05/07/24
05/08/24 Today is the day! We are supposed to meet our fellow cyclists for this adventure at the Crown Plaza in Arlington, VA.We said goodbye to the cat next door (fondly called Adolf), and we pedaled to Virginia while Jon and Karen hauled our stuff.
05/08/24 On the trail we passed a cyclist and Paul said “ that guy looks familiar”. We caught up with him and met Doug. Then on to the hotel, where we said goodbye to Karen. For our first meeting, we all got in the van and went back to the same neighborhood we had been staying in.
05/09/24 Today was our shakedown ride. That means we took a short (40 miles) to make sure everyone’s bikes worked and our GPS units will get us from point A to point B. We ate breakfast and took bicycle paths downtown to Mount Vernon. No time to take a tour. Can you find Stig?
05/09/24 Then we backtracked to the Jefferson Memorial. His wise words could help us today.
05/09/24 Last, a group photo looking down the reflecting pool. Just afterr the photo, our leader, Mark’s, tire popped with a very loud “BANG”! I was surprised no one ducked and no SWAT team showed up. But we had a lesson in changing a tire right in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
05/09/24 Let’s tighten that group photo a bit. Looks like a bunch of old people reliving their glory days, doesn’t it? Most of them said they are riding the TransAm because they weren’t able to do it in 1976 when they were all in their twenties!
From left: Leader Bri from Texas; Mary & Kevin from Kentucky; Jim from Portland OR; Molly from Eugene, OR; Peter from Holland; Stephen from Seattle; me; Leader Mark from Maryland; Doug from past Robles, CA; Barbara from Henderson, NVJon and Paul. That’s the motley crew.
05/10/24 Off to Oregon. We had breakfast, made lunch, and brought our stuff down to load in the van. Ready to ride! Here’s our itinerary. Our companions include Stig, Sean the sheep, and unnamed rubber ducky with propeller that really twirled when the bike was in motion. The weather was iffy.
05/10/24 First we dipped our tires in the Potomac. Then the challenge was to find the beginning of the C&O Canal Trail in Georgetown. Can you find Stig? Then we got really wet. And had to carry our bikes down some really slick steps when we got off the trail.
05/10/24 We had a stop to make sandwiches, then rode on through the woods to our resting place for the night. Paul gave both bikes a good washing down before we quit for the day.
05/10/24 More mud pictures from today. We are riding on the C&O Canal towpath where mules and horses pulled barges along a canal, which was built around the 1810’s. There are a series of locks and lock keepers’ houses along the way. The canal even goes over other rivers entering the Potomac.
05/11/24 At our map meeting last night we learned our mileage for today is not 62 but 77 miles. Ouch! And predicted rain with thunderstorms coming later in the day. It was too wet to take many pictures. Felt we should stop cycling and start building an ark….Then a tornado warning!
05/11/24 The trail held some surprises, including a tunnel, turtles, Civil War history, and a final 14 miles of pavement.
05/11/24 Also lots of muck gumming up the works of our tires rolling with fenders on. And lots of hiker/biker campsites along the way, though I would hesitate to stay because of the mosquitoes.
05/12/24 We woke up to sunshine despite the flood the night before. We took down a wet tent yet again, and cycled on. Saw Lily pads and lots of water on the trail. We were a muddy mess. At the YWCA where we camped, we had 10 minutes to shower, but we made it in time! And devices got charged!
05/12/24 After all that muck, Sean became a black sheep. But after a good washing, he’s back to a creamy color, even if a shade darker. Rubber ducky had lost his propeller. They reunited in Cumberland for a photo op and to exchange their stories.
05/13/24 Woke up to sunshine and heavy dew. We packed up and now we are on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail. This trail is in much better shape than the C&O. All 145 miles are maintained by volunteers. No more mud!!!!
05/13/24 Unfortunately the first thing we did was run into each other, and Rhe fell on her right side. Bloodied her knee and jammed her shoulder. Paul’s bike was damaged with a bent brake rotor that dragged all day. We patched the knee, but Mark showed up with a gauze pad and wrap that held better.
05/13/24 Today we climbed about 2500 feet in the first 20 miles at a nice 2-3% grade, then downhill for 40 Miles. We cross the Eastern Continental Divide where water on one side runs to the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side runs to the Mississippi River. 200 miles since we left WA DC.!
05/13/24 A big surprise for Paul was when we passed through the Mason Dixon Park. Mason and Dixon did a lot of surveying to set up the first thirteen colonies. The park had a copper line down the middle of the bike path, representing surveyor chains. At Frostburg we found some art.
05/13/24 We have one couple, Kevin and Mary from Paducah, KY, riding a tandem. The first day on the C&O Canal, they broke the front crank on their bike and pedaled 40 miles with 3 legs. Kevin had a huge grin on his face when it finally came back to him fixed and ready to ride.
05/13/24 Towards the end of the ride that day, we ran into lots of bridges. Be sure to read the signage before crossing. Paul finished the day at a bike shop where they replaced his brake rotor. Spent the night at a Corps of Engineers campground by a dam.
05/13/24 The campground was called the Outflow Campground at Youghiogheny Lake. No, I don’t know how to pronounce it.
05/14/24 - More of the beautiful GAP Trail.
05/14/24 We passed through the town of Connellsville. Great art and bicycle welcoming, with flush toilets and a pavilion for waiting out a rainstorm.
05/14/24 More art on the way out of town, and a hiker/biker site built by the Boy Scouts. Then we passed under a car bridge where they were sandblasting with protective covering for trail users. One of the picnic shelters we passed showed why you should never use rafters. And a misnamed john.
05/14/24 The best part of this day was where we stayed. It was a hobbit dwelling for cyclists on the trail. We spent a lovely evening there, and didn’t have to leave early the next morning so got to hang out for awhile.
05/15/24 Today we arrived in Pittsburgh! We have a rest day tomorrow and I am so looking forward to it.
05/15/24 We stayed at a hostel/motel called The Traveler’s Rest. Really cool space in an old office building, including a bank vault on the first floor. Paul and I got a room of our own - bathroom down the hall. We had to wait until 4pm, so found a brewery nearby and sampled the local libations.
05/15/24 More Travelers Rest pictures.
05/14-15/24 I see that a number of pictures did not post. I probably need better WiFi coverage. Let’s try again. Scenes from 5/14 on the GAP Trail.
05/14/24 and the Hobbit campsite for cyclists.
05/14/24 and a Hobbit shower! And weather station.
