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If you want to view the trip blog in
order, go to the first entry(oldest)
and then follow along.

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Mapping the Trip's GPS Records

Along the ride from Pittsburgh to DC, I had a GPS on the handle bars. it recorded my location as I rode. I was able, with some help, take the data file and load it on bikely.com click here to see it.

finkbiking pitt-dc

Share your bike routes @ Bikely.com

You can zoom in to see interesting paths like how I really got out of Pittsburgh, how far the waffle house detour really was. It is cool, you can even see where we missed the turn off to get from the rail trail back to the canal and where I backtracked to see if Scott needed help with his flat.

When you look at my travel, occasionally you'll see straight lines that don't map exactly to the tow path. this is because at times the tree cover is too thick to for the device to pick up the satellite.
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Day Six Harpers Ferry to Georgetown DC-CandO Canal

The weather for the last day of the ride was predicted to be the opposite of the first. Instead of cool clouds and rain, they were calling for hot sun and humidity. They were right!

It seems like we kept getting in later and later from the rides even though we kept leaving earlier. Today the goal was to be on the road by 7:00AM. We grabbed a bite to eat, checked out the bikes and headed down the hill toward the bridge and then home.

We left going down the hill Scott told us we should have climbed last night. well, I guess he was right. This would have been a much easier route to the hotel but that's water under the bridge (at least it was after Scott pointed out our error e few more times). We took a group shot as we left town and then we headed back across the bridge over to Maryland and the tow path.

This was the earliest we had been on the trail but we saw the most people this morning and would see a lot more before the day was out. We even saw two "tow path patrolwomen" on their bikes.

The first point of interest, for me anyway, was the town of Brunswick. I was looking forward to passing this town! Not that I have any problems with the town, but this was where I had to bail out last time. I think my mind was playing tricks on me. As I approached I could feel that pain I had in my knee last time. not near as strong but it was there to remind me...maybe it was all in my head.

Just as we passed my previous bail out location, Scott got a flat. I looped back and stayed long enough for him to fix it. I took off as he was pumping up the tire. Tim was with him and I was biking slow enough that they would catch me soon enough. It ended up taking a while because he ended up cutting the fill valve before he was done and had to use back up tube #2.

I continued on till I met up with Jim and Steve who were waiting for us to catch up. Mark and Dan had gone ahead towards White's Ferry. When Scott and Tim arrived, we got together and started the ride again. Jim pulled us most of the way as re road tire to tire making up ground quickly.

This was working fine till my tire clipped Steve's and I bit the dust. The wipe out wasn't too bad but I did land on my already sore wrist and busted off my left bag. A little dusting off and my two bungee cords got me and my bike moving again.

It wasn't long before we arrived at White's Ferry where Dan and Mark were waiting for us. Seems like they also had a flat this morning. We grabbed some lunch, relaxed on the path and watch the Ferry haul cars and boats across the Potomac. The shop across from the Ferry store, was nice enough to let some of us use their compressor. Seems like the tiny pumps we were carrying did not have the mustard to get the tires up to full load.

With just over 35 miles to go, we were itching to finish the ride. We headed off again towards DC. We all road together and the ride was most uneventful till mile 20!

Again we were all in a row moving at a good rate due to the dry trail and our motivation to finish. At some point we passed a biker with a flat. Scott radioed that he wanted to stop and ask if the guy needed help. We, he stopped! A few of us did not. Tim who was in the back of our 7 ran into Steve. Tim was also hit from behind. how you ask? Well it seems like 3 other riders decided to join our fast moving train. After the accident, the leader of the freeloaders decided to point out to us that it was not his fault for hitting us and that it was our fault for stopping too fast w/o signaling properly. OK, I'll give you that our use of radios was not the best way to signal a stop and that the crash would have happened with or without them but come on! This is the tow path near DC. These riders had NO IDEA of our experience level or plans. This is the trail where 50% of the time you shout "on your left" people jump in your way. As with skiing, I really feel it is your job to avoid the people in front of you. Not to mention riding tight behind a close line of 7 riders you don't know is just plain dumb. After we exchanges some "friendly" words, they moved along. Anyway back to the accident. Seems like as we were arguing, Tim's sock was getting covered in blood ala RedSox World series run. He got a nice gash just above the ankle. Luckily we had some first aid equipment and were were able to patch him up. (It latter ends up that he got 3 stitches!). After letting him get settled, we loaded back up and headed on... not as close as before.

We made it to great falls and took some pictures. It had been a long ride and after flying by a lot of scenery, I decided I was going to Slooow down and shoot some pictures as I finished.

As the group headed on, I could hear on the radio that they were expecting me to take my good sweet time...and I did.

