Once again it rained during the night and was drizzling in the morning. I cold soaked some instant oatmeal, half regular, half maple flavored. Not bad. I missed the hot coffee; I couldn’t bring myself to do cold instant. In hindsight, I should have sacrificed for science and given it a try.

  After packing up, I rode the 20 miles into Cumberland. On the way, I passed a sign on the trail that said, “The wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23” The signmaker also had a mile of riverfront available for camping. I guess I won’t be staying there with my boyfriend. 

  At that point, I decided I was done. The weather wasn’t improving, I had no desire to ride another 47 miles on top of the 20 I’d already done to keep up the schedule. If I took another day, I’d miss the concert that was important to my wife.

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   So, I rode to the Hampton Inn, which I remembered had an outdoor water hose. While there, the  boys showed up. I told them I was done. We all rinsed the mud off our bikes and said our goodbyes.

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  From there, I rode to the Cafe Mark to contemplate my options and have a proper breakfast. I had asked a shuttle driver outside the Wheelzup Bike Shop how much a ride to Pittsburgh would cost. He said $350. I was quoted the same price inside the shop.

  After breakfast, I rode out to the U-Haul on Mechanics Avenue and was informed that vans and pick-ups were only for local use. I was quoted $700 for a small truck one-way. So much for the economical, one-way option. Not happening. So, I rode further down the street to Enterprise and rented an SUV one way for $330 plus gas. I would drive that home to Kingston, NY, a trip of about six hours. Once home, I cancelled my Pittsburgh hotel room and Amtrak Flex ticket. The woman at the Hostel on Main in Rockwood, PA refused to cancel my overpriced bunk since it was less than her 48 hour window. So I ate the $48.

   Bailing on the trip was the right decision for me. Adding the needed day would have made getting home in time for the event impossible. The Michael Franti concert was great; my wife got to sing a few verses with him, which was pretty cool to watch.

  On this trip, I overestimated my strength. I had just come off a multi-week trip with less gear and a lighter bike on a mostly paved route. The gravel, mud and added camping gear made a big difference in mobility. I completed the C&O. But I’ll get back to redo the GAP.