Hazel

I had to change my travel plans. On Saturday, I received a call from my brother that my Grandmother had died. I immediately left for Galax, VA. I travelled on HWY 460 to Lynchburg and then south on I81. It was an uneventuful trip and I arrived after about six and a half hours of travel.

My Grandmother was 92 and was a great woman. I have many fond memories of her.

Pittsburgh to Richmond on a Bike

We are having a conference in Richmond so I thought that instead of flying or driving a government car, I would take the opportunity to ride my bike down. After all Uncle Sam is paying. I also figured that coming back, since I would be leaving late on Sunday - that I would take my time and take two days to get home.

Seneca Rocks WV was one place that I wanted to spend time at every since I first saw it on another drive home from Richmond. That time I didn't have time to do anything other then to stop and look at the rock raising up from the ground. I didn't even have my camera. This time would be different. I not only brought my camera but camping gear also. Can't wait to do some camping and some hiking.

I left the house yesterday morning about 0730 and headed south on I79. I planned on catching I70 in Washington but a couple of things changed my mind. One was that I forgot the EZ Pass for when I70 merged with the PA Turnpike and two There were signs warning of delays on I70. That made my decision to go on down to Morgantown WV and catch I68.

There were a lot of traffic on I79 but once I got on I68 traffic was very light. The Vulcan 500 did very well and easily cruised at 75 to 80 mph and still had some left to make passes when necessary. I debated on wither to follow I70 to DC and then follow I95 south to Richmond or to take US522. The didn't care for the thought of DC traffic so took 522 and then Highway 33 to Richmond. It turned out to be a good decision. The ride was very nice but very long. It ended up taking me 9 hours to travel 400 miles. I made a few stops and took my time but by the end of my journey I was ready for the hotel and a cold beer.

One of the stops that I made was at Blue Ridge Grocery about 20 miles north of Culpeper. I passed it but turned around and went back to it. I was glad that I did. As I took off my helmet and jacket an Animal Control Officer drove up and informed me that the store was only open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays but that he would go ahead and open it for me. Turns out he lives right behind the store and he's the owner/operator. I told him that I would take a pack of nabs and a bottle of pop. It was just like being at home to have someone who knew what nabs and pop is. He went around and came back with the goods but refused to accept any money. He was a very friendly guy. I highly recommend stopping by if you are ever in that parts on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

Oh, and before I forget. I used 6.65 gallons of gas to travel 400 miles for a MPG average of 59.9. Not bad but still costed $29.06. Gas prices really suck.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Once again July 16th rolls around. Every year is comes quicker then the last. July 16th is a very special day for me. Not only is it mine and my daughters birthday but it is also my wedding anniversary. Today, I turned 42, my daughter 20, and I now have 21 years of marriage. Since I left home at 18, my wife has been with me longer then anyone else. It has been a really great 21 years and I wouldn't trade them for anything. I love my wife now more then ever. She has been a great wife and mother - more then I could ever have wished for. Here's to her for giving up 21 years of her life to spend it with me.

Wedding

Well, today my one and only daughter got married. Her fiance had a four day pass from Sheppard AFB in Texas where he is taking his Advance Individual Training. He came in Friday afternoon but they had to wait until Monday to get married because of the fourth.

Monday morning they went downtown Pittsburgh to get the license. Normally there is a 3 day wait but because he is in the Army and had to report back on Tuesday morning, they gave it to them the same day.

They then came up to the local magistrates office (whom they had both appear to before)and had him perform the wedding. In attendance was Sam's mother, sister, and nephew. On my daughter's side, there was her mother, brother, and myself.

There were married around 1145 and then we all went out to lunch at the Red Lobster. The poor newlyweds only had a few hours together before Sam had to fly out at 1900 to report back to Texas.

Indigo Bunting

Today I saw my first Indigo Bunting. I was biking to work and along the Montour Trail I saw a blue bird chasing a Goldfinch. At first I thought is was an Eastern Bluebird but there was no brown on the chest and the blue was colored a little different. I just looked it up and discovered it was an Indigo Bunting. It is a very beautiful bird and one that I wish I could attract to my bird feeder.