Bike the Lights

The Wayne County (Michigan) Lightfest is a yearly event. It takes weeks to prepare the lights--a five mile expanse of holiday lights down Edward Hines Drive, a lovely rolling parkway along the Rouge River. Every year just before this display opens for the public to drive through there is one night to run through the lights and one night to bike through the lights.

I have done both the run and the bike, and both are impressive. This year we planned all along to do the bike ride. Then at the last minute Bill had to work late, so with some help from Erika and Francis I loaded up the bikes and Toby and I took off at the last possible moment to make the ride... we met Kat at the gas station with a flash of the headlights (no time to stop) and proceeded to the parking area. The cutoff was 6:45 PM, and that is when we arrived!

We unloaded the bikes and rigged lights on the unlighted ones, and away we went! Toby was thrilled--this was the first time he ever was allowed to ride his bike after dark! It was a ten mile ride--5 miles to the end of the display, a turnaround and then of course we had to ride the 5 miles back to where we started. We got a T-shirt and hot chocolate and cookies for our troubles. What a great ride!

What would you call it?

The sailing season is done--we took the boat out of the water on Sunday. Bill, Bruce, Erika and Toby motored down to Lake Erie Metro Park, and I drove the truck and triailer to retrieve them... it went well.

When we got home, I finished the mast condom that Bill asked me to sew for him. He chided me for calling it that, but what would you call it??? Take a look--the camoflage fleece is the internal sleeve, with a waterproof outer vinyl covering. This is to protect the part that sticks out the back of the barn. Maybe this can be a new career for me... sewing mast protectors?

I did a terrible thing today--I rode a stationary bike in a spinning class. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate indoor cycling, but it will soon be winter in Michigan (although not this week). I am going to ride after my weight training times on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It is most convenient that there are classes scheduled right when I finish my workout... Perhaps by spring I will be able to climb better than I did last year? I am not sure how effective the spinning is for building climbing ability; I am about to find out!

If it's not one thing it's another...

I went back to swimming yesterday---3,000 yards. Quite a workout for the first time back. I am slow though... Then Bill and I went to get lumber for the big project in the barn. I went to put one piece back on the pile and it bit me! I somehow got a large sliver in my thumb. We could not get it out, so I had to go to Urgent Care, where they numbed it and sliced open my thumb to remove it--it was about 5/8" long, in at a sharp (no pun intended) angle. So back on antibiotics again, with stern warnings to watch for infection... I guess this is the year.

Bill, Otis and Fred left today for an overnighter on our boat. It's been planned for a couple of weeks, and the fact that it was in the low 50s with winds gusting up to 25 mph did not stop them. Fortunately the winds were favorable for the direction they were going. It was so windy that they never put the full main up! It was reefed for the whole trip, but they never had to use the motor once they got out past the bridge... now that's what we always plan on a sailing trip, but don't always get to do!

The last gasp of summer

Dianne had a couple of days before flying out, and I wanted us to take a bike ride, and paddle the kayaks, and go sailing, and go have my favorite spinach and feta omelets at Mirage, and play Scrabbble... as a wise man once told me: you can do it all, but you can't do it all at the same time!

We played Scrabble, we went out for omelets, and we went sailing. Dianne had never been on a sailboat, so this was a good choice. Erika, Bill and I did all the work and Dianne and Toby got in a snuggle before her trip was done. It was a lovely day out on the lake--enough wind to sail but not enough to scare the novice!

A good time was had by all.

Monday morning Bill, Dianne and I went to the bakery to bond with the boys and tell stupid bike stories. D and I got in 2 quick games of Scrabble and I took her to the airport. It had started to rain by then, but that fit into our plan just fine--great weather on the bike trip and on the lake. Can't ask for more than that!

September 17: Beard to North Caldwell, WV. 35 miles.

Dianne and I were up early this morning, and got in a couple of games of Scrabble before Bill arose at 8. We ate breakfast, packed up the cabin and the bikes, and were out of the park just after 9 AM. We were on the trail by 10 AM, glad the rain was done. We found it quite muddy in spots, but passable at all times.