I got some nice shots and headed on again. I knew they would be stopping at mile marker 5 so I rode hard in the heat trying to meet up with them. I got to five where they had walked down to the river again near a kayak slalom course. As I dunked my head into the water I was looking forward to a nice break. Seems like everyone else's break was over so they drug me along back on the trail. I was slagging back taking it easy in the now HOT weather. (I think it was in the upper 90's and the "feels like" meter was over 100). The worst part was along the trail just before Georgetown, there is another tail paralleling the tow path. Even though the hard and bumpy path was taking its toll on me, I continued on taking the tow path.

I reach the one mile marker and met everyone but Jim who was still ahead somewhere. The trail is a little tricky here, because you have to get across to the other (left) side. Everyone but Dan got over the left side one way or the other. Dan radios in saying he is up on M street and wants to get a beer. We convince him to come back down and meet us for a final picture. Of course we get to the end of the trail and there is NO mile 0 marker.

I While some want to go get a drink and head for the metro I point out that I AM going to FIND the marker. Someone says, "Are you going to spend 2 hours looking for it" to which I rely, "I've been looking for it for 6 days!". We head back toward 29th Street and head down toward the river. I know it is by the boat house down there, I just need to find it. Scott picks up the marker on his GPS from some Navagation points he loaded prior to the trip and we find it in no time. We take some pictures and go back to G'town for hydration and the Metro.

The ride out of town on the Metro was easy. We even had our picture taken by someone from another country who wanted to show her friends back home because they can't take bike on their subways.

We got back to Scott's fine. Tim headed off to get his stitches but most of us were hosted to some fine "Red Hot and Blue" BBQ. The night ended and our families took us home.

The ride was great and I would recommend it to anyone. The grades were not bad, the GAP trail had a better surface and the canal locks and tunnels are just amazing to see and think about the manpower it took to build them. I am ending this blog and I plan on visiting one of the many trail support groups to donate some money so they can keep this great ride alive...

I don;t know if I'll do the whole ride again unless my kids talk me into it but I do look forward to riding parts again especially in the fall. Seeing the turning leaves would make this beautiful trip even more spectacular.

Thanks for everyone who helped make this trip possible from my family to the great guys I got to ride with to the people online who helped answer my many planning questions.



65 miles - total 353 miles ...read more...

Day Five Hancock to Harper's Ferry-CandO Canal

Day Five started out from Hancock. We woke at the hotel and grabbed a bite of their free breakfast and headed back to town and the trail. After a quick stop at the bike shop, we were off. This was day two for the group and based on the feeling of bodies that now had 62 miles under their belts; we had more takers for riding the paved WMRT out of town. Only Dan and Mark took the towpath.

There were a number of people enjoying the Rail-Trail this morning. Scott was leading the riders on the pavement as we came AND PASSED the last crossover to the Canal. After backtracking and harassing Scott, we got back on the trail and met up with the others. The towpath was muddy but getting dryer all the time. I was really missing my city tires now.

The goal of the day was to ride to Williamsport and grab brunch/lunch and then continue on to Harper's Ferry.

We rolled into Williamsport and Mark asked for directions to a place to eat. He said the Waffle House was about ¼ miles away. As we rode MORE than ¼ up hill to the restaurant, Andy, who was talking about calling for a ride, became convinced that he would not be continuing on.

We got some interesting looks as we strolled into the Waffle house covered in dirt but we were VERY clean compared to how we ended the day yesterday. We grabbed some food, Andy called for a ride and then we headed back down the hill to the trail.

On the way to the trail, we stopped at the park head quarters and asked about the Dam 4 Detour. They said it was recently checked and we could tack the shorter detour.

With Andy gone, the pace rally picked up! As the seven of us headed toward the Dam 4 detour, we began riding in a peleton cursing between 13 and 16 m/hr. This was really taking off the miles but I kept thinking I did not want to complete this trip staring at a wheel in front of me the whole way.

The ride to Dam 5 is defiantly cool. Just before you get there, there are steep cliffs on your left and basically the river on your right. It is kind of amazing there is no guard rail there. We rode to Dam 5 and took some time to relax there before going on.

We approached the detour sign and thought about taking the road here. Luckily, someone had written “you are here” on the map to point out that we were actually at the exit point for the long detour. We ignored the sign and continued on hoping to find the shortcut.

Just before the shorter detour comes up, the trail gets rocky and you have to walk with your bike (or risk falling into the Potomac River). Just before the end of the trail, there is a tree swing that you can use to jump into the river for a swim. There was some people trying to use the swing as we passed. We stopped for a minute to watch them try and catch the swing and then jump in but since there were no takers in our group we moved on.

When we hit the road, I slowed way down as the others pulled away up the rather steep hill (it seems like the ride east to west would be harder). I think the detour was where I really hurt my knee in 2005 when I did not complete the canal, so I was already planning on taking it easy to insure I would be able to finish the day and ride tomorrow. Scott was nice enough to hang out with me as we rode slower than the group.

When we came close to the path, there was a killer downhill. This was a great way to end the ride but please be aware there is a tight right turn at the bottom and a few of us crossed the median as we came around. There was very little traffic here but regardless it was unsafe.

