Goodbye 2012

Well, here it is New Year's Eve.....wow, where did the time go.  I know we all say it and I feel silly repeating it, but I still wonder how time can go by so fast.  2012 was a great year and meeting my goal of finishing Ironman Lake Placid was definitely a highlight.  But that came in a distant 2nd to my brother having successful cardiac surgery.  He had two stents placed in his "widow maker" artery.  I came awfully close to losing him.  That was in August and in September, he accompanied Melissa and I to Washington, DC for the Nation's Tri.  What a special trip that was for the three of us.

Along with the highs there always come some lows.  One of those was Hurricane Sandy .  She blew in and kept us quaking in our shoes as the winds roared through the night.  We were fortunate and only had one tree land softly on the house.  Sadly for so many others, it was complete devastation.   Our hearts go out to those who were in Sandy's path.  Even though there was so much destruction, it was a reminder that there are still so many kind and generous people and businesses out there.  Help poured in and will hopefully continue.  Thank you to PowerBar for encouraging us and reimbursing us to donate products to victims and rescue workers.  For me, this storm brought back so many memories of Hurricane Agnes when she flooded my hometown in 1972.  The scenes were all too familiar.....

1972 or 2012???  Many of the scenes were the same.  It will take a lot of heart to rebuild, but rebuild they will.  Living through the flood of '72 taught me many lessons, the most important one being that 'things' can be replaced, but 'people' never can be.  

And so I am thankful for all in my life and for another year on this earthly plane.  I wish you a Happy, Healthy and Peace Filled New Year.  Write down your goals for 2013 and keep them close to your heart.  Dream big and run fast!!!

A Ride on the Pine Creek Rail Trail

We recently headed to the tiny town of Woolrich, PA to shop at the Woolrich Flagship and Outlet Store.  I lived in Lock Haven (just south of there) many years ago and had been to the store a few times.  On this trip we found some 'new threads' at nice prices and it also brought back fond memories of Christmas shopping for one of their red and black plaid wool overshirts for my Dad.

After some fun shopping and watching a wood carver in action in the parking lot,  we headed out and made a stop at the Restless Oaks Restaurant just off of Route 220.  The soup and chili were hot and the wait staff was very friendly.  From there we drove north for a ride on the Pine Creek Rail Trail.  We had picked up a large size trail map at the restaurant which worked out much better than the one I printed from the website.  By this time it was mid afternoon so we decided to find one of the lower access points and do a short ride North from there.  We parked at the Whitetail Access Area and headed out to the Bonnell Flat Comfort Station-a 4.5 mile ride one way.

It was a little chilly and overcast starting out, but that didn't take away from the scenery and nice views of Pine Creek.

The trail was well maintained and included a nice bridge crossing over the creek.  We passed a few riders but for the most part, we had the trail to ourselves!  We checked out the comfort stations before starting our return trip and gave them a thumbs up.  We usually end up looking for porta-potties when we are riding, so this was a welcome addition!

The sun came out for the rest of our ride which made for some good photo opportunities!

It was a nice fall ride on our "comfy" Cannondale Adventure 2 bikes!!  We can't wait to get back and ride through Pine Creek Gorge and the beautiful Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania on the northern end of the trail.

A Little R & R on Sanibel Island

Most of our vacations are planned around races or rides, but this time we decided to plan a quiet and restful trip.  Sanibel Island off of the Gulf Coast of Florida was the perfect place.  Aside from great lodging and the beautiful beach at The Song of the Sea, we found some wonderful restaurants with Grandma Dot's being our favorite (especially their homemade Key Lime Pie).

Grandma Dot's

Along with all of these pleasures, the highlight of this trip for me was the incredible wildlife we got to see at the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge and on the beach.  Our first afternoon found us on Wildlife Drive where we spotted jumping Mullet, Wood Storks, a Roseate Spoonbill surrounded by Willets, countless other birds and an alligator sunning itself along the edge of the road.  Did I mention that they can run as fast as 25mph........yikes!

Roseate Spoonbill with Willets

Gator!

A sunset cruise lead by Tarpon Bay Explorers was a great way to end our second day there as we saw hundreds of ibis, brown pelicans roosting for the evening, osprey, egrets, cormorants, herons, horseshoe crabs and manatee (well, manatee noses that is) and a great sunset over the bay!

Horseshoe Crabs

Brown Pelicans roosting

Brown Pelicans and Ibis roosting

Double Crested Cormorant

Sunset over Tarpon Bay

The beach is a mix of super soft white sand and more seashells than you can imagine.  We were also treated to daily shows by shore birds, pelicans, bald eagles and osprey that kept us smiling.  

Royal Tern

Brown Pelicans in flight

Snowy Plover

Black Skimmer

Willet

Least Sandpiper

Sanderling

The next morning we were back at the Preserve for a guided kayak tour with Tarpon Bay Explorers.  The tour began in Tarpon Bay and passed through mangrove forests along the Commodore Creek Water Trail.  What a truly incredible experience!  We were treated to great views of Little Blue Herons, Cormorants, Anhingas, a Roseate Spoonbill dancing around with a Tri Colored Heron, a Black Crowned Night Heron and a Yellow Crowned Night Heron that looked sound asleep while drying his wings!!  We got so close that we were afraid we would bump into him!  (Please forgive the poor quality of a few of the photos-the lighting wasn't always the best.)  Luckily we missed the mangrove snake that a few people saw in the water with us!!

Little Blue Heron

Anhinga

Along the water trail

Double Crested Cormorant drying his wings

Roseate Spoonbill on mangrove roots

Tri Colored Heron and Roseate Spoonbill feeding

Yellow Crowned Night Heron

Yellow Crowned Night heron

This is the life!!

A few rides on the tandem for dinner and ice cream or to the historic Sanibel Lighthouse, some long walks and a swim in the bay were just enough to balance out the lazy afternoons reading on the beach, sleeping in and time at the pool and hot tub.  Throw in a walk at sunrise and a dash to catch the sunset and you have a great vacation!  

Sanibel Island Light

Snowy Egret

Sunrise and Pelican facing Fort Meyers

Sunset at Bowman's Beach footbridge

We saw many signs throughout the island that cautioned "Gopher Tortoise Crossing".  Each time we were out on the roads we would carefully scan ahead and to the sides watching for these creatures.  On our last morning there, we took the tandem out for one last spin.  When we reached the driveway to our inn we were greeted by the mighty Gopher Tortoise or so we thought!!  (That's not me holding him-it was a worker that happened by)  

I think it is actually a baby Florida Box Turtle

I highly recommend Sanibel Island to anyone looking for a quiet getaway filled with some of the best nature has to offer.  Pack light, bring a good book and relax!!