We met up with 3 women from Michigan today, and they knew we had been on the North Bend Trail earlier in the week--the maintenance guys in the truck had told them. Char, Sharon and Ruth were traveling with Flat Alice, and here they all are. It was fun running into them; this trail has been quite desolate. We had not seen another person until we met up with them, but there were plenty of other creatures--deer, turkeys, woodchucks, chipmunks and squirrels.

A bit later we met some local people from Anthony. They had just seen a bear on the trail and told us where to look for the "evidence" (bear scat). They also told us about a really great rail trail in Virginia--the Virginia Creeper. Maybe next year????

We met Bill at the lunch stop near Anthony, and ate most of the rest of the food. There was no bread (and no grocery store for miles and miles) so we rolled up the leftover lunchmeat and cheese, and ate apples dipped in peanut butter--who needs sandwiches?

The end of the trail was there all too soon. We took some photos and headed out for Lewisburg and ice cream. At Lewisburg, we stayed at the Church Street Bed and Breakfast, where Tom and Sheila made us feel right at home! After dinner out, we set up the Scrabble board and Sheila brought us a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers... not the usual B&B fare!

Morning dawned and we set out for home. The end of another wonderful bike adventure. What could be better than this?

September 16 Cass to Beard, WV. 42 miles.

We drove up to Cass early, and the drive was significantly shorter on the state road as compared to the county road we took yesterday... When we got to the Greenbrier River Trail head we saw 6 or 8 deer--just a harbinger of what we would be seeing on the trail ahead.

Dianne and I left on the bikes and Bill drove away, planning to meet us down the trail after about 11 miles. We found him at the old depot at Clover Lick, just as planned. He was the only other person we saw this morning, so we were glad to see him! There were plenty of deer cutting across the trail in front of us, and we watched the sides of the trail carefully--we knew we would lose if there was a collision! This is a great trail! The surface is mostly packed gravel, much easier to ride than the North Bend Trail. Another advantage is that there are no barricades across the trail--it is easy going, and the scenery is beautiful. For the most part, the trail runs right along the river for which it is named. Most of the original mileposts are in tact, repainted white with black numerals, and there are whistle posts at every little crossroads. There is only one water tower left, so we stopped and looked at that on the way into Marlinton.

We went through one tunnel today, and crossed many bridges, some of which are the original trestles, and some rebuilt.

After our rest stop with Bill, we headed north toward Marlinton, the largest city on the trail. He said he was going to take an unmarked road that was shown on the GPS to go through to Marlinton instead of the road shown on the trail map. We left with plans to meet up at Marlinton to eat lunch together and go to the bike shop. My rear derailleur will not shift at all today, and I have a wobble in the rear wheel.

When Dianne and I got to Marlinton we saw people everywhere! We had not seen another person on the trail all day, and suddenly there was a group of bikers parked in the middle of the trail, which became blacktop within the city limits. And there were people walking... culture shock! We pedalled over to the meeting spot, and Bill was not there. Dianne took a comfort stop while I waited for him, and then I went to the bike shop while she waited for him. The bike shop is also a coffee shop, so we ate lunch there, leaving our distinctive bikes outside so Bill would see us if he came into town. We were plenty worried about him since he is so reliable and was going even farther off the beaten path than he has all week...

We checked back at the meeting spot after eating our lunch, and he still was not there. Now we were REALLY worried... so we went to the Visitors' Center where a nice young woman told us that this was a new one--she gets many requests to look for people on the trail, but never had been asked by people on the trail to look for anyone on the road! She offered to look for him in her car, which was a good thing, because our next move would have been to go to the police.

While she went out to look for Bill, Dianne and I went back to the meeting place. Still no Bill. A short time later I got the idea of looking at the old (burned out) train depot, and there he was! He was sure that was the meeting place, and we were sure the trail parking lot was the meeting place.... you may rest assured that we will never discuss this again, since there is no resolution... We were plenty glad to see him, and just as I was ready to go to the Visitors' Center to tell them he was found, the young lady who was looking for him drove up in her car! All's well that ends well.... we lost an hour and a half, but we got Bill back.

