How long have you been traveling to new places?
In 1985 I married my husband Terry and that is when the traveling bug really hit. We dated for 6 years prior, and during that time we often took trips with friends to different ski resorts along the East Coast, specifically New England. After we started our family, we would occasionally travel to different states whenever Terry attended work conferences - sometimes with our family in tow. In 1999, we embarked on a 5 week cross country trip with our 3 children and my parents for an epic tour of the National Parks out west. Terry and I hiked the Grand Canyon and spent the night down in the canyon in a very small tent beside a rocky running stream.
In 2004 we once again took to the roads with our 3 children driving across the country with the ultimate destination of the Grand Canyon. All 5 of us hiked down to Phantom Ranch (the children were ages 11, 14, 17) and spent 2 nights in paradise. This time, instead of a small tent, we rented a cabin and enjoyed the most delicious food cooked by the Park Rangers. We felt like we were in heaven spending time in a place that was painted by the hand of God. It is the most beautiful landscape, and the stars are so abundant. To date, this is my favorite experience in all my years of traveling. No picture could adequately capture the awe-inspiring beauty of the canyon.
This type of active travel has continued to dominate my excursions across the USA. More recently I have embarked on a new and simple way to experience nature: "Rail to Trail" bike trips. I have to admit that although it was my idea to plan such a trip in 2017, I was very nervous to attempt this journey, having not really biked much in the past. My curiosity was sparked the year before by a newspaper article, and in a conversation with a friend - she had also read the same article - we discovered the shared desire to accomplish a particular trail. Along with 2 other couples, we mounted our bikes to which were attached panniers containing all we needed for a week long tour in the mountains. This inaugural trip took me full circle as we started in my hometown city of Pittsburgh and traveled 150 miles through the mountains of western Pennsylvania on the Greater Allegheny Passage (GAP). Our destination was Cumberland, Maryland.
There are few words that can describe the beauty of what was my own backyard growing up. The beauty of the mountains, waterfalls, wildlife, the far off whistle of trains, the architecture, and the warm and welcoming spirit of those who run Bed and Breakfast places along the route. The pictures convey the joy we felt being out once again in God's county. The time away from all things tech allowed for fellowship with good friends, and we relied on each other for encouragement. At the end of each day, we shared our stories of gratitude that God had brought us together to explore nature in a unique way.