Saturday, October 21: Headed out around 0800 to go to Pittsburgh to check out Karen’s new house and to visit with her family and with David and Nanako who were there for the weekend. It was an uneventful trip, but it rained most of the way. I got to Karen’s around 1300. Karen and Gracie gave me a tour of the house. Very nice place in the Mt Lebanon neighborhood (walking distance to schools, restaurants and shops nearby). We visited for a while, then went to Mt. Washington to check out the views as the sun was setting over the city. After hanging out at Mt. Washington, we went downtown to eat dinner at Hofbrauhaus a German-style beerhall, with live music (an accordianist), waitressed dressed in dirndls, seasonal brews, and a great menu of German food. After dinner we headed back to the house. Karen and Alex went to a neighbor’s party, while David, Nanako, Gracie, Clara, and I watched Mulan (a favorite of Clara’s).
Sunday, October 22: On Sunday we walked to a nearby restaurant for breakfast, then visited for a few more hours. I left around 1400 to drive to Ligonier, where I had a room reserved at the Ramada Inn. I arrived a little after 1500 and noticed large groups of women walking around town in witch outfits. I rested for a while, then walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner (El Vaquero Mexicano), where I had pork carnita tacos. I sat next to a group of “witches”, so I asked about the gathering. The woman I questioned told me that there were about 1000 people in town who were part of “The Witches Brigade”, a group of women who schedule outings that raise funds for various charities. After dinner, I walked back to the motel and watched the last few innings of the Houston-Texas baseball game (ALCS). After dinner, I decided to take a shower, only to find out that the shower was non-functional. I got the guy working at the desk to check it out, and he gave me a new (much smaller, and much louder) room, so about 2200 I packed up my stuff and moved.
Monday, October 23: I got up early to get breakfast and drive to the trailhead for a hike on the Laurel Highlands Trail. The motel scheduled breakfast from 0600-0900, but it wasn’t actually ready until 0730. I got to the Laurel Highlands Trail trailhead (where it crossed Route 30) around 0845. It was a very chilly morning (my windshield was iced over when I went out to start my car), but it warmed up to shirt-sleeve weather by about 1100. The trail was lovely, crossing several creeks and winding through huge mossy boulders and laurel tunnels. I hiked about 11 miles (out and back), getting back to my car around 1400. During the hike I saw very few people (two very nice women hiking together, a trail runner, and young woman who had decided to do a short walk on her way to Philadelphia). After the hike I drove through the park for an hour or two, then headed to the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville. It was a very moving experience, even more so than I anticipated. Around 1700 I drove back to Ligonier, stopping on the way to get a pizza at Gino’s. I ate pizza while I watched the Arizona beat the Phillies, and Texas beat Houston.
Tuesday, October 24: Up around 0600 on Tuesday, showered, packed up, and started home. I stopped on the way to take a photo of a beautiful sunset, and again to get some coffee. Just before I hit the Beltway I noticed that the D (drive) indicator on my dashboard was blinking. I checked the internet and found out that that indicated a transmission issue, so when I got home I called Sunrise to see if they could look at the car, but their first available appointment was a week away, so I called Lain’s and they said to bring the car up. When I started it again, the light had stopped blinking, and Lain’s was unable to replicate the issue, so I brought the car home and told them that we’d try again if the issue reoccurs.