Day 2 Meyersdale PA to Little Orleans MD - 80 miles

The second day was my favorite day of riding on the trip. We passed through long rail and canal tunnels. Passed the Continental Divide, rode from Pennsylvania into Maryland, had an over 20 mile high speed downhill, saw historic Cumberland and began riding on the C&O Towpath.
The day started with an awesome breakfast at the GI Day Room with a stack of hubcap sized pancakes masterfully prepared by Floyd. This place is not to be missed. It's true Americana. The small town diner where everyone stops to get coffee in the morning and solve the world's problems. We were minor celebrities, as the town is very cyclist friendly. People piped up about their own experiences on the trail. I'm sure none of them had been on a bike since childhood until the trail came through town a few years ago. Think of Mayberry with a bike trail and you have Meyersdale.

After carbo loading a la Floyd we were totally fueled for a full day of riding. We continued riding up another 8 miles or so to Deal. About a mile or so out of town they are putting in a very cool cast iron bridge that was preserved and moved to Meyersdale.

After reaching Deal we started descending. This is the Eastern Continental Divide. A couple of miles down the trail we reached the Savage Tunnel. This is a real highlight of the Pennsylvania side of the ride. The tunnel was opened just about a year ago and was the major impediment to connecting the GAP and the C&O. It took years and about $15 million dollars to complete the project. The tunnel is almost a mile long and lit. As you approach it is quite imposing.

Shortly after getting through the tunnel we reach the PA/MD border, which is also the Mason Dixon Line. For the next 200 or so miles each revolution would open our eyes to American history and Civil War era. These revolutions were coming much swifter as we headed down hill. Although it was only a 2% grade at most it made it very easy to ride fast. Of course we slowed down when we reached the unlit Bordon Tunnel. Stupidly, I didn't bother putting my light on my handlebar. As I reached the tunnel I could see the light at the other end. This was a bit deceptive. When I reached the middle of the tunnel it was pitch black and very eerie. I was engulfed in darkness, unable to make out either end. I had to pedal blindly until I could see the opening on the other end.


We passed through the outskirts of Frostburg and started riding along the Western Maryland Railroad, which still operates a steam engine between Frostburg and Cumberland. The trail crosses the tracks several times as we approached Cumberland. The town of Cumberland was very nice. It is where the GAP rail trail ends and the C&O Canal Towpath begins. They have restored and built up the area by the old rail station where the towpath begins. There are shops along the trail near the rail tracks. We stopped for coffee. It was cold when we started out, probably the low 50's and we were moving for over an hour at over 20 mph, so the wind chill whipped through us. A nice big latte was a great treat.
After the break we started on the C&O. The surface is very different. Instead of smooth crushed limestone, the C&O is like a narrow dirt farm road. There are mud holes, roots and rocks. You need to think more like a mountain biker than a road rider. As long as you are aware of what is ahead of you on the trail and you are prepared to get out of your seat to ride over or through the impediment it's easy to ride. We never had an issue. On the other hand we got muddy and the bikes slid a bit. We passed Confederate grave sites and canal locks. In parts the canal has still green water, in other areas the canal was dewatered and overgrown with trees.

Hunger set in, but towns were few and far between. We came to Old Town, which was very small. We asked a local if there was a restaurant. She suggested that we go to the old school house. We were expecting an old one room school house, or a big old brick building that was converted to shops. In fact we almost rode by the "old school house". It was a one story 1960's style brick school. The cafeteria was turned into a deli. It was as if nothing was changed. The pictures of the senior classes were on the walls and the sports trophies were in a glass case. The furniture was the school tables and chairs. The class rooms and offices were converted into a body shop filled with cars from the 50's and 60's in various stages of restoration.

After lunch we rode toward the Paw Paw Tunnel. This tunnel was designed to cut off miles from the canal trip so that the canal could is lo compete with the railroads. In fact the tunnel did the canal in. It took way too long and too much money to complete and caused the canal company to go bankrupt. This tunnel is long, but not as long as the Savage Tunnel. The towpath becomes very narrow as it hugs next to the dark waters of the canal below. The surface is very uneven with puddles. Signs warn riders to walk their bikes through. I dismounted, but Stritty pedaled on. As I awkwardly walked, pushing the bike I watched as Jeff disappeared ahead. I no longer could make out the faint light of his head light. Since he was making it, I figured I could do the same. I got on the bike and rode slowly, careful not to out ride the beam of my light. It was an interesting challenge and something I probably would not have tried if I was riding alone.
Eventually we reached our destination for the night: Little Orleans (with the emphasis on Little). We were as far from big city civilization as one could imagine. As soon as you get off of the trail and go through the overpass tunnel you are greeted by the village's only industry, the Bill monopoly of booze, bait and bites. From a couple of ramshackle buildings 81 year old Bill operates a combination bar, restaurant, grocery, beer store and canoe rental. The facilities were upgraded after a fire consumed the original Bill's shack a few years back. Bill has the only legal firewater sales for 20 miles. That makes Bill a popular guy. Sundays are especially good for Bill. Under Maryland law, you can only buy alcohol on Sundays if it is purchased with a meal. On Sundays Bill sells lots of food.

