70: stained glass arch, cheryl with a c, inspirational, witness protection, jock-strap-a-gany, mm100, snake whisperer, the raleigh's birthday, pet horses, yough ness monster

June 21, 2025

Connellsville to West Newton

After a hearty breakfast, we started riding and almost immediately came across this. The arch contains different colors of stained glass to illustrate the Connellsville's importance in the production of coking coal, a specific type of coal used to produce coke, which is necessary in making steel and glass because of its high temperatures. In 1920, 80% of the glass made in the United States came from the Pittsburgh area. Sorry for the blur.

We were barely out of town when Cheryl ("with a C") and I started talking. She and Becky, who joined us shortly thereafter, are riding from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. Cheryl told me what what her profession is and I still have no actual idea, but what I heard was a Life Coach, a person who helps people achieve personal or professional goals. She was the most energetic person I've met so far on this trip, with a carefree, infectious laugh that will make even the most hardhearted curmudgeon smile.

Cheryl, like J. W. a few days ago, call me "an inspiration," and said that she's going to strongly consider taking a longer tour. I was again flattered, but I started thinking about it. "Inspirational" is something you refer to when it's unlikely the person is going to succeed, but does it anyway.... the guy with no arms, legs, or lungs who climbs Mt. Everest. "What an inspiration!" we exclaim. Or the three-legged dog who gets separated 4,000 miles from its owners while on a wintertime wilderness camping trip, builds a bear trap, uses the fur from the bear for shelter and clothing, lives through the Winter, then, in the Spring, builds a raft from the remaining pieces of timber that didn't burn during the raging forest fire he escaped from, floats to the nearest city where he sneaks into the library at night to learn enough about aviation to build a small plane and, eventually, flies it home to his loving family who never, ever gave up on him. I'm pretty sure that was an actual Hallmark movie.

Yes, I realized that if I'm an inspiration, it's most likely because I'm perceived as a tottering old man with muscles like matchsticks and a mind that's more like a steel sieve than a steel trap, myopic, deaf, and wheezing out how "You can do it too!" as concerned onlookers wonder whether they're going to need to lurch forward to prevent a fall at the end of that lengthy five-word sentence.

Then..... I thought about it some more, and realized that I'm okay with that. Regardless of how I'm able to inspire a person to go out and tour, or believe that it's something they can do, even if it's because they see an old man with a crooked smile and spittle on his chin riding across the country, then I'm going to continue being perspirational.

The trail was great all day, with no mud, or even puddles.

just another couple of pictures to show you how lush everything is

Just like in Rockwood where we saw Diane a couple of days ago, there was a bottleneck which slowed all of the cyclists passing by in an attempt to get signatures. I was happy to help out, but didn't want to prevent the flow of bikes so I told the 70ish-year-old gentleman to let me know if anyone comes up behind me.

With a straight face and smiling eyes he said conspiratorially, "Why? Are you in the Witness Protection Program."

I flicked my eyes left, then right, and nodded almost imperceptibly. He just laughed, and while I was signing it he asked we know how to pronounce the river's name... "Youghiogheny." We did, but only because we had asked our server the other night, the one who was wearing the Immersion T-shirt.

"It's pronounced 'Yock,' as in 'jock strap," he said. Shouldn't have too much trouble remembering that: the Jockstrap river. YOCK-uh-GAIN-ee is the phonetic pronunciation. When we first learned how, Heather and I had at the time admitted to each other that we'd never have guessed the correct way to say it.

He also asked me if I knew what it meant and I, in my cleverness, told him yes, then went on to explain the etymology of the word "Ohiopyle" (from the Lenape word which means "it turns very white") instead of the the word "Youghiogheny" (from the Lenape word which means "a stream flowing in a contrary direction"). "The Yock," as it's commonly called, is the only river in the region which flows north - all others flow south - so you can't use it for directions.

Mile Marker 100 - slowly, but surely, we're getting there

another snake.... apparently, I'm becoming a Snake Whisperer

We stopped at a park for a break where I met this gentleman. I noticed, and commented on, his bike and was informed that it just had its 50th birthday.

It's a 50-year-old Raleigh, and he said he paid twice as much for his first bike than he did for his first car. He added that, of course, a lot of parts (cable, housing, chain, bottom bracket, etc.) have been replaced since he got it. When I asked about difficulty in finding parts he said it's hard for some items, but there's a good bike shop in Pittsburgh that helps out. Look at the size of the chainring on that thing.

Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad - we saw a lot of these markers along the way

This is only funny if you know how to pronounce "Yough" (which, since you're reading this, you do!).

Tomorrow: Pittsburgh!

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Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 1,871 miles (3,011 km)

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Mark M.I've been a 'perspiration', a 'heavy respiration', and even a 'desperation' whilst on tour. You should definitely take 'inspiration' if it's offered, Mark. You're winning at life.
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2 weeks ago

Mark BinghamTo Mark M.I am winning, but in regards to competition there's a saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good." That pretty much sums up my life.
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2 weeks ago

Melissa YergensenYou've made me NOT want to go, there are way too many snakes. I might not even be able to make this into a book for you.
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1 week ago