Home » Posts tagged 'family'
Tag Archives: family
Summer 2025 Travel to Massachusetts
It is fun to spend some time in New England in the summer. July is especially nice. It is warm and sunny. We brought our bikes and a spirit of adventure with us exploring a few new trails as well as some we had been on before.
We enjoyed a new-to-us trail, the Erie to Pittsburg trail. We were on the Allegheny River Trail portion, on the way up to Massachusetts. I knew about the Rockland Tunnel (2868’ long) 10 miles into the trail, but I did not realize it would be so dark. I am glad we have bike lights, but we should have had a stronger light, as the trail guide says. It was a good experience biking in a tunnel. We enjoyed the pretty Allegheny River flowing along the trail.
We enjoyed our stop in Emlenton, Pennsylvania, and had a good dinner in town before heading to our hotel. The views of the Emlenton Bridge put the large span into perspective for us. The bridge is 270 feet above the water and is the largest in Pennsylvania, and the fifth largest span on the US interstate system. I was surprised to learn it touches three Pennsylvania counties.
One of the joys of being a grandparent is watching our grandson. From his perspective, I wonder what it is like to hang out with your grandparents. He looked like he enjoyed our time together. Since we are not enough on our own, his parents feel the need to have our grandchild play with other kids his age. That is part of the summer fun, playing in the water and keeping cool.
I am sure many other grandparents take their grandkids to the dentist. This was a first for us. We had an interesting time and, of course, ice cream afterwards for a visit “well” done.
We like to walk daily and so, when we are watching our grandchild, he also comes along for the walk. It may or may not be at the same pace we are used to, but it is sure a good time to be with him.
I remember from living in Massachusetts that almost everyone went to “the Cape” in the summer. We again visited the Old Silver Beach on Cape Cod. I know why most people come to the Cape. You should too, just not when we are planning to drive in. It is good to swim with your grandchild.
We like to stay active, and when we were not watching our grandchild, we were able to see some of the area. We biked the Coventry Greenway and Trestle Trail in Rhode Island, a new trial for us. We began with a tunnel, but we could see daylight, so it was not nearly as long as the one in Pennsylvania. This trail has several pretty stretches, and we were able to ride a 30-mile loop from Cranston.
Some days it is windy. I am a grandpa, so, let’s go fly a kite! My daughter-in-law already had kites, and it was her idea to fly kites on a windy day during our visit. I am glad to share kite flying with our grandson. Afterwards, we can blow bubbles.
The Dodgers came to Fenway, and we went into town with our kids, a friend and our grandson. We enjoyed seeing the Boston Red Sox play at Fenway. We had good seats. I am glad we got to take a train into town and enjoyed a good game against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers.
When we lived in Massachusetts, they did not have a boardwalk on Lake Williams. They do now. It was fun to explore with our grandson. He ran most of the way out and back—nearly a 2-mile run on Lake Williams.
We have two kids living within 30 minutes (driving) of each other. It is good for us; we get an extra visit each time we come. And our grandson loves his uncle.
What would you rather do? Go to the zoo in Providence with its dinosaurs exhibition or play on a playground? We were all set to take our 4-year-old grandson to the zoo. However, he was more interested in the playground. So, we had a fun morning on the playground. We also walked around the nearby Japanese Garden.
We enjoy playing games with our grandson, and he has been obsessed with playing Uno and now Candy Land. We found a candy land trail within the Hasbro Playground at the Roger Williams Park in Providence, and it inspired us to make one on his driveway. It is a good way to play and use our imagination as well.
Other Fun:
I did take a day and play Maple Hill disc golf course, the number one course in North America and ranked number 4 in the world. It is a magnificent course, and unlike that other golfing game, it costs $10.00 to play a round of 18 during the week ($18 on the weekend). No caddy or special shoes required.
Our daughter-in-law printed the book “the Blue Hippo” for our grandson so we could re-live the fun Uno games.
We took our grandson to soccer practice and kicked balls with some of his team members.
On the way back, we stopped and took a walking break at the Firestone Metro park. It was good to get out and stretch our legs.
See you on the road!
