It's been awhile since I've taken the time to put together a ride report. Haven't been to active on the board in awhile so WTH.
I left Peosta Iowa about 5:00am Friday morning with a destination to Marklysburg PA to rest for the night and meet up with my big friend in Cumberland the next morning. Trip out was right at 800 miles.
Morning selfie taking off
I didn't realize till later that the bumps in the road were counting as steps on my fitbit. Who knew you could burn calories while riding.
Met up with my Maryland friends in Cumberland Saturday morning. We took off to Lewisburg WV to meet our southern friend coming up from Knoxville
Made a pit stop to in Green Bank WV to take a look at the largest steerable radio telescope that was in the process of talking to Martians at the time
The Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope,[1] as well as being the world's largest movable land object. It is part of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) site at Green Bank, West Virginia. The telescope honors the name of the late Senator Robert C. Byrd who represented West Virginia and who pushed the funding of the telescope through Congress.
The Green Bank Telescope operates at meter to millimeter wavelengths. Its 100-meter diameter collecting area, unblocked aperture, and good surface accuracy provide superb sensitivity across the telescope's full 0.1–116 GHz operating range. The GBT is fully steerable, and 85% of the entire celestial sphere is accessible. It is used for astronomy about 6500 hours every year, with 2000–3000 hours per year going to high-frequency science. Part of the scientific strength of the GBT is its flexibility and ease of use, allowing for rapid response to new scientific ideas. It is scheduled dynamically to match project needs to the available weather. The GBT is also readily reconfigured with new and experimental hardware. The high-sensitivity mapping capability of the GBT makes it a necessary complement to the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Expanded Very Large Array, the Very Long Baseline Array, and other high-angular resolution interferometers. Facilities of the Green Bank Observatory are also used for other scientific research, for many programs in education and public outreach, and for training students and teachers.
The telescope began regular science operations in 2001, making it one of the newest astronomical facilities of the US National Science Foundation. It was constructed following the collapse of a previous telescope at Green Bank, a 90.44 m paraboloid erected in 1962. The previous telescope collapsed on 15 November 1988 due to the sudden loss of a gusset plate in the box girder assembly, which was a key component for the structural integrity of the telescope.
We then made a brief stop to take a look at the view from Snow Shoe Mountain
Made it to Lewisburg WV, I was ready for a cold one. Couldn't believe I found PBR at the first gas station a block from the motel
We left Saturday morning headed to Morgantown
Poor Herby was feeling a little down during the day. "He didn't want to talk about" (inside joke btw)
This was a very sobering visit
Money Shot #1
Covered Bridge
My most favorite place of the trip was the Trans Alleghany Lunatic Asylum
The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, subsequently the Weston State Hospital, was a Kirkbride psychiatric hospital that operated from 1864 until 1994 by the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia, in the city of Weston. Built by architect Richard Andrews, it was constructed from 1858-1881. Originally designed to hold 250 people, it became overcrowded in the 1950s with 2,400 patients. It was forcibly closed in 1994 due to changes in treatments of patients. The hospital was bought by Joe Jordan in 2007, and partly opened to tours and other money raising events for its restoration. The hospital's main building is one of the largest hand-cut stone masonry buildings in the United States, and, is the second largest hand-cut sandstone building in the World, with the only bigger one being The Kremlin. As Weston Hospital Main Building, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
Wash your hands before returning to work!
Stanly Steamers Former Outfit
Money Shot #2
Joe and I wanted beer and pizza.
Goldwing lined up in freedom formation
Rick (Flask) had made a friend
When you need beer. It doesn't really matter how you get to the beer store
Home safe back in Iowa
Great seeing everyone again! Sure had a great time!
