Day 4 2017

I crawl out to find the world enveloped in a deep foggy mist. And cool for end of June. The temp on the bike computer had a reading of 46 degrees. I was a slow mover this morning getting going. A little stiff from two good mileage days and then this cool morning.  I put on all the layers I had and got busy packing up and fixing myself some hot oatmeal for 1st breakfast. I wish I had my beanie but who in the world would think it would be needed for a late June east coast trip??? I warmed up by riding as the sun busted through and burned off the fog.

Today I had a bit of riding to get to the first town and a break for either 2nd breakfast or a snack. About 14 miles to Meyersdale. My riding this trip so far averaged about 8.5 MPH. I've never been a fast rider, grinder comes to mind when they talk of my riding. This trail had become a bit relentless with the uphill grade. Mind you, it was never steep, I could ride all day in my large chain ring, there was just never a change. the only flat spots were the bridges or viaducts. It got a bit monotonous with the same thing all day, slight upgrade in the trees. Not very many vistas that opened up. That's why I was excited about today. I had the famous Salisbury Viaduct and then the Eastern continental divide and then the longest tunnel and after that, about 22 miles of sweet downhill to get me to Cumberland and end of GAP and start of C&O.
Keep grinding to the start of the Salisbury viaduct!!

My goodness! This is the highest my bike has ever been off the real ground!!

103 feet off the ground, this was a feat of engineering. First train crossed in 1912. I was amazed throughout this whole trip the skill of the engineers and surveyors to carve these two lines,GAP and C&O out of raw wild country and build these transportation corridors. This is rough mountainous country and they followed the river valleys to build but then local conditions would change needing these viaducts engineered to continue the line.
I continued down the trail to Meyesdale for a meal stop. They had a little station depot and museum here.

Often a ride into a town meant a steep climb up a hill because the town was situated above the old RR track, or, a steep downhill drop into town with a climb to get back to the trail. Meyersdale is a cute little village.

Now it was time for the last push up to the divide. The countryside really changed here. The trail was away from any river and it was more of a rural farm look to the land. I like a shot of a nice looking barn!!

This bridge had an interesting story. Built originally as a RR bridge, when the trains went away in the early 70's a group of farmers bought it and had it moved so they could access property across a creek. When they built the rail trail they brought it back to service the trail. Three different lives for this bridge!!

Next bridge was built for two tracks which never got built. This is over 100 year old Pittsburgh steel.

Last viaduct as you can see I am getting to the top of the ridge!!

Finally, Eastern Continental Divide!!

 I rode this profile right to left. Now it is the cruise down to Cumberland!!

It is a short two miles to ride through the Big Savage Tunnel. Thank you to the people who got this trail set up. They had to spend big bucks to get the tunnel safe and usable again for cyclists and people to go through. I used my front light although they have the tunnel lit up with lights. It is some 3200 feet long.

 You come out of the tunnel with a fantastic "top of the mountain" views!!

Down I go!! My speed picks up to a nice 14 MPH average!! I come to cross the Mason Dixon line into Maryland which they have marked with a nice trail crossing.

One more tunnel and then the trail heads side by side with the Western Maryland RR. a tourist train that carries people up to Frostburg for a fun day of train riding.

I roll into Cumberland and the official end of the GAP trail and the start of the C&O towpath. I am pretty tired and low on energy but it is about 4:30 and I need to get a ways down the towpath to find one of the primitive campsites the National Park Service provides every 8 miles or so. I stop for a nice chocolate milkshake to perk me up and roll on!!

The trail changes dramatically rolling down the towpath!!

I reach my campsite at Ironbridge and get set up. I cook up dinner with some Mountain House freeze dried instant meals I have been carrying. Read a bit and crawl in and fall asleep quickly. One of the most dramatic days of cycling I think I have ever been a part of.
Thanks for reading along!!
Jim

Day 3 2017

One of those great mornings after sleeping so well!! The GAP shares the same valley as the river and an active train route. Very active!! I was prepared for this by reading many journals and bringing along ear plugs. I heard one during the night but otherwise nothing. I got packed up and rolling pretty early because I knew there was breakfast about three miles down the trail in Connellsville. Pretty little town with all the services.

Food!!

I did not hang around because I was anxious to just get riding out there in the trees and countryside.
I had another big day mileage wise and felt strong this morning on the bike. 50 some miles of the same steady upward grind to eventually the eastern continental divide.
I did like this bridge in Connellsville for my friend Richard, especially for the long drop at the end!!

This is one of my favorite sites to take pictures of on my travels. These nice gentleman farms and the love affair people have with their lawn mowers. There is about another five acres that this guy has mowed beyond the left of my camera shot!!

Here are some sights of the trail as I head for the mid-day lunch break in Ohiopyle.

 This is the first of some of the bigger viaducts that they have built to cross ravines and river valleys. This is riding over the Youghiogheny River. If you look up at the top of the curve you can see rafters come into the picture.

Cross over one more bridge to enter the community of Ohiopyle. This is a nice looking town set up for outdoor adventure. They offer rafting, many hiking trails in the State forest and of course the bike trail. I did not have lunch but did indulge in a beauty of a chocolate milkshake!!

Down the trail I go with some more sights, heading for my destination of Rockwood. I did see a bald eagle along here and watched it as it fished the river. Caught a fish on its third dive to the river.

