Road Trip NY VT PA

Home is where the heart is.

We just spent 2 weeks traveling about 1,800 miles to go to a trail race in Vermont, meet up with friends in the Poconos and just generally enjoy a road trip adventure and time outside. This blog started with a road trip back in 2006 and things are certainly a little different now. We used to sleep in the Saturn by flipping the back seats down and putting our legs in the trunk! Now we have a full size SUV towing a 20 ft travel trailer to accommodate the 3 additional people in our family. We looked at trailers for 3 years before we decided on the RPOD 176, mainly because it has full-size bunk beds and the profile of the trailer makes it very easy to tow. After going on a half dozen trips, I think we made a great decision, although there has been a lot to learn about RVs, warranties, hookups, towing and wifi. M works most of the time we are traveling, which is a slight challenge when it comes to scheduling travel days and where we are going to stop, but there's no way we could travel this much without his employer allowing him to work remotely. So we will find the wifi!

Play. Ground.

One thing I love about our trips now is I usually get really good sleep. This trailer is really tiny. Definitely just for sleeping and shelter in bad weather. Therefore, we are forced to spend a lot of time outside. We do a lot of the same types of activities that we do at home, but the eating, playing with toys, reading and hanging out happens outside a lot more. We all usually go to bed when it gets dark. M reads Harry Potter by headlamp and it's so relaxing to fall asleep with all the summer time insect noises. Max is our daily alarm at 6am, no matter what we are doing or where we are, but Laurel will sleep in until 8 or 9. Laurel became a really strong swimmer this year and she can spend hours in a pool or lake, which I think contributes to her long hours of sleep. After a tough year in third grade, she seems to be back to her creative, enthusiastic self and played for hours with her brothers or with any kids she happens to meet at the campgrounds. Speaking of other kids at campgrounds, we met a family with three kids who is hiking the Appalachian Trail together. It was fun to talk with their teenagers, Max introduced himself to them in the pool one day, but I wondered how much of the trail they would remember. I absolutely obsessed over those section maps along our way (we carried paper way back then, lol). Even now, when I step onto the AT, I can summon some memories of what it was like in 2007.

Life is better with a flower crown.

One of the best parts of this trip was that we were able to arrange a few days together with my friend Leah and her family. Despite living 3,000 miles apart, we've managed to keep our friendship going, even growing I think, for 15 years. Last year we we had the guts to get our spouses and kids altogether in a cabin for 3 days, despite none of them really knowing each other at all. If I didn't write about that trip, I should, because it rained the entire time and I'm talking the heavy summer rain that falls from the sky and rises up from the mossy, flooded yards and mists through the trees and floods the river and knocks out the power to the entire county, which knocks out the well pump. But luckily you can still flush the toilet by putting a bucket outside to collect water from the overflowing gutters. Adventures! And yet, I think all of us considered that a good trip. So we did it again, in the Poconos this time, and it didn't rain the entire time. We spent a lot of time at the lake at Tobyhanna State Park, with our five kids swirling around us casting Harry Potter spells on each other and fighting over sand pails. The cabin had a comically long couch in the basement. A sort of party room set up, and most of the kids slept there, all laid out in a line. We arrived in a vulnerable state, having just come from the Vermont 100 race, and that deserves a post of its own, because that was M's 11th hundred miler and no, it doesn't get easier and that doesn't just refer to the runner. But they thankfully offered to cook the first dinner (we split meal prep, which is a very good idea for these types of trips). We made a lot of campfires and stayed up too late talking and took turns playing with the kids. While I was there I realized we don't do a lot of socializing with other families anymore...we do a lot of splitting up and taking one or two kids to various things. The five of us spend a lot of time together, but not with other people usually.

We finished out the trip with 2 days at Hyner Run, one of our favorite camping spots. This was an excellent place to wind down and then the last leg home was only 3 1/2 hours of driving. Nobody felt tired and there wasn't a ton of stuff to clean up when we got home because we had cleaned everything in the camper pretty thoroughly and had been doing laundry along the way. This trip was kind of a test to see how we could live on the road for a few weeks, It went so well, we are all looking forward to our next trip.