Another Wedding at Ole Miss
We drove to Mississippi for our niece’s wedding with a few stops along the way to and from. Our trip was about 1,700 miles. We had fun because of the wedding even before we left, as one of our sons came to the house on his way down to Mississippi. We were able to celebrate his birthday and spend some time with him and his dog.
Our second niece was married near the campus of the University of Mississippi, (where she met her husband) known as “Ole Miss.” We were here for her older sister’s wedding three years earlier. The ceremony was well done and the couple looked radiant together as they exchanged vows. For us, it was great to have the family together.
I was happy to learn that a rehearsal dinner could double as the reception for family and friends. The dinner was fun and all the traditional speeches that normally accompany the wedding reception were made at that time. This made the speeches more intimate as most of us in attendance knew details about the speakers or the ones they were speaking about. I would like it if more weddings I attend in the future took up this tradition.
Our big surprise was after the rehearsal dinner: seeing our daughter and son-in-law at the hotel! We did not know they were coming. For Father’s Day weekend, I was able to see three kids. Pretty special.
We enjoyed the reception. It flowed with the introduction of the newlyweds right into dinner and dancing. We could just chat with the other guests, dance, eat and celebrate with family and friends and the newlywed couple.
Lessons learned
Like our other niece, they combined the wedding speeches and rehearsal dinners, and it was enjoyable. For the family and friends not involved in the wedding directly, the opportunity for a family reunion hit me while we were at the rehearsal dinner and even more so after we were surprised that our daughter and son-in-law were also in town for the wedding. It is important to enjoy these moments.
Other fun
We enjoyed our stroll after walking to the Square in Oxford. This is a cool college town, and we see how exciting it is to visit Oxford with the whole family.
I went for a run on the Ole Miss campus with three of my kids! Apparently, it is a thing to run through campus, especially near the football stadium. It was a hot, rainy morning for a run, prior to the wedding; we saw several others running as well.
We were able to hang out with family and friends between events. On the way to celebrate our niece’s wedding, we stopped south of Nashville to visit a college friend of mine. It was a good visit, and I needed to catch-up with him. I need to get out and visit more of my friends.
After our first niece was married at Ole Miss, I wanted to see Shiloh National Military Park. I had it all planned out for this trip, and we did go. However, we did not stay that long as it began to rain and looked like it would continue raining for the rest of the time we had to spend at the park. I am glad to have viewed the visitor’s center and explore a little of the park. Since we passed through on our way to a wedding, we will have to arrange for another time to explore this park.
After the wedding, we stopped and spent the night at Hot Springs National Park. I do not recall being at this National Park before. I asked my mom and she did not remember going either. Hot Springs at one time was the most popular park because the water was said to have tremendous health benefits. Several major league baseball players spent time here, presumably, healing to get ready for the next season. The history of the bathhouses was interesting to read about, and you can see the former glory of the area, well preserved by the National Park Service.
We took a hike on the National Park grounds. The scenery was good, and along the route we read the park service stories making the hike much better. The story of how the water was bottled and sold all over America was interesting and may account for some of the area’s popularity.
In town they have a couple of natural springs that are not part of the bathhouses. They felt hot (I think they were over 130 degrees) and even the cave where the water ran from was warm.
After Hot Springs, I was able to spend the afternoon with my mom and see that she is doing well. I also saw one of my sisters.
We also stopped in St. Louis to see some of the sights. I am retired. I did get to visit the Econ Museum at the St. Louis Federal Reserve and the Gateway Arch.
We even tried to see Lincoln’s boyhood home (on a Tuesday) and found that it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. We stopped by nearby Santa Claus and enjoyed a quick visit. We plan to come back as it is on our normal route to and from St. Louis.
No bike rides this trip—just here for the wedding.
Charlotte Running – Want to Run a Half Marathon?
Looking back on it, every time I visited my daughter and son-in-law this year, I went running. So, when my daughter asked me to join her in running the Charlotte half marathon, I had to say yes.
This means I began training again with Tri-State Running and working on their fall half marathon plan. I had previously just signed up for the spring running group. The fall group trains in the summer months and it was hot on several runs.
