Day 5: To Cumberland, Maryland

September 13, 2014

It rained steadily from 6 AM until 11:30 AM. I slept until 9 and left the room at 11. Then I sat on the chilly front porch and called my wife as the rain tapered off. On the road at 11:45, temperature in the upper 50's. Steep uphill on Main Street to the trail, then gentle uphill on the trail.

The Keystone Viaduct is 2 miles up the trail. The view is great in every direction. This bridge has a concrete surface. Most of the trail bridges have a wood surface.

I like the layers of this view from the 909 foot long Keystone viaduct.

Looking the opposite direction on the Keystone viaduct.

Then 6 more miles of gentle climbing to the Eastern Continental Divide, where I leave the Gulf of Mexico watershed and enter the Chesapeake Bay watershed. 2392 ft (725 m) elevation. Strange that the trail summit is actually a tunnel under a road.

The summit of the *Great Allegheny Passage* trail is a tunnel under a road.

Elevation profile of the *Great Allegheny Passage* trail. I had it easy but coming from Cumberland the grade is a brutal 1.5%.

After the summit the trail descends much more steeply, 1.5 percent grade. Still very gentle compared to most open roads.

Now I'm mostly done with trestles, but have 3 tunnels ahead instead. Big Savage tunnel is the longest. 5/8 mile long. But you can see light through the tunnel because it's so straight. The lighting is good and the surface is smooth, hard, and dry. Easy to bike through, but remember to take off your sunglasses.

Big Savage tunnel is 3294 ft (998 m) long. Longest tunnel on the *Great Allegheny Passage* trail.

Built in 1911. Recently restored to seal out water and add lights.

The tunnel has a smooth dry surface and has a slight bend at the east end.

A couple miles past the tunnel I crossed from Pennsylvania into Maryland over the famous Mason-Dixon line. It was surveyed in the 1760's to settle a land dispute between the two colonies. Much later it became the symbolic boundary between the northern U.S. and southern U.S. The monument was just added to the trail in 2013, funded by a local wind power company.

Crossing the Mason-Dixon line from Pennsylvania into Maryland.The traditional boundary between north and south.

The descent has few expansive views. Just downhill through the forest, often in a ravine.

The 957 foot Borden tunnel is short enough to not need lights.

I turned off the trail at the Frostburg railway station and climbed 150 feet up a steep slope to downtown. While going up I used the easy switch-backed bike trail. Going down I took the steep road. I had lunch at a Chinese restaurant and generally enjoyed the vibe of the town. It's very photogenic and the college keeps the town lively.

The Frostburg station of the Western Maryland Scenic Railway is 150 feet below downtown Frostburg.

Frostburg, Maryland. 2000 feet elevation. Population 9000. Home of Frostburg State University.

Starting in Frostburg the trail is adjacent to the track of the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad. So close that ballast rock rolls onto the trail. Only one area has a good valley view. Most of the time I just saw trees and the railroad track.

Valley view while descending from Frostburg to Cumberland.

The Maryland part of the Great Allegheny Passage has fewer recreational facilities than the Pennsylvania part. Very few tables, shelters, and toilets. In Pennsylvania the roads had stop signs when crossing the trail. But in Maryland the trail has a stop sign when it crosses a road. That's odd because country roads normally have a stop sign when crossing a railroad track.

East of Frostburg the Great Allegheny Passage trail is adjacent to the active track of the Western Maryland Scenic Railway.

The Brush tunnel is the final tunnel on the GAP trail. No trains went by while I was along the track.

The 914 foot Brush tunnel is *shared* by bikes and trains!

The steady downhill grade continues through the narrows into the city of Cumberland, population 53,000. Pavement resumes for the last 3 miles.

Palisades view from the final trestle of the *Great Allegheny Passage* trail. Note the railroad track behind the left railing.

I continued a few blocks past the Cumberland railroad station to the Potomac river, the east end of the Great Allegheny Passage trail.

In Cumberland the GAP trail passes through a pedestrian plaza near the railway station/visitor center. Follow the yellow brick road.

East end of the Great Allegheny Passage trail. 147 miles to Pittsburgh. To the right is the west end of the C&O Canal trail.

Turning left at the river puts me on the C&O Canal trail. I went a short distance down the C&O Canal trail to take a picture. Maybe I should have continued to the first lock. But I got a late start today.

The trail follows the Potomac river downstream to sea level at Washington D.C., mostly along the towpath of the C&O Canal. The canal was built alongside the river using dozens of locks. Only portions of the canal still exist. The canal was never profitable because the Baltimore and Ohio railroad (America's first long distance railroad) was completed at about the same time. The railroad crosses the mountains, but the canal never did.

Looking east at the C&O Canal trail and Potomac river. Washington D.C. is 184 miles downstream. C&O stands for Chesapeake and Ohio. The developers hoped to extend the canal to the Ohio river watershed.

The Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal trails form the most popular long-distance bike touring route in the eastern U.S. Several thousand people pedal the Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. trail every year. For most it's their first multi-day bike tour, a one week trip. The premier off-road beginner bike tour in the eastern U.S.

From the junction of the two trails I had a great view of the city of Cumberland with the Allegheny mountains in the distance. Looking back at the mountain I just crossed.

Looking west from intersection of Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal trails. The GAP trail goes through the notch in the mountains.

Then I backtracked a mile to downtown Cumberland and rode around the downtown area until I found the Baltimore Street pedestrian plaza. It's a beautiful 3 blocks of mostly historic buildings.

Western Maryland Scenic Railway in Cumberland.

Baltimore Street pedestrian plaza in Cumberland, Maryland.

Cumberland has a beautiful historic facade. But it's very much in Appalachia. Kind of remote, with low incomes, high unemployment, and shrinking population.

Unfortunately I have a motel reservation at Econolodge in suburban LaVale, Maryland, 5 miles away with 750 feet of climbing. Halfway up to Frostburg. The $55 room is pretty good, and many stores are in the vicinity. I plan to take a rest day here tomorrow.

The afternoon was mostly cloudy with a high of 70F. Warmer than yesterday but still below normal. I haven't seen much sun during the first 5 days of the tour.

Today was an interesting day with an awesome trestle, 3 tunnels, and 2 historic towns. But I'm glad to be finished with the 147-mile bike trail. The remainder of the tour will be on roads. Back to the real world.

Distance: 42.3 mi. (68 km) 30 miles unpaved
Climbing: 1495 ft. (453 m)
Average Speed: 10 mph (16 pm/h)

Today's ride: 42 miles (68 km)
Total: 233 miles (375 km)

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