PVGP Week .1 /  by Dave Hileman

We just finished two days at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix, the 40th year of racing in Schenely Park. I would love to write a bit here and show lots of photos but I am beat. It was hot, over 90 the whole time, we walked 4.6 miles day one and 2.4 Sunday. And, it was hot.

So I am just going to show a couple of photos today, then over the week some stories and photos with different aspects of the event. Most of my race photos are at the chicane - we walked to other sites but this is a great spot. Our car was parked here along with our cooler, food, water, lemonade, cookies, well, you get the point. We were not going to be gone too long.

These two BMWs exiting the chicane were in a tight race with a Porsche you can just see behind the green one. He was trying hard to find a place to pass and they were trying hard to say “no".”

Setting up for a fast right hand turn, slightly uphill. I guess they are about 65/70 here and three feet apart. This is just like I-95 except these drivers are not drinking coffee, texting and putting on makeup. They are paying attention to driving.

Beautiful Porsche braking hard for a right turn onto the Panther Hollow Bridge.

Flight 93 National Memorial /  by Dave Hileman

This is a very well done National Park Service unit. The Visitor Center is an architectural gem. You walk from the parking area to a dark path that is the actual flight path of the plane. It leads to a small opening in the wall of the VC that is intended to restrict your vision to the immediate line the plane is on. As you enter the opening in the wall, the entrance to the center is on your left and then after you walk past that entrance you exit the second wall onto an elevated walk that leads to a view of the crash site and the debris field. The impact site is marked by a single boulder.

The grounds and the views are extensive, this is a large site. You can also walk or drive down to the Wall of Names etched into white marble. Near the entrance to the park is the Tower of Voices. This is a unique experience. In the tower are 40 chimes set to work when the wind is above 10 mph and each one is slightly tuned to be distinct, one for each of the passengers.

The park will evoke emotions and memories - come prepared.

Under the word “field” is the Wall of Names, just past that you can see the boulder that marks the impact site, the path to the right is one that allows you to walk the circle around the area.

The flight path leading to the elevated viewing platform.

Cindy at the wall of names

Tower of Voices

LightThere /  by Dave Hileman

There were several light installations at Longwood Gardens - this was the only one I actually liked. Some were quite extensive and others meshed with the sounds that were added to create more mood, like the rain forest one and the flamingos. But the effects were just ok, at least to me. Cindy liked the rain forest but we were underwhelmed by the rest. Lots of effort. These three were “floating” in a pond.

Lights, Action, Water, wait, Water? /  by Dave Hileman

This is the main fountain of the Longwood Gardens. We watched a 30 minute show featuring many smaller fountains three larger ones and this main stage with color and music, actually the music of the Beatles. It was rather impressive, especially the one where the tops of the fountains were on fire! Cool. There were also several art installations that featured lights in various ways that we walked around and looked at after the show. The gardens are really spectacular so look for some flower photos soon at Two Lane Touring.

On Air /  by Dave Hileman

Another of the balloons. They are just fascinating to watch. You can hear bursts of the gas used to heat the air no matter how high they went. Almost the only sound of the evening. These two drifted farther than the RWB one and landed more likely where they were intended. There is a bit of a ridge that the campground is on and walking to the top opens up the view where this shot was taken. There is also an Amish hat manufacturing place - looks like a house at the top. On Saturday the buggies are traveling up and down all day. I found out they were going to pick up there cleaned hats for Sunday church.

Ballooning /  by Dave Hileman

We watched three hot air balloons float over the farm adjacent to the campground last night. We were then able to watch them land across the valley.

From Psalm 71: “You will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.”

Last Pass of the Day /  by Dave Hileman

The Amish are known to not waste anything, including daylight. This farmer was hard at work with almost no light left in the day. He was getting the hay into neat rows to bale, likely the next morning. Lancaster County, PA, mid-July.

Milestones /  by Dave Hileman

News and More

News and More

The first milestone is the eighth anniversary of the Two Lane Touring blog, two years as “No Itinerary” and six under the current name. I started the blog as a forcing function to improve photography and can say it has accomplished this as I compare current and earlier photos. I also see more room for growth. Much improvement has come with mentors (aka Dennis Mook) and YouTube instructors along with improving the edit process. Again, lots of ceiling room. In that time I have posted over 3500 entires on the blog, more than 4500 photos and, so far, not missed a day. I have been late, but…

The peak viewing of the blog was in 2019 on our trip to Alaska with a slight decline in 2020 and a slight increase last year with over 2,400 unique viewers, 15,000 page views and 6000 individual visits to Two Lane Touring.

Another purpose of the blog is to record visits to our National Park system. There are 424 parks, and we have now visited 312. Since Alaska in 2019, the pace has slowed rather dramatically. Why? Several reasons:

1. Park closures due to Covid rules is paramount.

2. Web info and park administration. Park websites contain both general info and closures and alerts so finding current open hours is sometimes not straight forward. Some parks are still not fully open after Covid, many are on limited schedules, and some are closed for lengthy refurbishments. This has been the case for our remaining parks in DC for four years. One Arizona park is still officially listed but is closed for the foreseeable future, and another in California is a sensitive location where scheduled trips are rarely carried out. I suggest that current regulations affecting gasoline prices and inflationary issues are also creeping into the mix.