When we visited our daughter and son-in-law after our anniversary trip to Florida, I was training to run the Flying Pig half marathon in May and wanted to go for a run or two during our visit. My daughter was just getting into running and since she had a running buddy, we went for a run together. I guess that was the seed that germinated into her wanting to run the Charlotte half marathon.
Fast forward to the fall, and we got together a month prior to the half marathon. We did a run on the Charlotte greenway. And, because I wanted to see the course that we would be running in November, off we went later in our visit to downtown Charlotte. Together, we ran the virtual Army ten miler. It was a good experience, and we learned a lot about the course.
My daughter and I did a warmup run prior to the half marathon–a fun trail run in Shelby. I liked the suspension bridge. It was a good day, and we felt ready to run the half marathon.
Like all good events, we enjoyed the expo the day prior to running. It was a beautiful day in downtown Charlotte, and the city was full of runners excited for the event. My wife enjoyed making a sign so she could cheer us on as we ran by. We saw some fun events and sampled some good products for runners.
My wife and son-in-law cheered us on from the road. It was great to be at an event where I knew the person cheering. At least my other events have had people cheering. Thank you if you are someone who cheers for people they do not know, it makes a difference.
Both my oldest son and my daughter ran the half marathon. We all ran separately as my oldest finished an hour prior to my finish. It was a perfect day for a run. Although I was not too fast on the course, I felt good about the effort.
Other Fun:
Road sign at a West Virginia rest stop.
The day after our ten mile run, we went to Chimney Rock and climbed to the top, and beyond. I was last up here in 2017, and it recently re-opened after all of the flooding in the area.
We went to the nearby town for lunch and toured some of the devastation that is still in the area. Our drive to and from Charlotte was impacted by the on-going road work. There is still a lot of work to accomplish.
We visited Cherryville, and of course we had ice cream downtown. We also ate dinner downtown and discovered a Halloween-themed party that had part of the downtown streets closed. It was fun.
I was able to get in all kinds of practice running. Summer is hot; I learned how to better run in the heat. I was not yet ready for the quickly changing temperatures in October and November. We had snow and then heat. The leaves have now come down, but I ran in a wide variety of conditions getting ready for the Charlotte half marathon.
Just prior to the Charlotte half marathon, I ran the Honor Run 10K. It was a fun event for me and a worthy cause to support.
Other runs in the area included the 10K run at the 29th annual Air Force Marathon in Dayton, Ohio.
No biking on this adventure. See you on the road.
Celebrating 40 Years Together
We were married in the early springtime 40 years ago. It is hard to believe how quickly the time has gone. We are living our great love story, my wife and me. A great love story is sweeping and dramatic. This is a simple travel blog. We decided it would be delightful to travel to celebrate our 40 years of marriage in Florida so we could bike ride together. We are happy to celebrate, and we feel excitement in reaching this milestone. Together, we are also looking forward to other milestones to celebrate.
It was enjoyable planning this trip so that our 40th anniversary would be special for the two of us. My thought was to look through some old pictures, write a little about each year from our 40 years together and put it in a book for a gift for my wife. I ended up giving her a page a day, with each page representing a specific year, leading to our leaving for our trip. On each page I wrote what was going on in the world that year, in our lives that year and one thing we could look forward to doing on our trip. I started just before Valentine’s Day, and my wife looked forward to opening a letter each day. The letters ended one day prior to our driving to Florida.
So, every day, for 40 days, my wife received a letter and pictures about each year of our marriage. It was gratifying to put together and even better to share. I enjoyed the daily rhythm of the look back at each year of our time together.
We drove on this trip, bringing our bikes. Our first stop, just south of Atlanta, was to McDonough, GA. We could not drive all the way to the Orlando area from our house, and this was a good stopping point. Also, I wanted to be mostly through Atlanta traffic starting off on our drive to Florida.
In my letters I spoke about the nice weather we anticipated in Florida. It was very nice. For the first few days it was almost exactly twice as warm in Florida as it was back home. That was a great change for us.
