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.