Mike and Beth's Adventures

June 10, 2025 Beth in Harper's Ferry, West Virginia Nestled at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has long stood at the crossroads of American history. Originally inhabited by Iroquois peoples, the area was first settled by Europeans in the early 18th century. In 1747, Robert Harper, a Quaker millwright, acquired the land and established a ferry service, giving the town its name. Its strategic location and abundant water power made Harpers Ferry a natural hub for industry and transportation. In 1799, under the direction of President George Washington, the U.S. government established a federal armory and arsenal there, which would later supply the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in the 1830s further cemented its importance as a transportation and manufacturing center. The bridge which utilized these old piers was washed away in a 1936 flood But Harpers Fe...

My brother has lived on the east coast since he graduated from college.  I'm the engineer in the family and he is the life sciences guru.  For the last 20 years or so, he has been a professor and Department Chair for the Pharmacy and Chemical Biology Department at the University of Pittsburgh. When ever we get together it's just like we are back in junior high school and we are just as goofy and irreverent and silly and full of bodily function jokes as we were as kids.  I wouldn't have it any other way. I never would have thought bike riding would be any good in urban Pittsburgh, but my brother has figured out how to take advantage of various bike paths and routes to string together fun rides.  Abandoned rail road right of ways have been converted to bike trails and former RR bridges have been reborn to allow pedestrians and bikers to cross the rivers which surround the town.  We biked from his house to Fort Pitt where   the  Monongahela  and...

The Ferry Building and Coit Tower The crew of Amy Marie took to the rails for a two-night visit to San Francisco.  We patterned our trip on a technique we often use while boating.  Public Transit!  In the bay area, it is better than ever.   We live ~ 50 miles north of San Francisco, in Santa Rosa, in the middle of the wine country.  In fact, Amy Marie is currently docked on the Napa River adjacent to a vineyard.  After booking a room for two nights near Fisherman's Wharf, we discovered the hotel parking fees were $65/night.  That is a little steep. Time for a new plan.   Smart Train Santa Rosa is served by a light rail system called the Smart Train.  The southern terminus of their system is in Larkspur in Marin County, but still north of the Golden Gate bridge.  From Larkspur, you can catch a ferry which will whisk you to the Ferry Building in San Francisco.  The cost for a roundtrip adult ticket, from Santa Rosa to San Franci...

Light House at Entrance to Grand Haven Channel Grand Haven is a lovely town.  One in which it is easy to linger.  Recreation, at least in the summer time, has clearly become an important part of it's story.  From talking to locals, they shared that refugees from Florida's summer heat also migrate to town and then return to Florida for the winter.  New loft apartments are under construction along the waterfront.  Perhaps to serve this population.   There is also a sizeable Coast Guard Base in town.  Grand Haven loves their Coasties!  Every year there is a Coast Guard Festival which draws a large number of visitors.  If you are in the area during the Festival, stop by and honor those that serve. We arrived in Grand Haven after a 68 mile run south from Ludington.  This picture was sent to us by another Looper who got the shot from their drone as we were in transit.  It was very nice of them to send us a shot of Amy Marie underway...