Day -4-something - Great Lakes to DC - CycleBlaze

Day -4-something

OK, folks, so it's tour time again. This one's a custom tour designed to get me back to the GAP/C&O. Why? Because I decided I wanted to do that route again but not JUST that route (I wanted a larger adventure), and two, because I like riding the sleeper car back to Atlanta.

Here are some of the highlights of the trip:

  • Over half the nights will be camping - I haven't done that since my "Backyard Tour" (journal / YouTube)
  • I get to ride the Allegheny Trail system which is north of Pittsburgh
  • I'll see the first oil producing well in the United States just outside Titusville. And, the oldest continuing producing oil well in the states in Oil City (how'd they come up with that name?)
  • Bicycle Heaven in Pittsburgh (and PeeWee Hermann's bicycle as well)
  • The GAP and C&O which are their own gem
  • Antietam battlefield which I skipped on my first tour

If you said, "My, that's a lot of planning" you would be correct. But this is what I live for. Well, maybe riding is what I live for, but the planning leads to the riding so it's a necessary endeavor. and I like planning anyway. So there.

The mileage will be larger days than I'm used to in my last few tours, so I'm doing the following as tour preparation

  1. keeping the load a bit lighter. I'm weighing and balancing out my load. Want to know what I'm carrying? So would I! So I track it at https://lighterpack.com/r/0jmvmw. Did I tell you I put a lot of analysis behind this?
  2. I'm in training to sit in the saddle for long periods of time keeping myself distracted with singing 80's songs to myself (since I'm the only one who can listen to my off-key serenades). Sometimes I'll belt out a show tune but since there are no studio agents nearby it really doesn't lead to me being cast in a new reality show about signing cycling tourists.
  3. I decided not to bring a stove with me on this trip. There's only a few times I will not be able to get food within a few miles of the campsite, and I'll bring food to the campsite (hello, Subway) and if nothing nearby, I'll carry tortillas and peanut butter as Plan B.
Heart 0 Comment 0 Link
Rate this entry's writing Heart 6
Comment on this entry Comment 6
John PescatoreMy wife and I did the Allegheny Trail North and South of Franklin several years ago, if your itinerary has you overnighting near Titusville, the Caboose Motel looked like a cool place to stay - https://octrr.org/the-caboose-motel/

The Trails to Ales Brewery in Franklin was a great place for dinner. I think the Amazing Food Cafe in Franklin has closed, though -awesome breakfast.

If you do climb up from the Towpath to the Antietam battlefield, plan a stop at Nutters Ice Cream in Sharpsburg just off the main drag through the middle of the Battlefield - I make up reasons to hike and bike out there just to hit Nutters!
Reply to this comment
9 months ago
Paul MulveyTo John PescatoreThanks for the intel! I'm going to definitely try to make a "Nutters Stop" on the way - it's right on my route. AND, that's about 68 miles into a 76-miles day, so definitely I'll be ready to chow down on a dairy dessert before heading off to the campsite.
Reply to this comment
9 months ago
Alex PlineJust found your tours on YouTube and I've been thinking of a route similar to this, but the other way around. Your daily miles and logistics appears very similar to mine. I live in Annapolis MD and want to do a big loop - C&O/GAP->Buffalo->Albany->NYC. Nice to know there is a reasonably pleasant way to get from Pittsburgh to Buffalo, thanks! If you are ever considering an East Cost route south of NYC, check this one out I did last year: https://teampline.org/2022/09/01/a-different-east-coast-greenway/
Reply to this comment
7 months ago
Paul MulveyThanks for sharing the route up the Jersey Coast - that's a good idea to be able to use campgrounds on the coast in the state parks rather than the D&L canal going through Trenton NJ and then NE through Princeton. I like camping out nights in a quiet place (if you watched the YouTube you saw I pulled a Steve Wallis on the second night :-) ). I do like a shower at the end of the day, just to feel refreshed. If you can get to the "Great Lakes to DC" route, it's documented in RWGPS.
Reply to this comment
7 months ago
Alex PlineTo Paul MulveyThanks, I did find the route of RWGPS. One additional question for a fellow obsessive planner: Have you done much Steve Wallis style stealth camping and what have you done to overcome the anxiety around that? Like I said, that's the one thing I just haven't had the cajones to do.
Reply to this comment
7 months ago
Paul MulveyTo Alex PlineHere and there…this last time it was the least “anxiety inducing” it’s ever been. I think that was due to thorough research and satellite view of the area. I arrived in late afternoon (about happy hour time) and made sure there were no fire rings, trash, beer bottles, etc that would indicate people who may party in that area. It looked like it may have had people who would pass through to fish sometimes but that would be it. Get out early in the morning and it was good
Reply to this comment
7 months ago