GAP / C&O Ride, 9/10/13, Little Orleans, MD to Meyersdale, PA

The Town Hill Hotel B&B was a bit on the expensive side for a twin bed and a shared bath (although there weren't any guests in my section last night with whom I needed to share).  The breakfast, however, was excellent as the owners, Dave and Donna, took great care in their food preparation and presentation.   

Dave drove the seven cyclists back down the eight miles to the Towpath. Here I parted ways with the four men from Ohio and the couple from Hawaii. The six of them were heading south to DC.  

My plan for today was 75 miles, my biggest day.  I traveled from Little Orleans to Old Town, MD without seeing one person for over 25 miles.  However, there was enough to keep me occupied. I decided to not crank music and just enjoy the environment this morning. There was quite a bit of wildlife.   I kept seeing a crane / heron type of bird but he or she was not interested in a photo. The many turtles in the river were sunning themselves and deemed me not threatening enough to depart. 

I passed this fellow also enjoying the Towpath. 

These next photos are of the Paw Paw Tunnel and the path leading up to it.   The donkeys would walk along the left and pull the boats in the canal.  I walked through alone. 

You can see the overgrown canal to left of the wooden bikeway. 

Here I am on the other side. 

And a sign and explanation. 

Because one can see the light at the end of the tunnel upon entering it, the end doesn't seem very far away.  But you must walk your bicycle since the sidepath is in bad shape after thousands of donkeys walked it. Thus it seems as if someone keeps moving the light at the end farther and farther away. 

I saw my Clash-loving companions again today. 

At the Old Town, MD mile marker I started seeing people, in fact about 15 of them within ten minutes of one another. I stopped for a protein bar break (25 miles) and talked for a bit with a husband and wife changing a tire on their tandem recumbent. They were part of this large group traveling as a SAG (support and gear). Thus they were actually carrying very little as the van that was on some nearby road had everything. 

Since I started out much later today (B&B's tend to be rather relaxed) at 9:30 I decided to plow through to Cumberland, MD for lunch at 1:30. This would be a 45 mile ride. 

Cumberland is where the C&O Canal and Towpath end and where the Great Allegheny Passage begins. The GAP is comprised of several old and abandoned rail lines. 

Now, many people questioned my choice of riding south to north. And I had heard about the climb out of Cumberland, MD to Pennsylvania . It turns out that the climb is very, very tough. I climbed from Cumberland to the top of Mt. Savage for 24 miles and ended 2392 feet above sea level. This took about three and half hours going about seven miles per hour with a few stops for photos. 

A few miles from the apex is the Mason Dixon line. 

I was right up top with the modern wind turbines. 

And a look back down the mountain. 

After a bit more climbing I reached the top and the Big Savage Tunnel.   The GAP volunteer group closes the doors to the tunnel each winter and opens them again in the spring in order to maintain the 50 degree temperature. Freezing temps bedeviled the railroad when it was using the tunnel and it cracked and sprang leaks. 

It was eery walking through alone as it was mildly foggy as the temps outside were in the upper 80s. 

And this is what my iPhone said that I did - 

My destination,Meyersdale, PA,  for the night was eight miles all down hill now. There was one more notable landmark to see. A took this photo and the iPhone died. 

I have more photos on my feature phone that I'll update this post with tomorrow and tell you what the landmark is. 

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Update, 9/11/13

Here are the other photos -

Washington, DC is at zero feet above sea level (way off to the left of the image below). 

And a selfie near the Eastern Continenal Divide landmark. 

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Tonight I'm at another B&B, Gram Gram's Place.  This place is a self-serve B&B. I had a code to open the door and then called the owner to tell him that I'd arrived.  Breakfast is also self-serve from the fridge and freezer.  This is a quiet and somewhat down-and-out town (except for the many trains passing through). I had to choose pizza from Sheetz for dinner. (Surprisingly good.). 

I am beat but am extraordinary exhilarated over having ridden 75 miles with a 24-mile climb to 2400 feet. 

Tomorrow is a breeze - 56 miles and almost all of it downhill. The scenery from here to Connellsvile, PA should be terrific. 

 

GAP / C&O Ride, 9/9/13, Shepherdstown, WV to Little Orleans, MD

Last night's hotel was a great, quiet choice and a fine night's sleep. There is, however, nothing else around and locating breakfast is tough. So I had to resort to room service. It always seems so decadent and way too expensive. But there weren't any options. I called the night before so that at least it would be delivered at 7:00 am when room service started. 