One of the first anniversary activities was to go into Orlando to see a show. We had a good dinner and appreciated the Sleuth’s Mystery Dinner Show “The Show Must Go On.” The action was entertaining, and it was an amusing evening out and something we talked about for a while.
My wife really enjoys kayaking. We had never been kayaking at night; we had a blast kayaking on Lake Ivanhoe, right near downtown Orlando, in clear kayaks. It was highly entertaining to be on the water at night. Although we were right near downtown, it felt as if we were miles away. I did not take out my phone to take pictures on the lake; I wanted to have a phone the next day. Thank you Epic Paddle Adventures for an epic encounter with nighttime paddling.
We took the idea of biking on this trip from our last tour in the Winter Garden area. It was near Christmas, and we thought Winter Garden was dressed up nicely for the occasion. We re-did several of the bike rides that we had done in and around the Winter Garden area at the end of 2023. Our last trip to the area is outlined in the blog: Biking the Central Florida Rail Trails. We were partial to peddling on the West Orange trail and biking in and around Winter Garden. We went for a bike ride every day. The weather was great, and the roads were good for our road bikes.
In our prior travels, we noted several pickleball courts in the area. We decided to learn so we could play in Florida. We had a blast playing together and will look to repeat the experience.
One of the things we cherish is to walk while holding hands. We took several walks. We found several places to go walking in the area.
Other Fun:
One of the benefits to the Orlando area for me was seeing my best man from the wedding. It was good to catch up with my brother and learn how he is getting ready to retire.
In one of the letters to my wife, I talked about looking forward to seeing sunrises and sunsets together. It did rain some, so, it was not always possible. However, we did have some good views from our balcony.
Once we arrived in Florida, we felt as if we were in a different world. Signs that warn about alligators and snakes are not common where I am from. Also, no snow was seen in Florida in the early springtime.
We stopped in the Charlotte area to visit our daughter and son-in-law on the way home from Florida. It was good to go for a few runs with my daughter and to see our daughter and son-in-law happy in their home. They only have about 37 years to go to catch up with us.
While in Cherryville, we took a tour of the Beam Truck Museum. Carolina Freight was one of the largest employers in Cherryville; its headquarters leaving town after it was purchased crippled the local economy for a while. The museum was very well done and the stories told by the guide made you think you were part of the company.
After we arrived back home, we went to see the trees start to blossom at the Boone County Arboretum. The heat in Florida felt to similar summer, so, we again changed seasons coming back to spring when we got home.
See you on the road.
Marengo Cave—What is a National Natural Landmark?
On our travels on Highway 64 between Louisville and St. Louis we see signs for Marengo Cave. We have passed by this several times over the years. Every now and then, you must get out of the car and explore what the attraction has to offer. We were glad we did. The tour and the caves are worth the time to stop in and see.
My first thought in seeing the entrance sign was “What is a National Natural Landmark (NNL)?” I had to look it up. From their website: “The National Natural Landmarks Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of sites that contain outstanding biological and geological resources.” Marengo Cave has been a NNL since 1984. It is privately owned. The NNL designation was interesting, and in reading about it, I discovered that over 600 sites are designated as of July, 2024.
I apparently have been to a few of the NNL’s and did not know that I had been in one. One is on a frequent bike ride route: Big Bone Lick State Park.
My next thought after seeing the entrance to the park was: “Why the name Marengo?” According to my research, eleven cities/towns in the US are named Marengo after the “Battle of Marengo.” I also had to look up the battle and Napoleon’s victory in the Italian city of Marengo which apparently (according to the internet) sealed the success of his Italian campaign in 1800.
The cave tours were informative and the caves themselves were impressive. I am glad we stopped. You cannot take many pictures in a cave. It was hot outside but the cave temperature is a constant 52 degrees all year around. So, we were comfortable on our tours. We are experienced cave walkers and did have a sweatshirt with us—and we used it.
Marengo Caves has two tours, and we walked both Crystal Palace and the Dripstone Trail. Each one was captivating. If you have the time, the continuous line from Crystal Palace to Dripstone makes sense. We were fascinated by the tours and did the Crystal Palace tour second. This arrangement allowed us to really enjoy the differences in the cave formations. I enjoyed the mirror lake feature the best; it is viewed on both the Crystal Palace and Dripstone Trail tours.
