The tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center is an event which demands attention. When the news broke, I was teaching in the classroom facing the playground at St. Matthew in Pittsburgh. Pastor Bryan Borger came through to tell us. I was having a hard time visualizing just what was happening. Then came the news of the second plane. The world has changed for the worse since then, and our actions and prayers are critical.
The trip to Cumberland was August 17-20. Pastor Eric Andrae, campus minister at First Trinity Lutheran Church in Pittsburgh, beneficiary of the ride, joined us as far as Cedar Creek. His older daughter was disappointed that she was not allowed to ride with him! The trip totaled 130 miles, with overnight stays in Connellsville, Confluence, and Rockwood.
The complete story is on the Mileposters site. An encouraging event on the final day was encountering the new monument at Deal, PA, just this side of the Eastern Continental Divide, commemorating the 2003 campaign to restore and open Big Savage Tunnel for trail use. The Mileposters contributed to that effort, so our name is on one face of the monument, along with many others.
Our five-year-old stoker completed his eighth ride on August 28. We paused for a picture on the new bicycle causeway south of Millvale, braving the blazing sunshine.
An untapped treasure for the Mileposters has been the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio. There, a scenic railroad runs parallel to the abandoned Ohio and Erie Canal, with bicycling on the towpath and a bargain rate for riders with their bikes aboard the train. An exploratory visit September 3 found a line waiting to have their mounts hoisted into the baggage car — and they do accommodate tandems! The return home crossed the fabulous 1905 Newell Bridge across the Ohio River.
Three junior captain candidates are currently in various stages of training. Completion will mean a record number of captains for the Mileposters, enabling trip combinations which were previously not possible.
September 4, 2011 at 7:37 pm |
Just wanted to throw in that I really enjoyed staying in Rockwood for the first time–had stopped for supplies several times–but never crossed the railroad tracks, although I rode them many times!