After getting off the trail we had a cold one at Bill's and then headed for our accommodations: the Little Orleans Lodge. It is a rambling white wood building that once was the the local school house. It has been converted into a very comfortable B&B. I would bet it's the most manly B&B around. The owner, Steve is a great innkeeper. Steve is 71 and living alone. He seems to like the company. We were the only guests that night. He gave us the upstairs which consisted of two nicely appointed large bedrooms, a bath and a sweet balcony off of Stritty's room. After we cleaned up the bikes and then ourselves we came downstairs. No doilies and crumpets here. Steve yelled out from the other room, "grab some beers or whatever from the fridge and there's some chips and cheese dip by the TV for you." After showing us a very well done video of the C&O trail. , he took us on a tour of the area. First he drove to the lookout shown above where we had a commanding view of West Virginia. This spot was used as a spot for soldiers to shoot cannons at the enemy during the civil war. Steve then drove us around pointing things out of local interest: the trailer where he found the fat dead guy on Thanksgiving, the campground where they have a motorcycle rally complete with a motorcycle demolition derby and the woods that were turned into a goat farm. At the end of the tour he dropped us off at Bill's for dinner with the advice to stick to the chicken or fish, as he wasn't going to be responsible if we had the seafood. Remembering the bean burrito incident we followed his advice. After sampling the local flavor of Bill's complete with the wandering dog, crying kids and loud mouth local drunks, we were ready to call it a day.

Day 1 Boston to Meyersdale 102 miles

Our journey started at about 7:30 in the morning after getting a little lost on the way to Boston PA. We were wearing out matching Weber Gallagher bike jersey that the firm had made for an MS ride a few years ago. It was cool and overcast for June - perfect biking weather. This portion of the trip follows the Youghiogheny River to the town of Confluence almost 70 miles away. For the first 40 miles we go went through little towns like Suttersville, West Newton and Connellsville. Connellsville did a particularly nice job of incorporating the trail into the town. The trail goes right through the middle of town, past the businesses and a nice bike store where we stopped. There we met two guys who were traveling west from DC. They gave us some pointers. The pushed on for their last few hours until Pittsburgh, while we had another 300 miles to go.


After Connellsville the ride got more beautiful and remote. We met up with a big flock of Canadian Geese who didn't seem to want to share the trail. Jeff did a great job of herding them away amid a cacophony of honking and hissing. Connellsville leads to Ohiopyle State Park. This area is renown for white water rafting. The rough was rugged and rocky. The views were awesome. Leading into Ohiopyle is a
bridge that has won engineering design awards. It's really a neat bridge and leads right to the little town and former train station. From Ohiopyle we rode 12 miles to Confluence. This was the first part of the trail completed 25 years ago. Confluence is a nice little town and home of the River's Edge Restaurant and B & B. This is where we had an excellent lunch and a nice rest after 70 miles. Jeff made an unfortunate selection for his meal. Although the black bean wrap was tasty it apparently did not sit so well for the last 30 miles. We were now beyond Jeff's longest training ride and he was navigating uncharted waters.

After lunch we pushed on to the town of Rockwood. The trail was now following the Casselman River, we passed a bridge where our law clerk, Tim got engaged to his fiance. We were slowly and gradually climbing into the mountains of the Laurel Highlands, home to ski resorts such as Seven Springs and Hidden Valley. During these 19 miles, as we were climbing and the bean burrito was causing a bit of a revolution, Jeff started to struggle. The temperature also dropped considerably, probably into the low 50's. At Rockwood we stopped at a little bike shop. There was also an information booth there. The booth was manned by a 98 year old named Maynard who hadn't missed a day since the booth opened. The townspeople named the booth after Maynard and he now rides a golf cart there everyday. I had a nice chat with him. He is as sharp as a tack. He gladly posed for a picture when I told him he was famous. When I told him we were going all the way to DC he gave us bracelets that commemorated the recent opening of the Savage Tunnel.

