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Monday, June 21st - Tuesday, June 22nd
June 21: Pedaling our way into Pittsburg to the Park Inglot
We concluded our restful day in Ohiopyle State Park around
a bonfire, hosted
by our campsite neighbors, who expertly stoked the fire as we
sat mesmerized
(read: half zonked) as the flames and embers levitated toward
the stars.
Bedtime came early, after Brian contemplated the hills and
mountains that
would challenge him when he awoke. His careful cartography paid
off; he
opted for a bike path which hugged the river bed thereby dodging
the hills
until he exited the path 20 miles from Pittsburgh. While on the
path, he
met Kevin Lauterbach, an inspirational, twenty something free
spirit whose
own bicycle journey spanned more than 18 months and several countries.
Hmmmm, now how would we transport the RV over the great big pond?
On my ride from the park, I concentrated on phoning the media
in Pittsburgh,
Cleveland and Sandusky -- a local tv station in Pittsburgh came
to our
"campsite" tonight and taped Brian cleaning his bicycle
-- how glamourous.
That night, we camped in downtown Pittsburgh at "Park
Inglot" where we had a
lovely, unobstructed, river side spot overlooking the skyline.
We dined
outside, amid a beautiful sunset while boats and paddleboats danced
across
the water. A near perfect urban setting if there was a mute button
to
eliminate the sounds of the dozens of trains that passed over
the 3 sets of
tracks that surrounded the PARKING LOT we called home for the
evening.
Brian claims I can sleep through most anything -- hopefully
he will be proven
correct.
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Tuesday, June 22nd: No-commotion from the lo-commotion
Our temporary home, in the railyard they call downtown Pittsburgh,
turned
out to actually be a restful place to sleep. We awoke to yet another
sunny
day, and before even the first train rolled in, Brian was off
toward Ohio.
We later discovered, as he rode from town in the morning, WKDK,
a Pittsburgh
television station was replaying during the morning newscast,
the segment on
Brian and the bike ride, the same segment they aired on the previous
nights
11 o,clock news!
I found an internet connection in the lobby of the Sheraton
and was tempted
to sneak to a room for a soak in the tub and some room service.
Instead, I
hugged the AT&T free internet connection and proceeded to
surf the web and
check email for 2.5 hours as Brian pushed the pedal to the metal
toward
Ohio.
We met up for lunch and headed toward our destination for the
evening, the
Hopewell Inn in Mesopotamia, Ohio, a wonderful 333 acre working
organic farm
where 20 mentally ill people live and recover. Located in the
heart of
Amish country near Akron and Cleveland, this former bed and breakfast
is an
incredible haven. I wish words could appropriately capture the
essence of
this place. Heaven on earth is the best way to describe it.
The executive director Gary Long and his wife/marketing director
Robin
graciously invited us for dinner and to stay the night in their
newest and
"almost ready to open" cottage. What a dinner it was
(the chef from the b &
b stayed on after the place was converted) 3 years ago. I don't
know which
we enjoyed more -- the freshly picked organic salad greens or
the homemade
cheesecake or the clam linguine or the stir fry with tofu and
pineapple.
We toured the property including the ponds, some of the 50
milking cows, the
25+ sheep and little lambs, the garden plots and the herb garden.
We met
the horticultural therapist and the waste manager. The residents
and
employees were so welcoming, we want to extend our all too brief
visit.
Tomorrow we meet up with our first guests on the ride, friend/neighbor/Delta
pilot Steven James and his 5 year old daughter Laura. Steven generously
offered to watch our rental home in our absence. We look forward
to seeing
them!
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