The DCS Team is Back From Vacation!
Back from Vacation!
During the last week of June and the first week of July, our whole DCS team managed to get some well-deserved R&R (depending on what your definitions of “rest” and “relaxation” are...we’re not sure if Charlie’s qualifies). So what did we do on our summer vacations?
John:
O.K., I’m just going to say it...the coffee in Pittsburgh is better (and cheaper!) than in Stone Harbor, NJ!
As someone who loves to be with my family, but hates the beach, I spend a lot of time at the local coffee shop during our annual summer trip to Stone Harbor. The coffee might be good, but not for $4.25 for a medium. Give me Beans and Cream in Aspinwall any day!
Anna:
Despite some unexpected airline snafus, my sister and I made it to Salt Lake City, Utah for a sun soaked hiking holiday relatively unscathed. We started our first day with a scramble up the Cecret Lake Trail in Little Cottonwood Canyon, which clocks in at a cool 9000’ and climbs about 1300’ to the well marked secret watering hole. Needless to say, our Pennsylvania lungs were eternally grateful to see the “No Swimming” sign on the path ahead of us.
The true treasure on the trip West, however, was a mountain filled road trip down to Bryce Canyon National Park! We managed to beat the light and watch the sunrise over the canyon, then spent the rest of the morning going down Wall Street, across the canyon floor, taking a peak at the Peek-A-Boo Loop (regretted it a bit), crossed the Navajo connector, and up Queen’s Garden Trail.
Charlie:
I’ll admit it -- my time away probably doesn’t qualify as what most people would consider a “vacation”... but I couldn’t have enjoyed it more! An old friend and I have been talking for years about biking from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. via the Greater Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal Towpath trail, and we finally did it.
We biked and camped our way across the 335 miles of (sometimes dicey) trails, and made it to D.C. in one piece. One rattlesnake, two flat tires, and a whole lot of trail mix later, and I’m counting down to when I can do it again.
Cassie:
After hearing Anna's airline snafu stories, I decided it would be easier to attempt my summer travels by car. I embarked on a roadtrip through the midwest, seeking out roadside attractions with my fiancé Ryan! Our adventures included visiting a turtle-themed festival known as "Turtle Days," a monster truck car-crush, and the world's most intense kiddie roller coaster... which includes a large drop into an underground tunnel.
John shared a story of the world's largest candle in Indiana, so we obviously had to go and check it out for ourselves. The giant candle is 60ft tall, and we calculated that as a real candle it would burn for 23,178 years!