Mind the GAP

August 24, 2005

Frostburg, Maryland to Adelaide, Pennsylvania

Last night I feasted at a Mexican place down the street from the Inn. The food was good, but no match for two cold Coronas. To my surprise, the window AC unit masked the noise from the bar so well that I slept 9 hours. I awoke in search of more calories.

Ah, breakfast for one at La Bistro Sept-Onze, convenient located right next door. OJ, a nearly inedible imitation Egg McMuffin, two cookies, and a large cafe au lait, all ingested with great dispatch.

Adventure Sports. They saved my trip. Nice people too.

After stretching and weather channel watching, I was off to the bike shop. Shane and Hunter did their wheel miracle and I was back on the road with a new wheel, tire and tube. They tried to convince me to take a chance on the bike trail, still purportedly unfinished. I took the roads instead.

These parts are notoriously hilly. I climbed out of Frostburg and was soon rewarded with a brief downhill. This was followed by a long, long pull up Big Savage Mountain. Big and savage it was but no match for the biker without a clue. Seeing the summit sign (2900 feet) I yelled out a whoop!, what a sense of accomplishment and relief.

It was big. It was Savage. It was a mountain. It was no match for the Biker without a Clue.

I stopped for the obligatory summit photo, put on some goggles and headed down the back side of the mountain. Although I was feathering my brakes I tore down the hill at 38 mph. Fully loaded street luge. It was only a half mile or so, but it was worth the climb.

The reward for climbing to a ridge in the Allegheny Mountains is riding gorgeous country roads like this one.

I made my way to the Mason Dixon line on a nice, curvy country road, like the roads you see in car commercials and just about as devoid of traffic. I was in the mountains but not climbing ridges so it was a very pleasant ride.

At the Mason Dixon line, I scored my first state line picture of the trip while being hassled by a dog. The PA road to Meyersdale, State Route (SR) 2006, was more of the same. If you need a reminder why bike riding is fun, take SR 2006. I rounded a bend and spotted maybe a dozen huge white windmills standing guard on a ridge line. They would intermittently disappear as I rounded one curve after another. They are absurdly majestic as their blades turn slowly in the breeze.

The Mason Dixon line.

A guy could write a song about country roads like this, don't you think?

Meyersdale was my destination the day my bike broke down 2 years ago. It was much bigger than I had envisioned, but none to impressive. I climbed a short, steep hill to the restored train station and stopped to celebrate my victory over the mountains with a Gatorade.

Now it was time to ride the Great Allegheny Passage or GAP trail. The GAP trail is in much better condition than the C & O towpath was. The GAP trail grade is downhill from Meyersdale, a reward for all my climbing this morning. Clipping along at 15 mph I was frequently stopped by gates that were barely wide enough for my bike. After 5 miles I came upon my friends the giants again. They are the power generators at the Garrett wind farm.

One of many viaducts on the GAP trail. If you squint you can see the Garrett Wind Farm windmills in the distance.

A gate on the GAP trail. These were very annoying.

I stopped to talk to a retired couple. They asked about my bike and I checked out theirs. They were riding comfort bikes that I had seen on an infomercial. Their bikes had some sort of automatic transmission that seemed far more complicated than indexed shifting.

Lunch was at an eatery in this old Opera House in Rockwood PA.

Through Confluence, Ohiopyle, and Connellsville I rode on the amazing downhill path. I crossed viaduct after viaduct that made me marvel at the nineteenth century engineers who built this rail line. I was in shade for most of the ride and the cool dry air of the morning was still with me.

Looking down on the Castleman River from a viaduct.

The Pinkerton Tunnel is closed so the trail loops through the woods without climbing a hill.

In Connellsville I stopped for some food and called ahead to a campground three miles farther along the trail. The food choices were less than appealing so I stopped at a bike shop to see about buying a trailer. They were closed for the week.

I made my way back to the GAP trail and was told to get on the sidewalk by a passing motorist. I told her to have a nice day (or words to that effect, but considerably more vulgar). As I turned on the trail my back wheel skidded. It was low on air. I gambled and continued to the campground. I made it, but only just. I laid down my $10 and proceeded to my tent site by the Youghioheny River. I passed what looked like a dry dock for dilapidated trailer homes. I found the cigarette butts and glass shards at my riverside spot not to my liking, so I set up camp in a field bout 50 yards from the river. It was peppered with goose turds. After some grooming, I made camp and headed through trailer heaven for the showers. I entered the shower and found a cigarette butt next to the valves. Classy establishment.

Clean and groomed I went to bed far from the trailer camp as trains roared by across the river.

Today's ride: 82 miles (132 km)
Total: 307 miles (494 km)

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