Languishing Lakeside

An emotional few weeks...

...resolved now,
 and our acceptance of loss is deepening.
 Patty needs some down time. 
 The Airstream is ready.

Monday we breakfasted with our "McDonalds Friends" Dot and Odis who always encourage us to "go now while you can" and then ask When will you be back? In their traveling days they might launch a trip on an impulse while wolfing down a few pancakes and be Smokies bound in an hour. We met at a McDonalds long before we had time to wander, and now, full circle, they wave us off from Mickey D's with smiles and a sack of road food.
We avoid the Atlanta traffic with great aplomb and glide into Petersboro Corps of Engineers site just north of Augusta Georgia. What a peaceful place! Several lakeside loops of well-designed campsites, just retired folks here this week before Spring Break.

LAKE STROM THURMOND GEORGIA

A nearby camper caught us soaking in the sunset
We idled about camp as long as we were able before packing the bikes to the Discovery Center on The Augusta National Historic Canal. We can heartily recommend the exhibits housed in one of the old Mill buildings. They tell the story of the canal built in 1845 to produce power for the huge brick textile mills along its path. BUT WE WERE HERE FOR THE BIKE TRAIL. A Discovery Center would seem to be the place to gather some maps and launch a ride, but here the parking is sparse and the signage less than obvious, and the staff at the center a little incredulous at our questions. Most folks ride down to here from the Savannah River Rapids.

We rode over city bridges, along RR right of way, around the Salvation Army complex, on sidewalks through sketchy neighborhoods where a prison work crew was cutting weeds. We watched a couple of bikers in Auburn colors carrying their bikes through an idling freight train (and quickly regretted congratulating our grand daughter on her choice of college.)

We finally struck a gorgeous paved path through green woods and along the Savannah River with views of lovely real estate. There were suspension bridges and a long wood planked "hill" where the trail abruptly ended. Seems the city fathers spent 1.7m on the path but didn't say Mother-may-I to the Corps of Engineers about crossing their little neck...

We backtracked, got further confused and spent the evening with the Google beginning to understand where we had been and what to do next time, which is...wait for it...Start at Savannah River Rapids and ride down wide and comfortable tow paths for blissful miles.

We visited the Rapids Visitor Center next day but the rain was discouraging.

We shopped for Rally food, removed the pollen blanket from the Airstream and got in a little hike before yet another lakeside sunset. Life is good.

ALUMALINA SPRING 2015 LAKE WATEREE STATE PARK SC

Alumalina is our twice a year treat -- a South Carolina gathering of Airstreamers and other friends, good times, good food, great stories. There is no pomp, little ceremony and a near overload of warm hospitality. The weather on the coveted Lakeside real estate, however, was windy and chilly the first couple nights. 

Little fuzzy flamingo needed a wrap (and perhaps a little cocktail umbrella)



This popular event has become too large for the Lake Wateree State Park site. (57 rigs, approximately 125 people from 13 different states, 1,380 feet of Airstreams )The fall gathering will be held in a larger quarters with full hookups, a spacious indoor dining area with kitchen and spectacular views of Caesars Head and Table Rock Mountain.
Fortunately, the weather cleared, the sun shone brightly on Saturday afternoon. The Open Trailer cruise gave us all a chance to closely examine new trailers, Vintage and restored, tricked out and "in-progress", useful mods both large and small. It was a glorious time. A few stayed over (to avoid the dump lines) and enjoyed the AfterParty, variously referred to as Leftovers for Lingerers. In a few hours the Awesome Aluminum Goodness was replaced by Spring Break -- families, kids, dogs, bikes, and golf carts (what?)

JORDAN LAKE 

SOUTH CAROLINA

Our friend Suzanne directed us here on our way toward DC. By "directed", we mean she provided the maps, marked the quiet back road route, called the Park to insure they were open and suggested a lovely site by a tranquil forest pond.

Very Thoreau-like she promised, and it is, complete with eagles soaring high overhead, a pair of Canada Geese nesting, our first Spring Peepers of the year and nary another camper in sight. It was only a quiet overnight stay, but it felt so good.