I rode back over the bridge and hit the Towpath at 7:45 cycling along in early September, cool morning air.  Unlike riding on a Sunday, this morning was very quiet and I passed many miles without seeing another soul.  My 25 mile protein bar stop was in seemingly deep forest. 

My constant companions are the Potomac to the left and the Towpath to the right.  As it was yesterday I experienced slightly different Towpath tracks. Today there turned out to be many roots, so much so that sightseeing was not advisable as I could not take my eyes off the path lest I run over a big root. 

As usual I passed another aqueduct or two.  

I stopped at 10:30 as I was in Williamsport and my guidebook said that the next food would be 25 miles away. So I pulled off the Towpath and headed out into the town. While men are stereotypically predisposed to finding their own way thus avoiding asking for directions at all costs, it's very different when you're making your own way under pedal power. The first person I saw in Williamsport was a sheriff sitting at what appeared to be a notorious speeding spot. In any case he directed me up a 1/2 mile hill to Sheetz (always a good, inexpensive choice). I loaded up on a 12 inch cheese sub and refilled the Camelback with cold water (Deer Park, not that gross Dasani or Aquafina,  I have standards even when bike riding).  Half was eaten sitting at the trailhead and the rest I kept until a later point.

At some point the old canal merged with the Potomac and I rode right alongside its banks.  It appears that the rock cliffs had damaged the trail over the years. The Park Service seemed to have recently replaced quite a bit of path and had done fine work. 

The trail again from Williamsport to Hancock was empty.  I had many miles to myself and blasted the tunes (as much as my iPhone will). This may be why I don't see much wildlife as I'm sure they don't appreciate my renditions of Rock the Casbah.  The deer, however, did not mind the Clash.  

This section of the Towpath was particularly bad and seemed like many people were avoiding it. 

And for you Kurt Parker - there were a few historical markers - 

Photos

I sat and ate the other six inches of the Sheetz sandwich at the Hancock Welcome Center (closed for the season). 

I only went another mile or two to the town of Hancock.  It was here that a local cyclist actually tracked me down and suggested that I ride the Western Maryland Rail Trail - http://www.westernmarylandrailtrail.org/WMRT/info.html which runs parallel to the Towpath. This was the first paved path in 125 miles and it was a great break from roots. Although I must say that felt like I was cheating. (And now I know why the previous ten miles on the Towpath were so bad and empty, the WMRT had been running parallel for those miles already when I entered it.)

You can barely make out the Towpath through the woods. 

The WMRT does connect back up with the Towpath and I had another seven miles to Little Orleans and my stop for the night. (I don't have any photos for this section of today as the iPhone and the external battery died.  Note to self - also take actual camera on next trip.)

There isn't much at the Little Orleans mile maker. I had made reservations to stay at the Town Hill B&B.    The directions that I received from the owner were to stop at Bill's Place, call the B&B for a shuttle and then have dinner at Bill's Place. Apparently Bill's Place is the only restaurant in the area.  

When I arrived there were already cyclists waiting at Bill's who informed me that the restaurant was closed for today (the benefits of living in a small town - just close when the mood hits you).  This group too was staying at the same B&B as I. A quick call to Dave at the B&B and he was on his way to collect us. While we waited I spoke with the other four cyclists from Ohio. The group of four was heading from Pittsburgh to DC. They had parked at the Greyhound station and planned to catch Amtrak back from DC. The group consisted of the 80- year old grandfather, his son and his two grandsons. So three generations of cyclists making the 330 mile trip.  A few minutes before Dave arrived a couple from Hawaii showed up.  They too were going from Pittsburgh to DC. 

Dave packed up the seven bikes on a specially constructed trailer and took us to the local Exxon for us to grab some food to go. I ordered first and took my dinner outside while I waited for the others. Dave had left his vehicle at the diesel pumps and I walked in that direction. Upon noticing a school bus at the pumps that said "Allegany County Schools" I struck up a conversation with the driver (wondering if the pronunciation was the same as "Allegheny" - it is).  Catharine and Bonnie you'll love this - he had the oddest combination of Canadian and Pittsburgh accents. He had the typical Canadian pronunciation of "out" but he dropped his "to be's" just like Pittsburghers. 

There isn't an early start tomorrow as breakfast is at 8:00. 

Tomorrow I pass through Cumberland, MD and there move from the C&O to the GAP.  I'll end the day in Meyersdale, PA.