Washington DC to Pittsburgh...By Bicycle Part 2

Read Part 1 here.

Day 3 Hancock to Frostburg

Not pictured, whiskey.

I know I said I planned for 65 mile days, but it didn't come out to that exactly. Due to spacing of trail towns and my desire to stay inside a locked room each night, I had to go 76 miles on my 3rd day of pedaling. From Hancock I got back on the Western Maryland Rail Trail and the miles flew by. What a treat it is to ride through a mountain landscape on a flat paved trail. I saw an enormous woodpecker and so many deer. Shortly after I got back onto the Towpath, I ran into a guy I recognized from the train. We decided to ride together for a while. Thirty miles went by pretty quickly while we were chatting and I started to feel a lot better about making it to Frostburg. Once I got to Cumberland, I would be back on familiar territory and on the much better surfaced Great Allegheny Passage Trail. We vented about the conditions of the trail and how much harder it was than we expected, and traded life stories.

Green, green, green on this part
of the Towpath. Just me and the birds.

We split up after a break and I started zooming down the last section into Cumberland. This was a dumb idea, though because my tire got caught in a deep rut and I took a spill. Hot and sweaty, with a gruesome case of road rash (ugly but not serious), I finally made it to Cumberland where I plopped down on a bench and just sat there for a while. I had 15 miles to Frostburg and although the entire trail is railroad grade, this is the one part where you definitely feel the climb. A storm was rolling in. The Airbnb I was going to was probably an additional 2 miles up the mountain from the trail head. And then I lost my poncho. What can you do, though? I started pedaling. And then just as the rain started falling, I came to a tunnel. What luck! I waited out the brief, but intense storm, and then kept going. The sun came out. I found a little rest area with a picnic table and a bathroom and I cooked the most fabulous pot of tuna mac ever. I forgot to bring a fork, so I carved a pair a chopsticks. Then I got a text from my Airbnb host who was willing to pick me up at the trailhead! During the final mile of the day, a group of college students waiting for the rest of their group on the side of the trail cheered for me as I went by. My Airbnb host was incredibly gracious. I have had several really great Airbnb experiences in Frostburg and even though this town is UP the mountain from the trailhead, I still really recommend it (send me a message if you want some recommendations). Eat at the Princess Restaurant if you like diner food.

Day 4 Frostburg to Ohiopyle

Up and over the mountain. My route was right to left.

It stormed all evening on the other side of the mountain from Frostburg so I had the pleasant experience of laying in bed with the windows open and a cool breeze blowing, lightning flashing in the distance. I had a very restful sleep and made myself a bowl of oatmeal in the morning. I did a little bike maintenance and tried to adjust my bent fender. The brakes were definitely not in great shape, but I figured the terrain was mostly flat once I got back down onto the trail so I headed out. And who was there at the trailhead, but my riding partner from the day before! He had stayed in Cumberland and was taking a break after pedaling the first 15 miles up the mountain. We decided to ride together a little more, and the final stretch of uphill pedaling was a breeze. We parted ways in Meyersdale and I spent the rest of my day riding pretty leisurely and enjoying the solitude. I got a flat that I had to fix outside of Rockwood. It actually turned out to be a leaky stem. I ate a really good grilled cheese sandwich at the Lucky Dog Cafe in Confluence. In Ohiopyle, I stayed in the hostel above the Falls Market Inn. I thought it was a bit pricey at $125 a night, but it was Memorial Day weekend. Before I went to bed, I got an ice cream cone and ate it on a bench by the river and thought about swimming in that river as a kid. The summer of 1988 was particularly hot and dry and the river got really low. I could remember being way out in the middle of it and sliding down the rocks on my butt.

