August 16, 2023
I am ignorant.
Today should have been long but fairly easy day with the exception of traversing the section through Glassport and McKeesport. These areas are busy with narrow roads, traffic, and lots of industrial goings on. Randy J will remember stopping for lunch at an Italian restaurant and worrying about our bikes being stolen as the neighborhood is a bit rough. It is in decline since the steel industry has been mailed to china. I tried to stay off the main drag as cars were whizzing by and others were parked along the narrow street. I really didn’t want to get hit or doored so I took to the alleys. They were clean of debris and safe. I think Bruce thought I was nuts. He is not good with a map and so followed me weaving in and out of alley ways yelling “what are you doing?”.
Speaking of Bruce and his sense of direction…..we separated this morning as he wanted to get to a restaurant some 30 miles down the trail to meet an old buddy and I had to backtrack a mile to visit a KYBO (remember, that’s Iowan for porta potty). I was concerned he would get lost in McDonald PA as this is where to Panhandle trail intersects the Montour Trail. The Montour has and East/West route and a route heading North and each is at a different elevation so on the map they appear to intersect but in reality one is a bridge over the other. So if you want to go east from the panhandle you have to climb a side trail and take a dog leg to the E/W Montour. There are no signs indicating this and google will simply tell you to turn from one to the other where they intersect. Anyway, since i was alone and hungry I stopped soon after departing camp and had breakfast. At this point i was a good hour or more behind Bruce. After breakfast he texted me saying he was in McDonald and could not find the right trail, exactly as I had predicted. I eventually caught up with him riding with two woman who were showing him how to get where he needed to go. There was no way he was going to meet his buddy on time now.
When I caught up to him and the two woman I joked “I see you had to get rescued by woman!”. Well the younger, thinner, prettier one laughed and said “yeah but we are GAP woman” (GAP is Great Allegheny Passage). The older, uglier woman was triggered and said my remark was ignorant!!!! (I represent that!!! ) Her face was mean and nasty and all screwed up. Luckily I had my camera ready and got a pic just as she said this……
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This world has lost its sense of humor! Yeah, I know. Anyone who knows me knows I have a warped sense of humor. Hell that’s what happens when you work in an ER for 35 years. That winch should feel lucky I didn’t say what I was thinking!!!! My fellow ER crew can probably vouch for that.
So after this and finding the right trail we had to conquer the detour around a closed tunnel. To avoid a long ride on a busy road I had planned a shorter but hillier route using google. Another time I should not have trusted google. It was hilly with one half mile section of 13-17 % grade which we walked. And when we were but 2-300 yards from reuniting with the trail the last road we needed to take was a private no trespassing deal. Now normally I would have taken it anyway but this was some sort of construction business and the sign read- ‘this is not a route to the Montour trail.’ I looked at the map again and decided it best to go back and take a busy road anyway. But Bruce looked at his map and said “if we go straight we will intersect with the trail”. I said the road actually goes over the tunnel that was closed but Bruce insisted. And I have in. If you think trusting google is a mistake, trusting Bruce with directions is a disaster. As I thought when we got to where the road should intersect the trail there was no trail as it lie beneath our feet at some unknown depth. The road dead ended at a country club the had a sign reading…’your gps is wrong, go back’. So back up that damned hill we went again and took the busy road which lead us to the trail no problems.
After 70 mikes I was done and am camping in West Newton……well I’m in my tent but this place is more like glamping. There are nice outdoor showers and bathrooms that make my indoor bathroom look cheap. There is an outdoor covered kitchen area, a living room complete with cushioned chairs, ceiling fans, and a tv. And lots of grassy areas on the Yog River to camp.
Hope it doesn’t rain again. It rained last night and off and on riding the trail this morning. I need my stuff to dry out!
Today's ride: 74 miles (119 km)
Total: 3,374 miles (5,430 km)
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9 months ago