🎼The Thigh Bone’s Connected ToThe Hip Bone🎼

August 18, 2023

So you know the song…..the thigh bones connected to the hip bone…..etc, etc. Well my knee bone must be connected to my butt bone cause the knee pain I had yesterday moved to my butt and my AGM has returned. I will apply another hydrocoloid dressing tonight and hope for the best.
Not surprisingly it rained last night from about 1 to 3am or later. So everything I had on yesterday really didn’t have time to dry due to the increased humidity. Time to break out the second set of cycling clothes. And time to do needed laundry tonight at the Ramada Cumberland Maryland. ……..Did you get that? MARYLAND!!!!!! I am at last in my native state. Crazy but even I can’t believe I started in Seattle and am nearly home. It might not sink in til I sit down with all my photos and try to make sense of this whole trip.

The GAP remained a slight uphill til I reached the Eastern Continental Divide where rain water on the west side flows to the Gulf and rain water on the east side flows to the Atlantic. After that I rode my favorite part of this whole GAP/C&O deal. It may not have the ferns, hemlocks, and rhododendrons like the Laurel Highlands further north has but it is all downhill with grades of 1 to 3 %. So for the last 20 miles or so you can fly down the mountain to the City of Cumberland. No I didn’t reach terminal velocity as I did coming down some of the hills in the Rocky’s but it’s still a blast. If you haven’t done it you should. Start in Cumberland and ride to the Divide for a picnic lunch then cruise on back to your car.

Further north on the trail I was riding around a long right hand curve when I heard a train approach from behind. Now I knew there were active tracks on the opposite side of the river from me, but it sure sounded like a steam locomotive was chasing me on my side. Maybe a ghost engine from the past?!?! Maybe the City of New Orleans coming out of Kankakee like in the Steve Goodman song!!! I would have loved to have been around when these rail lines were active and transporting coal and goods and all these small towns were thriving!!!

At the gas station/restaurant in Confluence (Mitches) there is an old poster from the late forties listing stage shows at the local theater. To my surprise there were top names on that poster like Red Skeleton, Cary Grant, and Rita Hayworth. To think of how prosperous these towns once were and how they have since declined as we have shipped our industry to china is distressing. All in the name of the almighty dollar!!!!!

At the campgrounds last night was a young homeless couple and a two year old living out of a cheap Walmart tent with their belongings in a shopping cart. Now this was no run down dump of a campgrounds. The grounds were well kept, the host couple were great, and there were lots of expensive RVs camping there. In fact it was pretty nice and I would stay there again in a heart beat. The adults smoked like chimneys and coughed constantly. This poor kid doesn’t have a chance in hell. I’m not sure how they made it through the pouring rain and I did not see them this morning as I packed up to leave so maybe someone took them in. I thought about calling CPS as this kid would probably fair better in foster homes. But what do you do? What can you do? I could have given them money but I bet it would have gone to buying cigarettes. I’m not sure. Sad to see folks living like this but it is all too common these days.

Ok, enough gloom and doom. Off tomorrow to start the C&O. I hope it dries out as it can be a mess after it rains. 184 miles to DC! Can’t wait.

They have a phone holder at this spot so you can do these selfies. Weird thing is I was the first person to use it last October when my sister and I rode the GAP.

Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 3,493 miles (5,621 km)

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Frank SowaYOU ARE DA MAN !!! Talking about "kicking in the door ... " WOW !! Given your many days of rain I expected to see moss growing on your head or at least in your facial hair. The kid and family comment, I get it and I feel it and i wonder how many opportunities those folks had to make better decisions and ... At least to me it speaks volumes that people are willing to risk death to get into this country (legally or illegally) because they know there is no other country that provides so many chances to succeed if you are willing to work and do the right thing (ok, a lot of folks also succeed illegally). I'll tell you stories about my son and his foster children adoption challenges when we meet up next time. CONGRATS on stepping (riding) into Maryland.
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