Day 5 Ohiopyle to Home
Originally I planned to ride to Homestead, which is the closest spot on the trail to my house and about 60 miles from Ohiopyle. But M convinced me to ride all the way to the end of the GAP which is at the Point in downtown Pittsburgh. Then my dad decided to come out and bike with me on the last stretch. It would be another long day, but the weather was good. It was fun to ride with my dad, although I was plagued with technical difficulties with my brakes on the way home. Thankfully a guy stopped who knew his way around cantilever brakes. He figured out that a spring was missing and hacked a quick fix.

The GAP changes from scenic green mountains to a much more post industrial rust belt vibe in this section. I love the history of this region, though, and these bike trails only exist because of the railroad and canal construction, driven by the mining and steel industries. These are the things that brought my ancestors to Western Pennsylvania from Europe and I could not stop thinking about immigration on this trip. The hows and whys of people moving from place to place and the things other people try to do to control it.

The best feeling was getting to the Point and saying goodbye to my dad, and then starting up the hill to go home. My family had a cookout feast and a cold beer waiting for me. I felt like I could go a lot further (like I had a brief moment where I thought I should pedal down to Route 50 and keep going until I got to San Francisco), but I was also glad to be home.

Why did I do this? Is it safe to travel alone? What kind of bike do I need? What's the cheapest way to do this trip? Do you get tired?

This is 40.

I have done many trips on the Great Allegheny Passage, but I had never done the C&O Canal Towpath. The idea of pedaling home to Pittsburgh was very appealing to me, plus I like being alone. This felt like the most relaxing way to celebrate my 40th birthday. I think it's pretty safe to travel alone. I carry a knife and pepper spray, but the most important thing to do is remain aware of your surroundings and trust your instincts and just quickly move away from anyone who gives you the creeps. The vast majority of people I met were super cool. Most of the day I was just by myself and kind of far from roads and towns. You can always tell that a trail parking area is coming up because you will start to see people walking dogs or little kids on tricycles. Originally I planned to camp, but I knew I would sleep more soundly indoors and I really needed to catch up on some sleep. That was another reason to do a trip like this...I get much better sleep after some good physical activity and yes I did get a little tired and sore. My bike is a Windsor Tourist, which is a road touring bike I bought from BikesDirect many years ago, and modified a little here and there. You could really ride anything on these trails. They are flat and graded and the GAP is one of the nicest in the country. The Towpath is a different story, but you can certainly manage with any sort of bike, as long as it hasn't rained too much. (It gets very muddy as the path is more packed dirt than crushed gravel.) If you want to keep your trip cheap, you can camp along the way in so many places, mostly for free.

Washington, DC to Pittsburgh...by Bicycle! Part 1

It's been a while since we did any blogging about epic travel adventures, but I wanted to post this itinerary of my Washington to Pittsburgh ride, in case anyone else is thinking of doing this. For my 40th birthday, I wanted to do some kind of solo travel. I've had this trip on my mind for a decade at least, but logistically it was hard to work out the details with the whole family and bike trailers and all that. But for this trip, it was pretty easy. I booked a train ticket for $42 plus $12 to roll on my bike, selected 5 places to stay that were roughly 65ish miles apart and "bike-friendly," changed the brake pads on my aging but certainly still serviceable touring bike and bought some random snacks at Walgreens. If you haven't done any bicycle touring the mileage might seem a little daunting at first, but I can assure you, this is a very doable trip for anyone. Other than a few street miles on either end, the entirety of this trip is on car-free bike trail laid on old canal towpath or railroad. In other words, the grade is 2% at most. The trails go up and over a mountain range, so you are generally going up for half and then down for half, but the trail always looks pretty flat. I usually assume I will pedal about 10 mph on average including breaks. So, 65 miles a day is only about 6.5 hours of leisurely pedaling. I know a guy who just did this same distance in 2 days! But my goal was to spend some time alone and see the wildlife and history along the way, so I took 5 days, plus one day for travel.

Day 0 for Travel

Sunrise view from the train.