Lake Anna State Park Virginia

Another overnight stop, another splendid lakeside State Park, another lovely but windy sunset. The campground is flawless – modern rest rooms with huge individual shower rooms, brand-new laundry facilities(at one dollar per load!) and sites so level that Patty can't play with her new Anderson Levelers. The only complaint (and perhaps this was apocryphal) came from the owner of the silver fiberglass travel trailer. Our beautiful shiny Airstream was blinding the incoming campers and he is quoted as referring to his as the "matt finish airstream". Really, would a Camp Host make up such a story?

So, enough lakeside living; bring on the grandchildren.

Posted with Blogsy

Very Erie

"It's so eerie," said the punny wife standing on the edge of the canal, watching the road pass under it. 
The dutiful husband moaned, as is his right and privilege...

Biking the Erie Canal has always been on our bucket list; we have heard wonderful stories about the mass ride across in July, "the hottest week of the year."  Well, the big ride passed through yesterday and the weather was perfection.  Today we began with Albion to Medina, an easy eleven miles out and back, except for the 25MPH headwind going out!

 Them are WHITECAPS out yonder, partner.

 The trail surface was  fine smooth gravel, the scenery mostly agricultural -- apple orchards and corn.  The trail-side wild cherries were heavy and the path sometimes sprinkled with bleaching cherry pits.  We saw deer, wood chucks and indisputable sign of bear; a bear could make a nice living among all these apple trees.

Only two riders came our way.  One was Knute crossing the country on the Northern Tier route after spending last
 year on the Appalachian Trail where he was known as "Late for Supper".  There were lots of stories to be told, but miles to go.  He was downwind, working on another 100+ mile day.

 Perhaps the most fascinating aspects of the canal are the off trail engineering structures which control the water flow.  This is the Medina Aqueduct outflow. We are anxious to visit a Canal Museum and learn more.

 "Welcome to the Big Apple," the punny wife says.

"Is this where we turn around and "Fly Back"?

  "You said there would be ice cream."

“Miss Daisy” does The GAP

We all loved the Bash and hated to leave.  The pleasant cool weather and the bracing bike rides left us wanting more. 
“Drive us to the Great Allegheny Passage.”
“Yes’em”
Bethy likes these trips ‘cause the driver will stop ANYWHERE she wishes –- like Farmer’s stands, where they have fruits,vegetables and exotic orange cream soda for floats.

Patty and Al like having Beth along because of her special link to Evelyn, her sainted Mother-in-law.  A whispered prayer to Evelyn virtually assures good weather for your day.  Evelyn never failed us.  When showers threatened our bike ride, a pleasant shelter appeared at trailside; the weather was cool and the showers came at night or enroute in a vehicle.

Al loves having his little sister along because she has a mind like a steel trap and will gladly expostulate most of it at drop of an allusion. (And, being a highly skilled editor, she finds misspelled signs EVERYWHERE.)

We had time for two rides on the GAP; the first from our campsite at Confluence PA to Ohiopyle to see the rafters (and eat PIE}

link to an earlier ride here.

Trees fall only at night when Evelyn is on the case

The river is up and many rapids are washed out.

There ALWAYS seems to be something to giggle about..

BIG water  at the Entrance Rapid below the Falls

EVERYONE who rides on the Great Allegheny Passage is an Adventurer, each on their own Mythic Quest.  From the sub teens stretching to new found limits to Edward and Lewis 48 days out from Portland, or the stout Russian woman crossing the country on nerve and the kindness of strangers to a granddad riding out to finish with his granddaughter.
We were passed by a “train” –– three generations. Dad and Granddad on a tandem hitched to a half bike for Grandson pulling a gear trailer –– pedaling hard, doing big miles.
Each night in the campground brings a new crop of thru bikers with their tales and each stop along the trail is another exchange of stories. 
You might meet the mayor of a nearby city or a Professor at a great state University.  It could happen.

The Virginia Creeper Trail

The Virginia Creeper Bike Trail near Damascus VA is a big favorite of ours.  It is one of only a few trails where willing agents will ferry indolent slugs and their bikes to the top of a Mountain and let them COAST eighteen miles through cool green forests, over high wooden trestles, along beautiful trout streams and reward them with tee shirts and ice cream for the feat.  Do we despise this flagrant commercialism of our Natural heritage and are we wont to distance ourselves from this tourist carnival atmosphere?  Of Course.  Do we ride this ride every chance we get? Absolutely!!
So it came to pass that the noble decender was joined by the team manager and soon both were aboard a van/trailer headed back over the route of the morning’s fearsome descent.