Got to Rockwood and got set up in the campground. It was a good spot as it was a tents only campground. I was only one of about 6 tents spread out in a campground that could hold 50 or so. It was a little strange because the town and thus the camp office and bath house was on the other side of the river. One has to ride back on the trail about a 1/4 of a mile, cross the road bridge to get to it. After a nice shower I found a great joint in town where I had a very good burger and a couple of cold beers.

Once again the active RR was just across the river but the ear plugs worked well. I did not sleep as hard as the night before but still pretty good. Being active all day and sleeping on the ground seems very right for me right now!!

We'll leave it there for now.
Thanks for following along!!
Jim

2nd day 2017

Just riding the rails!! I have not been on a passenger train since I was a kid, some 45-50 years ago. I was excited to give Amtrak's roll on service for bikes a try. The roll on bike service is offered on the route I needed, Washington DC to Chicago with a stop in Pittsburgh, PA, my destination.

To pick it up from my last entry I negotiated the ten blocks or so from the mall to Union Station. It was city riding but this area looked to be mostly government offices and since it was Sunday afternoon not all that busy. Union Station in DC is a remarkable beautiful building. I rolled into the station and it literally took my breath away. Soaring and majestic with the gold leaf on the roof. I regret that I took no photos. I was a bit apprehensive about the task in front of me to get myself and bike on to the train I focused on that instead of soaking up the experience. I left myself time but I also did not have extra time to burn. It all felt a bit weird folks, rolling a loaded bike right through the station and up to the check-in desk. The lady behind the counter was very helpful and explained the process. I was ready to pack my Panniers, tent, and sleeping bag in a separate bag. That got checked as a bag and then I rolled my bike through the line to get out to the trains and down to the baggage car. They have a small room set up for bikes. They go on a rack that has the front wheel up against the wall and then standing the bike up, there is a support arm with velcro strap to secure it all. Good design. They have room for seven bikes so if you want to use this service make your reservations early. It was a $20 fee over the price of the ticket. You load it yourself so it makes for a good feeling that your bike is OK and taken care of.

So here I am with my first Amtrak travel experience and I have to tell you folks, this is a superior way to travel!! It was such a contrast to being wedged into a tiny seat with no legroom, the airline experience that I just had getting from Denver to DC. You get a nice wide seat with all the legroom a 6'4" guy can want. Reclines back and you are not invading the person behind you space, plus a foot rest. There are outlets to plug in your computer and charge your devices. You can bring your own blanket and pillows. Basically anything to pass the time. When you get tired of your seat you can wander up to the club/snack/observation car and get a beer and snack and sit and watch the world go by and socialize with other people there on the train. I did not go to the dining car for a meal, but it is there when needed. I guess the only disadvantage is the time factor. You have to not be concerned about the time it takes with delays on the routes due to freight trains having priority. Seriously people, I could skip the whole airport, airlines, TSA hassles to travel on a train with my bike!

Enjoying a Pennsylvania Beer on the train!!

 I caught a few cat naps on the train before we got to Pittsburgh, unloaded my bike and got my checked bag. Then it was a wait for it to get light out. This was the part of the trip I had no real plan for. The train delivered me to Pittsburgh station at 2:00 AM and after re-packing the bike I was looking at about two hours to cool my heels in the station before first light. Oh well, I dozed as best I could in the station chairs. After a complete google search for a 24 hour or early morning breakfast place I had to settle on a Burger King, it being the only place that opened at 5AM. You see those 0.89 cent pancakes they offer??? Yeah...they should give you 0.89 cents to eat them. A very lacking breakfast but enough to get it light enough to get rolling.

Here is the Point and the start of the GAP or Great Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.

There was some construction on the trail so I promptly got lost in the streets in Downtown.
Got this picture of the Pittsburgh Paint and Glass Corporation, we sell PPG paint in our Lumberyard.

I found the trail again and had the chance to read some of the history of the bridges that cross the river. Old Pittsburgh Steel and many design engineers and their work some 100 to 80 years ago still standing!!

After getting lost one more time heading out of town I finally reach the end of the paved portion of the trail and started the crushed limestone trail. This was my only complaint of the trail in Pittsburgh, it was not marked very well. The bridges and some of the old industrial buildings kept your interest going as you pedal out on what is really just a city paved bike path.

Starting the dirt trail they have a stretch of original track.

 They have built these nice table benches to take breaks on for the well maintained trail. Smooth and wide and a gentle upward grade. The upward grade will continue for me the next two days until I reach the Eastern Continental Divide.

Some pretty things to look at as I roll along

Coal mining is of course a big part of the history here and the main reason for this RR to have existed. Moving coal to the smelters in Pittsburgh. The combination of water, coal, and the exposure to oxygen creates sulphuric acid. It bubbles to the surface and creates this rust water spring runoff.

The day at this point started to catch up with me and I just worked on grinding out the miles to get to my campgound, a KOA that is close to the town of Connelsville. A 64 mile day on not much sleep in the last 24 hours made my campsite very welcoming. A shower revitalized me to enjoy my campsite as the sun went down I crawled in for a nice sleep!!

We'll it pick up tomorrow for day 3.
Thanks for reading along!!
Jim