After almost a month in Florida we've been reunited with the Silver Bullet and are back on the road. Our time in Florida was great and included the annual Beach House gathering that was very nice after Covid limited the 2020 gathering. Congratulations to Beth and her cousin Shelly for winning this years annual Rook Tournament. The competition is always tough so it's an accomplishment worth noting. Additionally, I got to enjoy a nice visit with my two brothers , which is always fun.
We had left the Bullet at Ben's house in Pennsylvania. We flew up to Pittsburgh last Tuesday (July 20) and the action started right away. He wanted us to tour the Roberto Clemente Museum but unfortunately they are currently limiting admissions and were sold out for the day. Undeterred, we quickly came up with an alternative plan that proved to be quirky, fun and put a smile on our faces.
First up was Bicycle Heaven, which is a wonderfully eclectic bicycle museum that also sells and repairs bikes. It is billed as the worlds largest bike museum, and with a collection of over 4,000 bikes on the floor, walls and ceiling I certainly can't dispute that claim. The collection includes rare bikes with values close to $50,000, bikes used in movies and TV series (Pee Wee Herman's Bike and the four seater that the Monkees rode) and so much more. It was the second time Beth and I had visited Bicycle Heaven but Ben's first visit. We all enjoyed the hour or so that we spent meandering through the collection. I especially enjoyed seeing a black and silver Schwinn five speed Sting Ray just like the one I terrorized northeast Mulberry on in my youth.
Just a few miles from Bicycle Heaven in the Mexican War Streets District of Pittsburgh is the colorful outdoor public art display known as Randyland. Both Bicycle Heaven and Randyland are in a book that was gifted to Ben that is titled "100 Things to do in Pittsburgh before you die". "Randy" is Randy Gibson who is described as being able to make something worthwhile out of what is seen as worthless. It's a description that's accurate and if anything understated. Randyland was a little challenging to find on the narrow one way streets of this historic neighborhood, but it was well worth the effort.
Pittsburgh wasn't a city that was on our radar screen until Ben moved to the area. We have found it to be an amazing city with a rich industrial history that has transformed itself into a vibrant and diverse city with so much to see and do. If you've never been to the "Steel City", do yourself a favor and visit it if at all possible. I think you'll be amazed.
We spent the next few days enjoying time with Ben and his dog Allie. Ben and I got in a little golf. We celebrated Christmas in July at the campground where he serves as Activities Director. The small nearby community of Harmony was also having a Christmas in July celebration. Thursday afternoon we made the easy drive over to Cleveland to see the Indians take on our favorite baseball team, the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays won, but the bigger story was it was the last game before the big name change was announced. The next morning it was made official that starting next year the Cleveland Indians, as they have been known since 1915 will become the Cleveland Guardians. I don't really have a dog in the fight, but it's going to take a while for the Guardians to grow on me.
Sunday we packed it up and hit the road for our next destination. We are now in Washington County, Maryland near the historic town of Sharpsburg. We'll be spending the month here relaxing along the Potomac River and the C&O Canal. It's a part of our amazing country that we haven't spent too much time in over the years and we're certainly looking forward to exploring it and of course blogging about it as we go.