Dianne and I left on our bikes, leaving Bill in the parking lot after filling our water bottles. About a half mile down the trail, I got another flat tire! This on one of my brand new tires... Dianne got a ride back to town to see if Bill was still there--John and Joel were walking on the trail and offered to drive her... While she was gone, I looked over my tire and wheel very carefully and found a teeny blip in the rim tape on the rear wheel, exposing a sharp edge. I taped it up with duct tape, and soon we were on our way. (They did not find Bill--he had already left for our next meeting point, since he has to drive 20 miles or more of curvy mountain road to meet us 11 miles down the trail).

We met up at Seebert, and I was ready to be done for the day--this was right at Watoga State Park, and our cabin was calling to me. But we stayed with the plan and got back on the trail after fortifying ourselves with PBJ and gatorade. We finished up at Beard, where Bill was waiting in the truck, and we loaded up and headed for home. We were showered and in our jammies by 4:00.

I cooked supper with the windows open, and it started raining just as we were ready to eat--nice timing! Bill happened to glance out the window, and saw a couple of bear cubs cavorting around the yard... soon there were 3, and this time I had the camera ready! Not the best resolution, but I think you can tell what they are. The 3 cubs played around for a long while and we thoroughly enjoyed watching them. Of course we knew better than to go out in the yard when they were there... we did not see Mama Bear, but knew she was out there nearby.

We had a nice supper and shared some wine, then got out the Scrabble board. This is our last night at this cabin.

September 15. Rest day.

We woke up in our wonderful cabin at Watoga State Park; there was a coffee pot on the table, but no coffee. Since it was already 9:00 (!!!) when we got out of bed, Dianne and I walked to the park office to see if we could scare up some coffee. The restaurant was closed, but the office workers were kind enough to give us 3 cups from their office coffee pot.

We had big plans for the day--Cass Historical Railroad train ride and a visit to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory at Green Bank, WV, where Bill said they can listen for alien signals from space. First we stopped at French's restaurant in Marlinton for the authentic WV breakfast recommended by the people in the state park office... Thus fortified, we headed up to Cass on one-lane paved road with hairpin curves, many steep grades, and a view that reminded us of the John Denver song about this state. What unspoiled beauty!

We got to Cass and found that the railroad was closed on Tuesdays at this time of year. Not only was the train not operating, but the Cass Company Store was closed too. We were quite disappointed. (This was the day I could not find my camera, so these photos of the Cass company store and restored company housing that is open to the public were taken the following morning).

We got to the Observatory and found it closed too! Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September. What's with this place!!??? We could see the radio telescopes out in the field, and there were workers around, but the Science Center was closed and there were no tours.

We found a better road on the way back to the park, which will make a difference tomorrow morning when we have to drive back up to Cass for the Greenbrier River Trail head.... We stopped at Marlinton on the way back to stock up on groceries, since it is such a long circuitous drive out of the park, and this is the only grocery store for miles around.

Once we were back at the cabin, Dianne and I decided to change the bike tires while Bill went in for a nap (he did all the driving, still suffering from allergies)... The first tube in the rear tire blew up in my face, and while setting the next tire into the rim, Dianne quietly called my name... She said, "Linda, look". I said "WHAT?" without looking up, and she touched my arm and directed my attention to the black BEAR that was about 15 feet behind me coming out of the woods! We calmly walked into the house and I started tearing the place apart looking for the camera while the bear headed for the garbage can. She made short work of the wire cage around the enclosure and liked what she found--we had cleaned all the food out of the truck and put it in the garbage can, including some moldy (but very aromatic) strwaberries.

By the time I found the camera the bear had been scared away by a car, of course, the only one that drove by our cabin that day... We came back out to finish changing tires and to clean and lube the chains, but one of us kept an eye to the woods at all times!

The bear did not come back that evening. After dinner we played Scrabble until 9 PM. We are all glad for the rest day, and are looking forward to the Greenbrier River Trail tomorrow.