Pittsburgh Trip - Day 4

We were still working at the Pittsburgh Airport at midnight and continued into the early hours of the new day.  Unfortunately, the team I was working with was slower than they'd advertised.  To stay awake with them, I drank coffee throughout the night - it seemed to help.  At around 0330, we finally got going in earnest and I had some hope we'd get gone by the deadline (0500).  Eventually, though, it became clear that I (as the on-site lead) would need to ask for some extra time from the local site personnel.  This request was granted and we finished all of our testing at around 0530.  By that point, I was exhausted and a bit frustrated - fortunately, I kept my cool.  Soon after the site accepted the new equipment, I met up with the team, told them they had done a good job and said goodbye as they started to trickle out of the building.  For my part, I left the Pittsburgh Airport at 0600.  Outside, it was rainy but still warm (50s). My drive was uneventful and I arrived at my hotel by 0615.  Bonus: breakfast was open at the Staybridge Suites (Pittsburgh) and I was able to get some before I conked out for the "night"; by 0630, I was in my room and immediately went to sleep.  Over the next few hours, I managed to get about 2.5 hours of sleep.  Awake again by 0900, I got online and joined two important meetings (between 1000 and 1200).  After that, I skipped lunch and went back to sleep.  This second attempt for a nap was successful but I was awake again by 1500.  Since my work day was already complete, I passed the time reading, working on puzzles and completing Duolingo exercises.  There was also some time to watch movies.  I got a surprising call from Eileen (she wanted to finalize plans for our meet up later in the month).  At 1720, I left the hotel and drove to the nearest Staples to do some recycling (ink cartridges and old tech).  Next (1735), I drove west on US-30 until I reached the town of Findlay (Village of Imperial).  I'd seen on the map that there was a hiking route in that area, the Montour (Rail) Trail and I found a trailhead for it at 1745.  By then, the rain had completely stopped and the temperature had settled.  I learned from some signs, brochures and an internet search that the trail was 47 miles and that I was hiking on a cinder section between mile marker 8.5 and 7.0.  It also turned out that the Montour Trail was part of a 200 mile bike trail between Cumberland, MD and Pittsburgh (and a larger, 400 mile trail between DC and Pittsburgh called the Great Allegheny Passage).  Starting from a parking lot next to the Altered Genius Brewing Company (Trailside Taproom), I walked east.  It was humid and the ground was wet.  There were plenty of birds and I even saw deer in the twilight.  Towards the half-way point of my walk, I found a paved section that took me to the entrance of the Elbow Tunnel.  From there, I backtracked to my car.  In the end, I hiked about 3 miles (1.5 miles out and back) and was done by 1845.  Because I was already parked in the lot for the Brewery, I decided to go inside to sample some of their beers.  Ultimately, I tried four beers, including "Grinch", "Real Nice Surprise" (good), "Hyde" (sweet potato) and "Rescue".  Frankly, I didn't like the "sweet potato ale" very much but the others were good.  While there, I talked with "mug club" members and the two ladies who worked there.  Everyone was very friendly.  I was finished with my beer tasting at 1930 and then headed back to the area near my hotel.  Before calling it a night, I stopped at Chick-fil-A at 1945 and ordered some dinner.  For some reason, it took almost 15 minutes to get my food but, as usual, it was good.  When I reached my hotel again (2015), I found that the parking lot was almost completely full - I felt lucky to find a spot to park.  Before going to my room, I asked front desk for late checkout.  For the rest of the evening, I caught up on blogging and finances.  I kept thinking about going to the Fitness Center but, by then, I'd already made my step goal for the day.  Also, I was feeling lazy after such a wacky day of working hours. So, instead of getting more exercise, I watched movies.  Bedtime was at 2315.  Feeling good about another successful Installation Trip!