After a rest Jeff and I saddled up for the last leg to Meyersdale. Jeff was really struggling and freezing. Somehow he gathered the strength to keep a decent pace despite the fact that this was the steepest part of the climb. We crossed a long imposing viaduct shortly before reaching the Meyersdale Train Station. We made our way through town and found our accommodations, the Maple City Loft. It was in an alley in an industrial building downtown. The loft was a very nice two level apartment that could sleep 12 people. It had several bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a laundry. We couldn't ask for more. Just as the owner of the loft was greeting us Jeff sauntered across the alley just in time for the black bean wrap to make a hasty escape exiting the same way it entered. Needless to say, Jeff was not in good shape. He was tired, cold and probably dehydrated, but after a ginger ale, a hot shower and some veg time he made a comeback. We went out to dinner. Jeff seemed fully recovered and ready for Day 2.

Training Ride on the Trail

Less than two weeks to go until the ride. I've been making up my own training program, but since the weather broke I've been trying to ride 5 to 6 times per week, with at least one long ride on the weekends. Last weekend was a holiday weekend, I did 4 fairly long rides in a row, with the longest being 62 miles. I also have been commuting to work by bike, schedule permitting. Some days I extend the ride home, but almost always try to ride at least part of the ride home hard.
This weekend my goal was to do my longest ride yet. Today I went to the trail head in Boston, PA. This is where we will start our ride. I rode 35 miles out and turned around for a total of 70 miles. Then I drove home and did a loop that included the Pittsburgh part of the trail. There is a 9 mile gap in the trail, so the part closer to my house isn't connected to the rest of the trail. I added another 20 miles for a total of 90. It was really hot and humid, so I expect that today's ride will be at least as tough as the last three days. The truth was it really wasn't too bad. I didn't feel sore and I didn't get biker's butt. The heat got to me a little bit at the end. It was tough to stay properly hydrated. You can only drink so much water. I had about 200 oz. of liquids and my weight was still down about 6 pounds after the ride.
On the last loop I rode past R.E.I. where Laurel works. They built a store last year that is right on the trail. Today Laurel, her co-workers and volunteers were doing trail clean-up. I rode the portion of the trail that they cleaned. They did a nice job, but I got there too late to see them in action.
I've included a few pictures of the the trail going east from Boston. Throughout the trail communities have done a nice job restoring old rail stations. Below is the station in West Newton that is almost done. This section went through a nice park called Cedar Creek Park that is in Westmoreland County. They use the old station in the park as a snack bar, store and bike rental facility.
From this point forward, I'm going to start to taper. I feel I'm as ready as I'm going to be. This past week I rode 245 miles. That's the most I've ever done in a week.

Home Stretch

We have less than four weeks until the bike trip. Things are starting to come together. People are being very generous with their donations. Since this is the 35th year of the Trial Academy I am challenging each of the 35 faculties to pledge at least $1000. The Campbell's Souperstars (my faculty) has reached the goal, as has Bruce Parker's faculty.

The training is coming along too. This weekend I tried doing long rides both days. On Saturday I did 46 miles on a rail trail similar to what we will be riding. Sunday I did a local event called Pedal Pittsburgh. I did a 60 mile ride. It's a very neat event that goes by architecturally significant buildings in the city. It is also a very challenging ride. Pittsburgh is a very hilly city. There were many big climbs. The last 10 miles had the toughest climbs up to a neighborhood called Mt. Washington. Stritty got back on his bike after the tree disaster. He breezed through the 50 mile ride. Sam Foreman, who is also planning on joining us for the ride, did the 50 as well.

We met up with many different local characters. One was Dan Oshop. Dan rode a bike around the world a few years back. He has also done most of the trails that we will be doing in the trip. Dan gave us some good advice.

We will have another couple weeks of trained, do some anti-rain dances and be ready for the ride.

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.

Spring Training

The deep freeze finally lifted. From mid-January until this past weekend the weather was miserable. My bike riding was limited to using an indoor trainer. This weekend I finally was able to ride outside. Saturday I was having a good ride until I ran over some glass and sliced my tire. At least I was near the end of the ride.

Sunday I met up with Jeff Strittmatter aka Stritty. Stritty is doing the DC ride with me. He bought a new bike which arrived at the same time as the bad weather. So Sunday was his first ride on his new bike. We rode for a couple of hours, riding all the city. Stritty saw the famous attack turkey, whose partner in crime was hit by a car over the winter. These two turkeys chased me and attacked bike riders all season last year. Here is a link to an article about my experiences with these turkeys:

http://www.wglaw.com/publication_files/112ATTPUB_ppg.pdf.

The bad boy didn't go after us this time. Today was the best day yet, with the temperature topping 70. So, for the first time this year I rode to work. When the weather is good I try to commute by bike a couple of times a week. I get a little work out before work and can work off the stress of a day in the office on the way home. It also kind of fun to pedal by all the cars stuck in rush hour gridlock. Now it really feels like Spring is right around the corner. Before we know it Pirate pitchers will be serving up homers again.