3. Crisis in the Oliver last winter. While in Texas heading for 25-30 parks, we literally melted our electric system requiring a return to the factory and a canceled trip last spring.

4. Long distances, travel time, and expense make very remote parks more challenging. (see also #2): Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, remote Alaska and Hawaii, and some in continental US.

5. They add new parks! After we visited the Natchez Trace near Jackson MS, Medgar Evers’ home was opened in Jackson. Now it is only park we need to see within 500 miles.

So what’s next?

In September, we are again reserved for the 2020 postponed Hawaii trip. There are seven open parks on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island that we hope to visit.

In November or January, we will nearly finish the Southeast with a stop for two Atlanta sites: MLK and a scenic river. In March, we intend to resume our trip to the Southwest with the six remaining parks in Texas and twenty-six more that will complete that portion of the country. No firm plans at the moment but at some point we want to return to Yellowstone, Glacier, and the Tetons and see other few northwestern parks new to our list.

Another milestone is the driver and photographer turning yet another year older. I am so grateful to be able to enjoy life, travel, friends, family, grandkids (yes they are family but need a special spot), go hiking, iand spend day after day with Cindy. I do tire more easily than I did 10 years ago and try to consider that in daily adventures but I still love to go, learn, experience new places and people and an occasional ice cream.  We are trying to stop a bit earlier on travel days, perhaps see fewer places each day, but 600 mile days with four parks are not out of the question - yet. At 74, I appreciate faith, friends and ordinary days more, read more, try to listen more, watch TV and news less and laugh as often as possible. And eat the occasional ice cream!

Cindy took this photo of me taking a photo. She is getting pretty good with her iPhone.

Cindy and I in Colonial Williamsburg at the St. George Tucker House as guests of Pam Tison.

Reconstructed Cabin /  by Dave Hileman

This cabin is in Morristown, NJ and is a replica of the ones constructed by the Continental Army in the winter of 1779/80. The army camped here earlier over the 76/77 winter and in Valley Forge, the most well known of the camps, in 77/78. The winter of 1779/80 was actually worse than the year before at Valley Forge. There were 20 major snowfalls including on over 4 days that left 4 feet of snow. There were about 1000 of these cabins built and each one provided living space to 12 soldiers. Although they were designed to hold 12,000 men, only about 8,000 were here near the end of the winter with death and desertions reducing the numbers. They army used 2000 acres of woodlands to build the needed shelters and heat them. So, while the site is wooded today it would have been only stumps in 1779.

Juxtaposition /  by Dave Hileman

This is the Paul Revere statue in the foreground with the Old North Church in the background. Revere began his famous ride with a signal from the bell tower of the church.

Nimble /  by Dave Hileman

This steel guitar player was fast and sure with her selections. I stopped in Floyd, Virginia one evening on a trip to visit a nearby church. Floyd is well known as a great place to see music performers on the street, at the general store or in actual venues. Located on Route 8 south of Christiansburg, it is a cool tiny town and only minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Modest Home /  by Dave Hileman

This is the house where President J. F. Kennedy grew up on a nice, leafy street in a Boston suburb. It was a rather new area when the house was purchased. The blue structure peeking out from the back is the VC, no idea why it is bright blue. The house was an upper middle class home of the era and it a great visit. Authentic in many details. Parking here is very limited and on street.

Just One More... /  by Dave Hileman

This alligator was lurking under the kayak launch. On the pier about 20 feet out were several wide steps that led to the water easy for two people to carry a kayak down and set off on it. Under the steps was the 7 or 8 foot gator just there. Not moving but watching eyes wide open. I shot this photo in the rather dark space by shooting between the fourth and fifth steps. He did not move and I appreciate that!.

Peppermint Stick Today's Choice /  by Dave Hileman

I have written about Leopold’s Ice Cream in Savannah before, it is certainly one of the top ten ice creams we have enjoyed over the years. Each time we are in Savannah it is a required detour. We camped at a nearby Georgia State Park and came into town for a walk, dinner and dessert. The walk around several of the squares in town is always nice. Dinner was a new place, Savannah Seafood Shack. It is a sort of hole-in-the-wall kind of place with good food. You are shown to a numbered table, closely packed in, but then you order at the counter and they bring it to you after it is ready. The seafood boil was clearly very popular but we opted for fired fish and shrimp with boiled potatoes and slaw. Tasty. Then to Leopold’s. It began in 1919, was closed for several years and then revived by the founder’s grandson who is a successful Hollywood movie producer. It has become the place to go in Savannah as witnessed by the crowds. We waited nearly 40 minutes but when we left the line was well over an hour. A little unknown shop three blocks away, Ben & Jerry’s, had no line at all. Himmm.

I had an excellent Peppermint with a chocolate syrup and Cindy had the Georgian Socialite - Chocolate, pecans and caramel ribbons. Perfect ending for the evening.

Patience /  by Dave Hileman

This gator was not visible when we arrived on the pier to watch the sunset for the third time during our week at Lake Louisa State Park in Florida. But a couple of minutes later it emerged from the depth of the water and just stayed there mostly submerged for about 15 minutes. It never moved until it silently dropped down into the water and disappeared. All it wanted to do was welcome some kayaker back home or, perhaps, it enjoys the brilliant Florida sunsets.