Veterans that we were, we had cold weather clothes for the arctic temperatures of Whitetop  Mountain, but it seems that the teens in the frilly tops were about right.





We’ve taken a lot of pictures of the trail over several years and seasons and later I’ll post them here.  Here are a few from today.



 
And after a breathless eight Miles, comes Taylors Valley and the Chocolate Layer Cake that we risked all this for. 

The Descent of the Col de Jeb Stuart

It is a cool, misty morning when a single rider mounts his bike, his face grim with determination.  The cycle computer registers 14.5 MPH at the campsite and jumps to 24 before the gate leading to the CLIMB. The rider slips out of his big chain wheel for few minutes it takes to conquer that category 0.00 climb, then tips over the crest.  On a big descent, there are two possible paths to glory. One, you can stop pedaling and let the hill take you, anticipating those water cooler moments when  you can throw off “Yeah, didn’t turn a pedal for 12 miles.”  OR, YOU CAN LET THAT PONY RIDE….
For option two, one needs steady nerves, reasonably good tires and a working speedometer.  Alas, Technological Torments befell our rider.  No speed indicator, hence no satisfying bragging rights. ..and just when a new land speed record was within our grasp…
Nothing to do now but carom downhill at speeds clearly near terminal velocity and check out the scenery.
Wow, Straight Fork is getting a little noisier, a waterfall, and another. Probably no one but a biker would see them.
The Rhododendrons are dropping petals and each rock has an upstream wreath of white.
No sense looking in the rear view; no one passes us at these speeds.
Maybe if I fiddle with the … No, hands back on the bars, here come the triple S curves.  SORRY can’t reduce to 25.
Blue Bonnets  and Queen Anne’s Lace in the sun near the road edge, Honeysuckle somewhere – smell it? 
MOVE Turtle.  OK, OK  don’t.  Just be glad you have witnessed this fearsome ride…. 

Another day, another trail

 

The Allegheny Plateau is blessed with steep river valleys and an abundance of railroads converted to bike trails.  Without an internet connection or a desire to research into the night, it’s just pick one and ride.  Today Al wanted to “see the countryside”, so we picked a place with both trout streams and a trail – the Clarion—Little Toby trail.  The map program chose a circuitous route – lots of back,back roads through tiny towns and “camps” a minimum of noteworthy scenery. 

The trail was OK, a little “industrial” at its start, pretty along the Clarion with patches of wildflowers in the sunny spots and lots of rhododendrons in the shade.

 

 

We had a section of Rail with Trail as we paralleled the main line, then a climb along pretty Little Toby creek.

The storms threatened before we reached Brockway, but we saw the huge Brockway Glass complex and blocks of great Victorian homes on the drive back (on real highways).

Campground is crawling with KIDS.  What did you expect, its summer? Troupes of tots, brigades of bicycle cavalry, wandering groups of thugs in cut off tee shirts and lots of harried grandmothers screaming “One..TWO …”   It’s been hard keeping MeMe in her camp chair.

Sandy Creek Trail

Sandy Creek trail runs 7+ miles up to Van, Pennsylvania  along a seamless ribbon of asphalt through deep green forests , over soaring metal trestles, spanning clear rocky streams and even through a cool tunnel.

FROM THE BELMAR BRIDGE

PRETTY BASIC RAIL TRAIL.  But  suppose you want a slice or maybe an ice cream; now that’s a different matter. Now we have to get off our railroad and on to the other one.  Yeah, that one, the one we just bridged over.  Well, you say, “Railroads didn’t just  do that.”  (No pizza back then?)














So it was, dear reader, that we (meaning Al) schlepped two bikes down and back up these monster steps to provide you this novel photo op. No pizza was on offer, just murderous traffic in Franklin. We were happy to escape with our lives.




Oh, we (meaning Al) are honored to serve.







 

  Gratuitous landscape shot