There are attractions outside of the cave that look like fun for kids. We did the Miner’s Maze and went in and around The Crawl, which was a replica of caving. I was just short enough (under six foot two) and thin enough (40-inch waistline or less) to get through, although it is best left to people younger than I am. I will keep this place in mind as a good spot to take a grandchild in the future.
We also walked around the nearby town of Corydon, IN, on our way back to the interstate. In for a penny, in for a pound as they say. We enjoyed walking the small downtown area and discovered it was the first capital of Indiana.
We would have explored the Battle of Corydon site except that it is only opened on the weekends. It looks interesting. It is a Confederate Civil War victory and we have ridden by a similar site in Ohio.
Lessons learned:
Be ready to explore on a road trip, especially one that we have taken before. I am sure on some weekend car trip we will stop back at the Battle of Corydon site.
Look for the National Natural Landmark sites. With over 600 of them, we must be passing one every now and then.
No bike riding in the caves. See you on the road.
Vermont is Green
We left a hot and humid Kentucky, where it had not rained for a few weeks, and traveled to Vermont, where we hoped the weather would be cooler. It was not. But it was green and it had rained. The green landscape was a big contrast to our brown lawn at home.
In telling a friend about the trip we had planned to Vermont, he remarked, “Well, at least it is flat.” I said he was incorrect and asked if he had heard about Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys from the Revolutionary War. Apparently, he missed that class.
Vermont is not flat. It has the Green Mountains. They are not in any way near the height of the Western State mountains, with a high point of Mount Mansfield 4,393 feet above sea level. Although we did not bike in the mountains, the terrain was still hilly as we climbed them on regular bikes. It was fun and hard work all at the same time. It did threaten to rain at the beginning of the bike trip, but the weather held out and we did not get too much rain while riding.
We participated in a self-guided bike tour in Vermont sponsored by VBT. It was a good set of daily rides, and the accommodations were wonderful. Every day we saw the Green Mountains or the Adirondack Mountains. We also rode to and from Lake Champlain. I was reminded of my travels to the Rocky Mountains as the views were great. We also saw farms and cows, as expected.
We stopped at the monument for Benedict Arnold and his Revolutionary War victory on Lake Champlain at Arnold Bay. It was good to read about this victory and see him in a positive light. Arnold is also talked about in the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum we visited (pictures near the end of this blog).
We learned in our orientation for the bike rides that the state animal of Vermont is the Morgan Horse. We had a stop at the farm on our first and last day of riding. I had to look it up and found that the Kentucky state animal is the gray squirrel. I had no idea we had a state animal, let alone what it could be.
My favorite day of riding and relaxing was the day at the Basin Harbor Resort. We had a charming bike ride along Lake Champlain and enjoyed kayaking on the lake. We were taken in by the beauty of the lake as well as the resort.
Our ride to the Basin Harbor Resort was a long and hilly ride on a hot (over 86 F) and humid day for Vermont. We rode over 45 miles and climbed over 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
We were part of a group; however, as it was a self-guided tour, we used Ride with GPS and were following the routes and prompts using that app. We frequently saw the other riders, although we did not ride with them as often as we had on our guided bike tours, which also used the Ride with GPS app. It was good to know that other riders were around. I would do a self-guided ride again since my riding buddy, my wife, likes these tours as well.
The scenery was amazing, besides the mountains. We enjoyed the open roads, not too much traffic, and the destinations.
Biking or Disc Golfing?
Before traveling to Vermont for this biking trip, I looked for ways to play some disc golf. Did you know that two of the top ten courses in the world are in Vermont? Prior to starting our bike tour, I was able to play them both as they are conveniently located at Smugglers’ Notch Resort. Adding to my fun, I also played Maple Hill in Massachusetts after the bike tour was over, allowing me to notch three of the top-ten disc golf courses in the world in one trip.
The first course I played was Brewster Ridge. It was not raining at the first tee box, but we got out raincoats as it began raining on the way to the second tee box, and rained for the rest of the 17. It was a great course, although I would have enjoyed a little less water. I made the most of the time I had to play this top course.
