Today was a relatively easy day, 53 miles that were mostly flat or downhill. Being on a rail trail means the grades rarely exceed 2 or 3%. Still, this is mountainous territory. At every road crossing, I look both ways. To my right was always down to the river, but to my left was always a steep incline up into the mountains. But the path ahead was always (relatively) easy.
I rose early again but not as early as my "roommates," who were up and at it by 5:30 (they say). No doubt they were. I say "roommates" because the River's Edge B&B is really just a three-bedroom house converted to a rental. So there was a common bathroom, living/dining room, kitchen, and porch overlooking the river. I was fortunate in that my room had an attached half-bath, so I only needed to share the shower. That's fine. I took my serious cleanup shower when I arrived, well after they had settled in, and only a wake-up shower in the morning, well after they had left. So I really had the place to myself.
And like many B&Bs, the breakfast was strictly continental (which translates to non-existent). But there was a diner, of sorts, called Mitch's Fuel and Food. Yeap, a gasoline station with a restaurant. And being the only game in town, it was crowded (as crowded goes in these parts). The only drawback was they were cleaning the exhaust hood over one of the grills, so no tater tots this morning! Who cleans a breakfast restaurant's exhaust hood at 8 o'clock in the morning? So I ordered a side of pancakes in lieu . . . we always need carbs for the road.
Breakfast at Mitch's Fuel and Food. It really is a gas station, but what once was the garage has now been turned into a restaurant (of sorts). I didn't see anybody buying fuel today . . . except other cyclists like myself, fueling up in a different way.
But as indicated above, the road was easy, as long as you didn't turn left or right. The trail follows the Youghiogheny River from Confluence all the way to West Newton. And from there, on to Pittsburgh and the Ohio River. And it's called Confluence for a good reason, as the Casselman River, which I followed yesterday, merges there with the Youghiogheny River. Railroad engineers are smart; they like to follow rivers for a reason. But as we learned yesterday, at some point the river runs out and the mountains loom and tunnels are required.
But not today. It was all downhill for the most part. And I needed the rest after four 60-plus-mile days. So here is the course and some pics.
An old abandoned railroad bridge on the same alignment as the GAP, seen leaving town on the pedestrian bridge over the Youghiogheny River into Confluence.
I did run into Jeremy and his buddy Kurt, also an engineer and surveyor, today in Connellsville. They had camped in Rockwood and had started out at about the time I was getting up. We chatted for about 30 minutes before I took off under threat of rain. They are headed for Pittsburgh as well, so I may see them again tomorrow. I passed a number of nice campgrounds, and I'm sure they are well ensconced in one as I write this.
Entering Connellsville, where I found these fanciful water towers. Or maybe they have been adapted for use by a brewpub.
And yes, it did rain. A couple of miles beyond Connellsville, I donned my raincoat/windbreaker and rode on. It was never bad, not much more than a sprinkle. But between that and the temperature drop, I kept the raincoat on all the way to West Newton.
Stenciled concrete blocks marking the right-of-way for the P&LE RR, the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, which connected Connellsville with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
West Newton is only 35 miles from Pittsburgh but has all the makings of being much, much further from a major city. Bright Morning B&B filled the need for lodging with a similar arrangement as the night before (shared shower but private half-bath). But they own four somewhat identical houses that all face the trail . . . and they seemed nearly full. Kudos to them, but let's see about breakfast.
The rail station in West Newton, which includes a former P&LE railcar that is part baggage and part passenger car.
