On September 21, Kay and I got annual flu shots at the church, hoping to stave off the deadly flue for another year. The new improved shingles shot awaits, and the pneumonia shot from 4 years ago is still update.

We took another big step to modernize, increase efficiency, and reduce monthly costs this month. On September 22 we officially ‘cut the cord’. The monthly internet access and cable television bill—ATT Uverse—kept increasing. After a lot of research, we opted to switch to Suddenlink internet coverage, and subscribe to YouTube TV and the local PBS affiliate. Internet speed increased from 16 megabytes/second to 100 megabytes/second with unlimited data and no throttling, and we stream the shows we like and prefer, including local network affiliates; net monthly savings is approximately $115. Also, Kay switched us to 55 Unlimited with Verizon. This plan allows us two cell lines with unlimited calls, text, and data as well as coverage in Canada and Mexico; this resulted in about $15 in monthly savings.

After 4 years, Kay switched to a new dentist and hygienist; we had kept our northern Arkansas dentist (Dr. Lane) and hygienist since leaving in October 2014. This was a hard decision, but the time had come to find dental care closer to home.

With mixed emotions, we traded the 2004 Expedition on September 25 for a 2018 Honda CRV. It was time, and we are now a 100% Honda family (except for the motorhome).

Bye-bye great car (2004 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer Edition)

Kay and I celebrated 18 years of marriage on Sunday, September 2; it’s been a great 18 years, too. Tim and Rosie, friends from the Rio Grande Valley visited after church, and we reminisced about old time and talked about future plans.

We played golf together in the Hot Springs Village Duffers annual member/guest scramble—I played poorly—and celebrated the winners at a cookout a couple days later.

Those clubs and organizations which took a hiatus over the summer have begun meeting again; for me, it’s the Camera Club and the VMUG (Village Mac Users Group—all things Apple).

In early September, we began to see a significant increase in the number of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at the feeders, a sure sign that migration is in full force. And then on the 11th, a leucistic female Ruby-throated Hummingbird showed up. Though not as rare as true albino hummingbirds, leucistic hummingbirds are still rare but are seen more often than true albinos. Like “normal” hummingbirds, leucistic forms have black eyes, feet, and bills, but their feathers may be pure white, buffy, tan, or gray instead of green or some other “normal” color. We enjoyed her for 7 days, almost to the hour, before she migrated south.

Leucistic female Ruby-throated Hummingbird in the rain

Female Leucistic Ruby-throated Hummingbird

With a bit of cool weather, I joined other HSV oldies for cycling the Arkansas River Trail in North Little Rock and Little Rock while Kay shopped. This is one of my favorite bicycle trails. The ride begins at the Clinton Presidential Library, crosses the Arkansas River, follows the Arkansas River upstream to the Big Dam Bridge crossing the Arkansas River again, then along the river to Two Bridges Park, and finally to the US Army Corps of Engineers campground at Maumelle Park—out and back is some 30 miles.

Rest Station at Maumelle COE Park

Cook’s Landing near the Big Dam Bridge

After an early breakfast and lots of good-byes, we departed the Laurelville Mennonite Christian Center for home. Driving through western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, we arrived at our house in Hot Springs Village about 8 pm Saturday evening. Despite the long drive, we were glad to be home.

After quickly unpacking, laundry was done and the bicycles were washed, re-tuned, and lubricated. After being ridden on both the KATY Trail and the Great Allegheny Passage, the TREK DS 8.3 was listed for sale.

TREK DS 8.3, for sale

Except for a low key 69th birthday celebration, we quickly returned to a normal routine rather quickly. We sure enjoy living in Hot Springs Village.

Today’s concluding ride of 29+ miles began in Pittsburgh, PA. Before the ride began, we took the Duquesne Incline to the top of a mountain overlooking Pittsburgh for a great view of the city and the three rivers for which it is famous: the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio.

Duquesne Incline

Dusquesne Incline

Dusquesne Incline overlooking the three rivers and football and baseball stadiums

Navigating through the streets of downtown Pittsburgh was challenging but our leaders, LaVern and Janie Yutzy, did a great job guiding us through the busy city streets and bridge crossings to reach the GAP trail terminus at approximate mile 150 at Point State Park where the “three rivers” meet—the Monongahela and the Allegheny joining to form the Ohio.

Point State Park; Monongahela River on lower right, Allegheny River on upper center, and Ohio River where they meet

Point State Park, end of the trail

The GAP trail was paved through the metropolitan and outlying areas, with many bridge crossings, changing to crushed limestone about midway of the ride. The trail was gently uphill, and the wind was lightly blowing into our faces, making for a challenging pedal, at least for me. Along the way we continued to pass skeletons of buildings now left to decay and trailside coal mining and coke towns, many of the houses of which had been updated.

An old railroad roundhouse, vacated and left to deteriorate

Typical coal mining and coke town

Our lunch stop was at Homestead at the historic pump house (site of the bloody Battle of Homestead where a strike by steel workers was broken by 300 Pinkerton men and some 8,000 state militia in 1892, signaling the end of union activity in the steel industry until the 1930s).

Homestead

The afternoon segment of almost 20 miles was without any formal breaks, thus the pace was relatively fast. The trail was open to sunlight in many places, and in forested parts of the trail, the vegetation was less dense than the lower trails sections ridden earlier in the week with a few waterfalls.

We arrived at our take-out point at Buena Vista to much fanfare, having completed the 150 mile Great Allegheny Passage.

Finishing riding the 150-mile GAP, another life list item completed!

https://www.strava.com/activities/1794903340/embed/3642424b11265b82e1c068f05ba98bc8092ccd2d

After visiting the Flight 93 National Memorial yesterday, we drove to Mt. Pleasant, PA, to the Laurelville Mennonite Church Center (LMCC), our residence for the next 6 days and nights.  We are here to participate in the Road Scholar Bicycling on the Great Allegheny Passage in the Laurel Highlands.

As participants trickled in, registration materials were distributed, dinner was served, and a meeting of introductions and discussion of the week’s activities followed. Meanwhile, bicycles were loaded in a cargo trailer and on top of the shuttle van. We spent the rest of the evening getting acquainted with the other participants.

LMCC Lodging for the week

Bicycle are loaded on top of the shuttle van

This particular Road Scholar program features a 5-day bicycle ride of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). The GAP stretches 150 miles across beautiful scenery in Maryland and Pennsylvania. The GAP is a 150 mile Rails-to-Trails rail trail extending from Cumberland, Maryland, to Point State Park in downtown Pittsburgh. It uses abandoned Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Union Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railway.

LMCC was founded in 1943 by a small group of Mennonites, wanting to create a wholesome place for Mennonite youth to spend their leisure time—a new phenomenon created as Mennonites began moving off of farms – in a way that would “mean the most to them physically, spiritually, and otherwise.” From its inception, Laurelville hosted non-Mennonite groups on-site as well. In the early years, there were only a few families or non-Mennonite Christian groups using Laurelville facilities, but this ministry boomed in the 80s and 90s and currently makes up approximately 80% of Laurelville’s business. We found that as best as could be determined, modern Mennonites are very much like other protestant churches, as opposed to the Old Order Mennonites.