The next morning, I played the companion course, Fox Run Meadows, another top ten course. It was an excellent disc golf course. Fox Run was a little more open (less woods) and it was the day after all the rain, so I did enjoy the experience a little better. Fox Run does not have the cement or pavers for the tee pads.
It was quite a treat to for me to go out and play Maple Hill, one of the best courses in the world. One of the reasons this and the other courses I played on this trip are so good, is that for a player like me they are accessible. I played Maple Hill a few years ago with my son and we played the red, white, and blue option, rotating from easiest (red) to a harder (blue) configuration. Maple Hill and the other courses I played also have a professional level option, all on the same course, with some different configurations.
After reflecting on playing these top courses, one of the reasons they are so good is that I was able to play them well at my level of play. I can say I played the same course as the top touring professionals in Disc Golf. Each round was enjoyable because it was challenging for me but not impossible for me to play. For the record, I played all three of the top courses at the white (novice not beginner) levels. Next time I think I will have to play at the blue level.
I also played the Basin Harbor 9-hole course. I was happy to find disc golf at Basin Harbor, but this course will not make the top 100 anytime soon.
A highlight for me was spending time with our grandson. He loves to run, and we all did a lot of that with him. He also learned to fly a kite and play baseball with a tee.
We were able to spend time with two of our kids while visiting. We enjoyed walking in Providence, and having ice cream was a bonus for us.
Other fun
We rode through a covered bridge (twice) and got to view the Middlebury Falls from a big chair.
We were excited to see the Vermont Jazz Ensemble performing near our hotel at the Middlebury Festival on the Green and took advantage of learning a swing dance from the free lesson during the performance. We enjoyed dancing on the street in Middlebury.
Near the Basin Harbor Resort is the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum. We arrived after the museum closed, but we were able to walk around the museum’s outside exhibits. Some in our group went through during the day and enjoyed the exhibits; I am sure we would have as well. I am glad they had so many outdoor exhibits open for us to explore.
We rode past a road sign about Silas Wright who was known for being from the area, although he was born in Massachusetts. This was a big monument and area. I learned about him reading the sign. He would be an important early figure forgotten to history for me if not for the sign we encountered.
I did some biking with friends in Kentucky prior to starting my bike adventure. It was good training to ride with a group of friends and tackle the hills near the Ohio River.
What a fun couple of July weeks. I was able to run, kayak, bike, and swim while away from home. I participated in the Red Legs 10K in Cincinnati in June as part of my preparation for the Big Ten 10K that I ran virtually in Middlebury in July on the first day of our bike rides. I should have chosen a flatter course for the Big Ten virtual 10K.
Our two hour kayacking cruise on Lake Champlain was just what we need to contrast with the bike riding. We did enjoy kayacking from Basin Harbor. We went a few miles, saw an island, enjoyed the breezes and perspective of being on water, so different from being on a bike.
I joined one of my sons and his training buddy for an early morning swim at the YMCA. It was a different experience for me as the pool was much wider than my normal pool. This event completed the weird vacation four sport activity of swimming, running, kayaking and biking.
Vermont has a “creature” called “Champ” and we were challenged to find Champ on our rides by our local host at the start of the biking adventure. We only “saw” bigfoot. We did come to learn that Champ was the sea monster of Lake Champlain and is like the Loc Ness Monster from Scotland.
See you on the road. And as the Basin Harbor sign says, try to have a little fun every day.
Cherryville Express
Our daughter and son-in-law moved to a cute little town in North Carolina. We thought it was great that they just happen to be near a train track that runs through town. This was our first visit to their new place. Being retired, we can go anytime. It was great to go over Memorial Day weekend as the kids were able to spend time with us without needing to take time away from work, kind of like us!
We were delighted with the town of Cherryville. The downtown area boasts of several murals painted on the walls of the buildings. We had a first-rate walking (and running) tour of the downtown area.
We were also able to hike Mt. Crowder, a moderate trail nearby. The scenery was wonderful and the hiking was pleasing. We hiked about 6 miles. It is awesome to see the kids in such great shape.