The train station is within biking distance from my house (7 miles or so). I had to leave a bit early in the morning to catch a 5:30am train, but this was actually nice, because there were virtually no cars on the roads.
The people at the Amtrak station couldn't have been nicer and told me to take my bike in the elevator to the platform. There were no racks in the train car, which was not as it was described on the website, but we all just kind of laid down our bikes on the floor and there was plenty of room. There were about 6 other people with loaded bicycles. Because the train is often delayed I decided to book a bed at Hosteling International in DC and start my trip the following day. Sure enough, we were sitting on the tracks outside of Cumberland for almost 2 hours, but the train is a very comfortable, if slow, way to travel. Seats are huge and they recline enough to take a very pleasant nap. It was a little unnerving to get off the the train and be swept immediately outside into a huge city at rush hour, but Washington DC actually has some great bike lanes and bike paths so I spent the remainder of the day riding around the Mall and the monuments. The Hostel was about $45 for a bunk bed in a shared room. They did have decent bathrooms and free linens and a locked shed that was inside a locked courtyard for bicycle storage. Breakfast was included. I thought it would be mostly young adults, but there were people of every age there, including a field trip of middle school students!

Day 1 Georgetown to Harper's Ferry

Can you spot the heron?

I heard that it was hard to locate the beginning of the trail and that it would be crowded and difficult to ride, but I basically ran into it by accident and there were hardly any people out.  It is brick and narrow and kind of bumpy at first, but before you know it, you are outside of the city....Potomac River to one side and the swampy canal to the other. There was a fair amount of commuter bike traffic at first, and a lot of highway noise, but by mile 10, it was very quiet. The wildlife viewing on this stretch is amazing, especially for birds. The miles melted away and I enjoyed the solitude. The trail is hard packed dirt, with a lot of rocks and roots. Not the most comfortable to ride, but I lucked out with weather and the mud wasn't too bad. However, there is a section just before Harper's Ferry that is washed out and you have to carry your bike and bags through a creek and up a steep bank. I was spared this unpleasantness because a storm blew in just before I got to that section and I was sitting under a porch on an old canal house next to a parking lot. A couple who was walking their dog offered me a ride around the washed out section, which I gladly accepted. When I got to Harper's Ferry I decided to bike up the huge hill (very huge, actually had to get off and push towards the top) to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. I met a few thru and section hikers on the way and was reminded of how different one's view of the AT is when you are a thousand miles in, compared to after you actually complete it. They were definitely in the "why am I doing this" phase. That night I slept at The Town's Inn, which is a really old (like 1840s old) inn. I had my own bathroom but it was on a different floor than the room. No television in the room, but it did have an AC unit in the window and a small fridge and microwave. 

Day 2 Harper's Ferry to Hancock

Snakes in trees.

I got the tip to get off the Towpath and get on the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail just before Hancock and I have no regrets about doing this. The Towpath gets very bumpy and rocky and covered in black rat snakes and mosquitoes and muddy ruts or hard dried ruts and it was very hot. I questioned all of my motives embarking on this voyage and despaired over choosing such an unpleasant way to celebrate my birthday. Just kidding, but the miles certainly dragged on, and while I was still following the river, the water birds weren't as interesting, or maybe I was just tired of looking. I must have gotten a little dehydrated because that nauseous feeling set in sometime in the afternoon and I had to stop every few miles just to suck on a ginger chew and try to drink some water. This is the problem with traveling alone...you have nobody to talk to if your mood gets low. I was never so grateful to see a Super 8 Motel, my destination in Hancock. The lobby was filled with motorcycle guys who raised their Coors Light bottles to me when I staggered in, all dusty and red-faced. This motel was about what you expect for $50, but I would recommend it. The desk clerk gave me a towel for my bike and directed me to a hose at the end of the building. After I cleaned it off, I was allowed to take it into my room. I heard nothing from the motorcycle guys all night and actually slept pretty soundly. Hancock is a town that embraces bicycling and the rail trails, whether you are going 3 miles or 300, and there is a bike shop and tons of restaurants. Everything is well signed, with is ample parking and you can rent whatever you need there.

Stay tuned for days 3-6!