Bane, Shrub, Tunnels & Ice Cream

June 7 22miles
June 8 24 miles
June 9 45 miles
June12 9 miles
June 14 18miles
June 15 12 miles
June 18 26m
June20 23m
June22 15m
June 25 19m
June mtd: 292 ytd: 1073

In case you've missed it, I have an ongoing internal question about the difference and similarities between homeless people and camping cyclists, and our social response to each.



This is a new campsite along the SouthSide Trail (notably not the GAP) - It's a marvel. Carpet, planters, hummingbird feeder.


The explicit, "out" campsites along the trail have recently been augmented by this, at Hot Metal Street and the GAP trail:

It's right across the street from a rather upper-end hotel, I imagine they'd prefer it not be there.

Tuesday June 7th I rode with a couple from California from the Waterfront out
to Boston PA (using the McKeesport Loop detour).


Wednesday 6/08 I putzed around town and ran some errands, which included picking up the second print run of my Pittsburgh to DC bike trail map. Took a picture of my newest water bottle with the Water Cube on Penn at 8th: free cold seltzer!



June 9th I met an outgoing tour group at their Penn Ave hotel. We rode under the Convention Center, along the Allegheny to Point State Park. Then I rode with them out along the GAP, using the McKeesport Loop detour because the Durabond Bypass was being paved. Very nice people. One of the folks, Gordon, was a frame-builder.



June 12, Golden Triangle Bikes had a GAP Trail Day event. I put up my tent & hammock to demonstrate camping gear, and loaded up a rental LHT to show how the bike looks with panniers etc.




As summertime warms up, the overhead misting station at Golden Triangle Bikes is getting more appreciation:




I had a chance to participate in a Brews & Bikes Tour, featuring beer from Mt. Lebanon's Hitchhiker Brewing. This was a sampling of their Bane of Existence on the Hot Metal Bridge:





We also rode around to the North Side, and in the archway of the former Manchester Bridge we had a beer sampling with Mr Rogers. There was audio of his TV show playing, I don't remember that from previous visits.




June 20, Golden Triangle Bikes hosted a bike tour of Pittsburgh for a Mt. Lebanon Vacation Bible School group of about 45 youngsters.






The trail always presents new things. Here we encountered a few ballerinas on the Hot Metal Bridge. The scrounge campsite is about 100 feet south of this location:



Rode with my wife Karen to Caffe d'Amore (Butler and 54th) to experience their Shrub Sampler. Shrub is a vinegar-based fruit drink (which by itself was once known as drinking vinegar) mixed with club soda. It was a refreshing, novel taste and I'm glad I got to try it.




June 25 we met Denny and Doreen, Rusty and Donna, and Kevin, Mari, & Mindy in Breezewood for a ride on the Abandoned Turnpike Trail. This was a great ride. We pre-positioned a van at the eastern end of the publicly accessible trail. Our ride started at the western end, in Breezewood on Route 30.


It is "darker than the inside of a cow" in the longer of the two tunnels. A great place to evaluate your lighting kit.


When we reached the eastern end, we rode north on Pump Station Road (428), then north on North Hess Road (4007), and then turned right (east) onto Mountain House Road (4006) which takes one directly into the employee parking lot Sideling Hill Turnpike Plaza (where they have ice cream). We really enjoyed the ice cream and it was very cool to bike into a turnpike rest stop.