Close call for one of the riders

My partner, Jeff Strittmatter (aka Stritty) is joining me for the ride. He has had a really rough week. Last Sunday we did a nice ride of about 45 miles. During the ride we went by the house Jeff has under agreement. It's in a wooded lot in one of Pittsburgh's most desirable neighborhoods. They really need a bigger house. Their old house is really small, and their 1 year old, Hayden, is getting bigger. The plan was for them to list the old house the next day, but about 12 hours after we finished our ride Mother Nature changed Jeff's plans. It also put the Strittmatters on the National news.

Late at night there was a big storm in the area. A bolt of lightning hit a huge oak tree in their back yard. The tree came crashing through their roof and came to rest inches from the baby's crib. It was a miracle, but Hayden was uninjured and wasn't even crying as they took the insulation from the ceiling off of them. Here is a link to one of the many news videos of the event: http://kdka.com/video/?id=26996@kdka.dayport.com. We were told there were reports on CNN and the Weather Channel. They were getting calls from people all over the country, and TV crews were camped out at the house.

Needless to say it was rough week for them and I was biking alone this weekend. Ultimately things worked out okay. They were able to rent their new house and move in early. The old house is being repaired. Jeff has had some tense moments with his insurance carrier, and now has a little more sympathy for some of those bad faith plaintiffs.

Since lightning doesn't strike twice, I feel fortunate to have Jeff biking right by me this June, as summer storms are likely. We have booked our rooms. The first day we will go 100 miles to Meyersdale, the second and third days we changed our plans a little. Instead of going to Hancock, we are staying in a place called Little Orleans. It's not a town, but a place with a campground, a tavern run by 85 year old "Old Bill" and the converted one room school house Inn where we will stay. As a result we will do 75 miles both the second and third days (Instead of 90 and 60). The third guy who claims to be going with us hasn't been on his bike yet, so we aren't holding our breath on him.

The Dates are Set: June 14 - 17

I have set the dates for the bike trip. We will be leaving Pittsburgh on Thursday June 14th. The plan is to leave early in the morning, as we will be doing about 100 miles the first day to Meyersdale, Pa. Meyersdale is a small town best known for it's Maple Festival. This is supposed to be one of the most scenic areas of the trail, with a view of an historic railroad viaduct.

The second day we will travel about 90 miles to Hancock, Maryland. Hancock is another small town located close to the Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Maryland borders. They do have a couple of motels that look very much like the Bates Motel. To get to Hancock we need to go through Cumberland on the C&O Canal Trail. Apparently in this area there is a break in the trail. I've been told that we may have to hop a train in the area of the detour.

Saturday we are planning on riding about 65 miles to Harper's Ferry, WVa. This is the home of the National Park and battlefield. Harper's Ferry is actually across the river from the trail. Our plan is to stay in an historic hotel called the Hilltop Hotel in the old part of the town. The last day we will have about 60 miles into DC. We haven't firmed up the plans on how we will get back; either a loving spouse or a rental car.

Stritty and I have recruited a third rider. Our partner, Sam Foreman will join us. Sam has biked across Ireland several times, so he is experienced with these types of trips. He is also a native of West Virginia, so he should be able to communicate with the natives for us.