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!!

Team in Training and the Nation's Tri

My Team in Training event for this year was the Nation's Tri in Washington, DC on September 9th.  Call me old school, but my patriot heartstrings start to tug with the thought of being in our Nation's Capital.  I was very fortunate that my brother John was able to join us for race weekend.  We packed up the van and headed south on Saturday morning, just in time to get to check into our rooms, pick up my race packet and a few things at the expo and listen in to Dave Scott address the national TNT group.  He is a six time Ironman World Champion and very well respected in the field of triathlon.

From there we got our bikes and gear and met up so that we could ride to transition at West Potomac Park to rack our bikes.  In many races they require that you get your bike into transition the day before to keep the chaos down on race morning!  As we gathered in front of the hotel, the winds began to pick up and before we knew it, sheets of rain were blowing in!!  Plan B-drive to transition!!  Then back to the hotel for the Inspiration Dinner at our hotel.

Our Eastern PA Team

Kate, John and Melissa

What an honor to be there with my brother, my Patient Hero!!  I am so proud of him!!  Off to bed for a few hours of sleep.

Up at 3:30 and have breakfast-a banana and my favorite Sourdough bread from Kath and Tom's BakeHouse oven in NM with fresh almond butter!!  I also took a piece with me to have later in T1.  Our team met at 4:30 in the lobby and our teammate/survivor Derek shared his story.  What an inspiration.  Then out into the cool morning air and onto the bus.

Kate, Derek and Amanda

Amanda, Derek, Rachel and Melissa

It was very chilly as we stepped off the bus, but the sight of the Washington Monument rising up into the sky made you forget about the cold.

The Potomac River was a balmy 81 degrees and I couldn't wait to get in and warm up!! I opted for no wetsuit rather than wait until the last wave an hour or so later.  I was glad I didn't wear one-the water was beautiful but a little choppy!  They also had giant buoys set every 100 meters.  At about 300m I noticed something large and white off to the right.  I made a point to look and found it was the Lincoln Memorial.  How cool to see that from the river!  The swim course was set in the shape of an obelisk to mirror the Washington Monument.  I remember thinking how this course would be less than one loop of the swim in Lake Placid and was very happy.

The swim course on Saturday

Out of the water and off to T1!  There was a lot of excitement as swimmers were still entering the water.  I heard "Kate" from the crowd and was so happy to see my brother there smiling.  Into transition and onto the bike.  Thankfully there wasn't much mud after the previous day's rain storm.  Just past the mount line I saw Melissa along the roadside cheering and ringing the cowbell.  Another happy moment.  The bike course was mostly flat with a few rollers.  We passed the Lincoln Memorial and headed north eventually getting into Maryland.  On the way back we passed by the Lincoln Center and back into transition.

I was feeling really good and excited to be starting the run course which took us near the Washington Monument, along side the Smithsonian, out to the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial.  Aside from one small incline, the course was pretty much flat with quite a few shaded areas.

           

Then the home stretch to the finish!  What a great day.  The weather was picture perfect and I felt great the entire way.  My brother and Melissa were there with me along with all of my Team in Training teammates.  We reunited at the finish and made our way to the TNT tent to check in.  Our National tri coach, 6 time Ironman World Champion Dave Scott was also there to greet us and take some pictures!

6 Time World Champion Dave Scott and Kate

After a bite to eat and a quick change of clothes, we handed off my bike to be sent back to the hotel.  Then we made our way to find a taxi with a stop along the way at the Lincoln Memorial!

It was a gorgeous day in DC!  Then off to the National Museum of the American Indian for lunch.  Add this place to your list the next time you are visiting.  The Mitsitam Cafe has five food stations that feature Native foods and is yummy!!

The rest of our day was filled with sight seeing, ice cream, a celebration dinner with the Team and a glass of champagne at the roof top bar of the W Hotel.  We overlooked the White House and caught views of the Monuments at sunset.

We also saw the President's helicopter take off as we walked to the WWII Memorial!!

As you might imagine, we were pretty tired by then!  The next morning we had a wonderful breakfast alfresco at our hotel and then packed up the van.  We made one more stop on our way out of town-The National Cathedral.  We took a short architectural tour that was very interesting.  The building and it's history are magnificent!  What a fitting way to end our adventure!

The Space Window complete with a Moon rock!

Resurrection Chapel

This event is my 9th as a fundraising event for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  LLS does so many wonderful things for patients and their families as well as research that not only fights blood cancers, but all cancers.  I owe so much gratitude to all who have contributed over the years.  This year I raised $4,010.60 and look forward to a special number 10 next year!!  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

*  Since I posted this race report, a very dear friend and his family topped off my fundraising account to make it an even $5,000.00.  Sometimes there just aren't words to sum up how you feel...... 

The Nation's Tri-Olympic Distance

1.5k Swim - 37:16

T1 - 3:41

40k Bike - 1:23:33

T2 - 1:51

10k Run - 58:09

Total - 3:04:27  

Place  6th in AG

Pre swim-1 PowerBar Gel, water

Bike-2 PowerBar Gels, PowerBar Ironman Perform, Water

Run-1 PowerBar Gel, water, Gatorade