Counseling for the Daring Traveler
It all begins when you decide to break away without the “group of tourists” surrounding you. You may be planning to go it alone, with a companion or with a few friends that share your enthusiasm for adventure; and it’s not that difficult! Perhaps this site will offer some helpful advice to motivate you into action, to decide where to go, when to go and how to plan to get there. There may be even a thought or two on what to do when you arrive at your destination. This advice comes from a well seasoned traveler that rarely uses a travel agent or travel agency to plan for me and my traveling companions.
2025 Grand Adventure Premiere
Actually the GAP is for the Great Allegheny Passage rails-to-trails that was just conquered this week: https://gaptrail.org/…all 150 miles and then some!
Bridges, Breaks and Bright Spots can be found all along this route from Pittsburgh to Cumberland…but May is also a wet month so plan accordingly!
Day 1 - Our group trip began with a van & gear trailer ride from Roanoke, VA to Pittsburgh, PA and then a late afternoon ride to the Point State Park: 10 miles out and back from the Homestead area of south Pittsburgh to the confluence of the three rivers…Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers (Point State Park).
Day 2 - Homestead to Connellsville was 53 miles with a jaunt off trail for lunch…and a very nice cool sunny day…the last of the sunshine for this tour! Bud Murphys for dinner that evening was wings, pizza and beer and it was a hopping place.
Day 3 - Connellsville Bed & Breakfast provided sleeping arrangements and a remarkable breakfast to start the day’s journey to Meyersdale…a mere 60 miles including the lunch off-trail excursion to Mitch’s Fuel and Food in Confluence…wonderful stop despite the damp riding conditions!
Day 4 - Lodging the 3rd night was an old morgue and hardware store, thus aptly named Morguen Tool Company…an eclectic collection of rooms and mazes of hallways. Another damp riding day, but not deterring this group from riding on! Only 32 miles this day, but it carried us to the Eastern Continental Divide and Mason Dixon Line before dumping us into Cumberland… After a nice lunch and ice cream stop, the van and trailer was reloaded for the trip back home…8 tired but happy “senior” riders.
A great big shout out to Roanoke City Parks and Rec for the van and trailer, setting up the nightly arrangements and providing a super group leader, Dylan Kelly and an outstanding outdoors-man, Greg Edwards to lead our daily rides!
2025 a big year…3/4 of a century benchmark for this adventurer
Peachtree City, GA
85 miles of paved trails connecting neighborhoods and shopping areas and everything in between.
And it was dry here a couple of days!
After GA, on to Durham, NC where the American Tobacco Trail was handy near the fancy shops at The Streets at Southpoint…
One very nice and expensive trail bridge crossing over I-40.
Trail Clean Up
Lucky we have trail lovers as some others did not recall the message: “Leave No Trace”!
Maybe before my century arrives, we will have a trail from FL to ME…
Would love to have this in place someday soon.
Happy Riding, Hiking or what ever gets you outside in 2025…
- a little road trip to break up the icy winter weather and explore some e-biking trails south of home
Christmas Makes Me Young Again…
Traditions are important and Christmas, for me, is #1. Without a lot of planning, we jumped in our car and headed to Washington D.C. to see the Christmas lights at the National Zoo.
The parrots were among the brightest and happiest!
If your nearest zoo doesn’t offer a light show for Christmas, then just drive through your neighborhoods…there are some spectacular displays out there!
These guys and gals really made me feel like a kid again…see how I shrunk!
But finally, there is no place like home for the holidays…
My pup is worn out from all the fun decorating the family tree…
May your holidays be Merry and Bright as we close out 2024.
The Final 3…
For 10 years the quest to ride a Harley Davidson motorcycle in all 50 USA states has come to an end…just returning from completing the last 3. Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin comprised the completion tour. It took 6 days, 10 states to ride through, 1 Lake Michigan crossing and 2042 miles in the saddle! Not too bad for a 74+ traveler…so do not let time or age stop you from fulfilling your own bucket list travels.
Crossing Lake Michigan was an interesting part of the trip having to ride my Harley into the hold of the ship in Michigan, strapping it down and then offloading on the Wisconsin side.
The Harley Davison Museum was the planned visit from the beginning; learning more about the history of the famous cultural iconic motorcycle! It may only be my generation and those before me that just had to ride a Harley…but the story told in this museum is incredible. Starting in 1903, this street and block taken up by the museum is actually where it all began; Milwaukee Wisconsin.
The first motorcycle pictured here was mostly a bicycle with a motor, which evolved into a true motorcycle similar to the next photo of my Fat Bob.
You can learn more here: https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/museum.html
Of course Wisconsin is also famous for “cheese”, so taking on a large helping of their cheese curds was also a necessary part of the adventure. Supplemented with a couple cold beers - but only walking to the bar - no riding and drinking alcohol ever!
Avoiding the super highways, you can experience the roads like this scene in Iowa; rough and bumpy in spots and dusty from the harvesting….but interesting too!