bob that he is about 10 to 15 miles up the trail already early (at Shepherdstown) they plan to stop for lunch at about 77 mile marker. The trail is not as muddy and it is easier going today. He had a great time at Harpers Ferry yesterday and said it was like a Greenfield Village but real. The picture above is from today.

Just got another message from Bob: " I thought we went up the steepist, longest (0.7 m) hill in the state twice yesterday, but the hill we just climbed is steeper and over a quater mile long. I walked half of it. More bike trouble (theirs). 5 flat tires and a blown tire yesterday. Now a chain problem. My bike still OK. "

Wednesday Bob finally arrived at Orleans and apparently there was the steepest hill to get there. They all walked it. It is also very hot for them now which seems to be taking its toll on Bob at least. They went 47 miles on Wednesday.

Thursday I got word from Bob that he had to do some braking to get down a hill which would have taken him to 41mph but with braking only about 32 mph. They arrived in Cumberland on Thursday. The heat is killing them and a service truck stirred up some mud holes.

Friday still had hills to climb and it was not easy.

Saturday it was a bit easier but not easy hauling 50 lbs of gear and a few flat tires in the group as well as breaking some spoke nipples. Bob came home on Sunday evening after a 40 mile ride on Sunday. Needless to say the first day back, Monday was spent chilling on the couch and getting gear in order.

Camping along the Manistee

This weekend, Sandi, Barb, Kathy and I went camping and kayaking on the Manistee river. We kayaked from M!#! to the Baxter Bridge State Forest Campground. Our tents were set up and campsite ready when we arrived late on Saturday evening. We were on the river for 5.5 hours. Barb cooked chicken for us and we roasted some corn over the fire and had potatoe salad. On our journey down the river we found a nice little island where we sat and had lunch. Sunday we explored the immediate vicinity on the bikes and went in the woods along the river and had some wonderful scenic overlooks. We would like to do this river again at another campground and float to base camp.

The Team Building Exercise

Yesterday, Melisa and Scott, Aunt Gloria and Melisa's mom came by mom's house to work on the Shower invites. We all worked like a well oiled machine to get them all out in record time. They look fabulous! All thanks to all of Mom's prep work ahead of time and the new Cricut. Looking forward to doing the Wedding Invites which there will be more of. Yay team!

Sunday May 2

We finished our trip today. After about 7 hours we arrived home. We picked up our granddog and went to visit the kids and our grandaughter Liesl. Scott and Melisa were visiting Ingrid and Jim and Liesl so we got to see everyone at one time. Matzi was happy to see us. All in all it was a wonderful trip. The comaraderie and accomplishments were satisfying. Clara and I rode 175 miles. Bob rode 405 miles and Gary rode about 375. We are glad to be home and will begin our normal routine tomorrow. I have to take Floy to the vet to have her stitches checked from her recent surgery tomorrow. I also have a massage appointment which is well deserved or as Barb would say "I earned it".

Saturday May 1

Today we left Virginia Beach headed for Williamsburg. It was unbearably hot at Williamsburg. We only spent a few hours there and had lunch. The highlight of the day was a carriage ride in the governors carriage. The architecture of the buildings were interesting. We spent a little time in the Episcopal church in colonial Williamsburg and in the gardens of various homes. Later we drove to Somerset Pennsylvania to continue our trip home.

Tuesday April 27

Today Clara Barb and I did not ride. Instead we drove the cars to the next campground. We went with Jim into Kitty Hawk and saw the flight memorial and the Wright bros museum and memorial. We had a great day hiking around the memorial and taking a few pictures. We met the riders at the campground. We ordered pizza and played games till late.

Wednesday April 28

Today we were supposed to ride half a day but unfortunately things did not work out. The google route took us to some privately maintained fam roads which were unrideable for the road bikes. We met a sherriff on the side of the road and he attempted to help us with mapping out our route but his maps were very old. In the end the group decided to ride on the limited access highway (freeway) for about 8 miles till the turnoff. We stayed in the Mill Pond State park and Clara, Barb and I rode a short distance to the visitor center and walked down to the lake and looked at the cyprus swamp. We had a fire that night and spaghetti dinner.