In looking for a place to run, we ran on the campus of the Cleveland County Community College. I discovered the most interesting mascot–the “Yetis” or as I like to say, big foot.
I did run with my daughter at the college. However, we liked running downtown better due to the sidewalks and interesting murals. We managed to run a little over 8 miles while I was in town. It is fun to run with family members.
We did several projects with the kids around the house; their new home is looking super. I am sure that we will see them both again before too long.
Other fun:
I managed to play a round of disc golf at a short course nearby. It was satisfying to play.
We had ice cream in a few locations in town. It is refreshing on a warm Memorial Day.
No bike rides this trip. See you on the road soon.
Walking and Visiting with Friends and Family
In late 2023 and early 2024 we took a few trips, visited kids and grandkids, and saw a presidential library.
It is enjoyable seeing family and friends. Sometimes we do new things. Sometimes we just repeat. It is a joy to be present for birthdays and celebrations like Christmas. Of course, any excuse to see a grandchild is good.
This last spring/winter we went back to see our grandson and reveled in him opening Christmas presents. We also went back again a few months later for his birthday. He had a good party. It is fun to turn three.
While we are in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, we do get out and walk. There are several local parks to visit. We enjoy the Gertrude M. Boyden Wildlife Refuge, near where the kids live, as a place to hike in all seasons. With 50 acres, this is a popular local spot for walking dogs. The scenery near the three-mile river is great as well.
I am again part of a local running group, and I am training for a half-marathon in May. This year, one of my kids will join me to run, so, it is good for me to keep in shape. I hear that exercise is important as we age. I will run for as long as I feel I can safely run. Of course, my kids call what I do jogging. Wait until they are my age and then see what they call it…I completed the Frozen 10k run and the 15k Heart mini, as well as running in Massachusetts and Rhode Island on our travels.
In the spring I flew out west to LA; one of the highlights was visiting the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum (besides visiting my youngest). I did not know that a retired Air Force One and Marine One were inside. It was a fun tour, and as usual with museums, I could have spent more time viewing the exhibits. I learned that Reagan kept a journal of his time in office and he liked to write note cards for speaking ideas. I also saw the jelly beans around the replica Oval Office and came away impressed with all he had accomplished.
I flew in and out of the Burbank airport. I did not realize it was an old Lockheed Martain facility. I was delayed in leaving due to the high winds, so I got to explore Santa Susana Pass, an area nearby. Walking through the park, I could just imagine the early settlers on horseback going through this area. Of course, Reagan was on my mind, and I can see where they could have filmed some old westerns here as well.
When in California, I am amazed at the plants that just grow along the roads and bloom. They look unreal to me. A bird of paradise? I do not see that very often where I live.
I did play disc golf at a couple of local courses. Elephant Rock was a favorite. It only had 12 baskets for discs, but the rock was interesting and the layout was fun.
When I got home, my local course was in full bloom, so it was nice to see spring coming to the area.
My friend Gary was one of the directors or judges for a national bridge tournament in Louisville. It was exciting to see all the bridge players and the tournament setup. We did see some games in progress. Maybe we will play next time we go to the tournament. We enjoyed time with Gary and our time in Louisville.
Other Fun:
Apparently, California passed Proposition 65 years ago to get labeling correct on their water, answering the question, “Is my water safe?” Unintended consequences happen. On my rental car was the notice that I should not breath the exhaust from the car. I now consider myself warned.
My only bike rides have been in the basement, getting ready for a trip in April. See you on the road.
Biking the Central Florida Rail Trails
An ideal way to spend a few days at the beginning of December is biking on Central Florida’s rail trail system. Our guide told us that Central Florida, back in the day, was where the money was made; timber and other material were transported out of Central Florida. The rich and powerful were not at the beach, they were in the center of the state where the natural resources were located. As the state has migrated to a population near the coast and the natural resources (like timber) are not as important, the railways have been reclaimed for biking, hiking, running and walking. We will want to go back and ride some of them again in the future.
We began our Charleston Bicycle Tour riding near Inverness, Florida, on the Withlacoochee State Trail. We rode from near the town to the end of the trail. The trail was well marked and maintained. We rode to the end of the trail (Mile 46) at Gulf Junction with two other couples before turning back for a great day out in the warm weather.
The second day we also went on the Withlacoochee State Trail, in the opposite direction. I wanted to go play disc golf and needed to go back to Inverness and ended up going a few miles out of my way. Whispering Pines Park is a good park in Inverness. Unfortunately, we encountered a little road construction and, due to my lack of planning, my bike computer took us unexpectantly on the park’s trail system.
Due to my desire to play disc golf, off the trail, we rode a little longer than the rest of the group and farther than we set out to do in the morning when we left.
We were transported from Inverness to the Oakland and Winter Gardens area of Central Florida for the rest of our week-long biking adventure.
Our first ride after Inverness was on the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail. We drove to the trailhead and were picked up at the other end of the trail. This is a paved bike (multi-use) path though the greenways. The website calls it “one of Florida’s most rural, paved rail-trails.” We talked with a biker who said he lived in the swamp. There were a few entrances near the trail.
On this ride I saw (I did not stop to take a picture) for the first time a “beware of alligators” sign along the trail. We did see some wildlife along the way, but thankfully we did not see any alligators on the path. After our ride we had lunch at the Lakeland BBQ Company. It was delicious. A few of our fellow riders had the “couch potato” which looked great; if I go back, I will plan to order that after a 30-mile bike ride.
We spent our last few days biking on the West Orange Trail and some of the connectors. We stayed in Oakland, Florida, and biked as well as drove to Winter Garden. Winter Garden was the focus for our meals, and we had good ones. We enjoyed the Christmas lights all over Winter Garden as well as in Oakland’s square that intersected the bike path. We walked along the path, ran on the path, and biked on the path. We did ride our bikes to both ends of the West Orange Trail.
Being December, even in Florida, not every day began warm enough to bike (our “requirement” is 55 degrees). But we biked anyway! We enjoyed the biking more as the day went on and the temperature warmed up. We enjoyed our cool start on several beautiful weather days. The trail was wide and well maintained. The Van Fleet Trail had very few intersections; it was a faster pace than the West Orange trail which had more frequent intersections.
We did like Apopka Station and the park nearby. Central Florida in December likes to decorate. We enjoyed the big park decorations and all the festive lights we saw along the path (even in the daylight) as we rode along.
We stayed in the Oakland Manor. It is near Lake Apopka. We were able to walk onto the pier at the lake and look at the scenery. We only saw glimpses of alligators in the lake and none on the street. The area is beautiful.
One of my favorite rides was the second disc golf adventure, which was planned better. I rode the West Orange Trail to the end at Killarney Station. Then took the South Lake Trail (it just merged into it). The South Lake Trail had some hills. We were surprised at this different trail feature as the week’s trails and our impression of Florida is that it is mostly flat. The hills were not that big and did not present any issues for us to ride up or down. The South Lake Trail got confusing; I am glad I had a map open on my phone telling me which way to go. I was headed to Lake Hiawatha, and around Lake Minneola to play a round of disc golf before biking back 15 miles to lunch at Winter Garden. It was less confusing going back, but I still used the app on my phone to keep me on track with the directions.
Other Fun:
I was able to bike to two different disc golf courses. The first one was hard to find from the bike path near Inverness (and I started in the wrong direction). The Whispering Pines course was very technical and it did not look as well used as some of the other courses I have played.
The Champions Pointe course in Lake Hiawatha Park was a well laid out (long) course in a beautiful park. Several others were playing on the day I visited. With only two discs, I had fun and spoke to several other disc golfers along the course.
My brother and sister-in-law live in the Orlando area and we were happy to spend time with them before our bike trip began.
We did see a peacock on the West Orange Trail at a Dunkin Donuts parking lot. So, all of America and its peacocks must run on Dunkin?
We biked over 180 miles on the trip, averaging over 37 miles biking a day. It was a fun week of biking; we will come again with our road bikes and enjoy the wonderful Central Florida rail trails.
See you on the road.
Retirement Travel with Glen 