Once on the trail a few of us walked to the river to dunk our heads and cool off. For the first time on the trip, the temperature was really getting hot.

We called to check on Andy’s ride. This is where I was quoted as saying I hated Andy. I really did not hate him but his dropping out made my slow riding the anchor or the group.

I felt ok because if anyone hinted at my riding speed, I’d quickly point out I started this ride 3 days before anyone else. In fact I bet if you asked them they’d say I pointed that out at any opportunity ☺

The group all road at there own pace as we headed toward Shepherdstown.

When I arrived at Shepherdstown everyone was waiting ½ way up the ramp to the bridge that crossed over the Potomac and into town. I elected to wait as everyone went into town to get drinks.

When they returned, we headed to Harper's Ferry.

Getting into Harper's Ferry is not the easiest thing to do with a loaded bike. You have to haul it up a nice spiral set of stairs. We figured out that there is a little edge on the side of the steps that you can use to guide your bike up instead of lifting it for each step. Once up the stairs the walk across the bridge was very scenic. We got into town and Scott started off to the left to make it to the Comfort Inn. He says he knew where we were going but his conviction seemed weak to me.

We mistakenly listened to a "colonial" worker instead of Scott. We climbed the BIG hill into town. I was spinning on 1,1 up the hill. At some point Tim who was in front of me bailed from his bike and started walking. My speed peddling was so slow, I gained NO ground on him as we crested the hill.

This was surely the wrong route based on the fact that once we peaked the hill, we had to descend to our hotel. If you are going to the comfort inn, make sure you use the small hill, like both Scott and the Hotel, recommend.

The hotel was not too bad but they were VERY concerned about our bikes messing up the rooms. The let us use the hose and towels to clean off the bikes but we had to use the outside stairs to get up to the 2nd floor and they checked the rooms before and after our stay.

After cleaning up, we had the nice folks at the front desk call a cab for us as we went to "The Anvil" for dinner. We all had great meals even if we missed the 50 cent beer special. After dinner we walked back home down the hill to the hotel.

We decided to get an earlier start for our last day so we would have plenty of time to get out of DC and have dinner with our support groups back home!

70 miles - total 288 miles
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Day Four Cumberland to Hancock-CandO Canal

Day four was the beginning of the C and O canal and my first ride with the 7 guys who came up to join me. Scott was the original organizer who got everyone together and planned the days, stops, and hotels. I rode the C and O in 2005 but bailed out at Brunswick with a bad knee and impending rain for my last day.

I was originally planning on joining them as they finished their last day but as I trained and time went by, I ended up joining for the whole canal AND later planning to extending the trip from Pittsburgh.

We stopped at the Queen City Creamery for breakfast, then got our bikes from the Holiday inn and headed down to the train station to start the ride.

Last night before the family left I switched my bike tires from "city" tires to full blown mountain bike tires to deal with the canal mud from the previous days of rain. This switch proved to be unneeded and costly. The trail was really only muddy the first day and the added friction from these tires killed my speed especially as I road with guys with MUCH smoother tires (and fresher legs).

We took some pictures at the trail head/train station and started the ride.

The ride out of Cumberland is smooth as if to tease the rider into thinking that the towpath may be as nice as the GAP trail. It is not long before you find out otherwise.

The as group headed toward DC we used radios to keep in touch and tried to stay in groups of 2 or more. The radios worked as long as we were with in a mile or two. We also stopped and regrouped every 10 miles or so because we did not want to leave anyone behind.

The trip here was rougher that the GAP trail and even though it was not raining the crew was COVERED in mud before we were 20 miles in. The first 20 miles were uneventful unless you count Dan crashing toward the canal, just shy of the water, while looking behind to check his bag and Steve getting stung by a honey bee.

Our first major stop came just before the paw-paw tunnel. We headed off the road to the convenience store in Paw-Paw where the stories about their subs ARE true. The sandwiched that a few of us ordered were HUGE!

The sign at the store said "no shoes, no shirt, no service" but I was expecting them to tell us to please undress before we entered. The workers didn't flinch as we walked in for sandwiched, drinks and Benadryl. We are hoping that the Benadryl would help Steve, who is allergic to bees, keep the swelling down in his arm.

After lunch we head back to the trail and the tunnel. I missed the sign that says walk your bike and rode into the tunnel with the other behind. Riding surely is not recommended. The tunnel is dark even with our lights. The surface is very bumpy and it is hard not to hit either the wall or rail. As we neared the exit, we came across some hikers who reminded us to walk our bikes and we exited to daylight.

One day I hope to come back and hike the trail that goes up and over the tunnel, for now me and my slippery bike shoes will have to ride on.

We continue along the trail and regroup just before the turn off to Bill's Place in Little Orleans. We stop for a break and a few of the team grab a beer for good measure as we admire the ceiling full of $$. We saddle up and go back to the trail toward Hancock.

As you approach Hancock you have to decide if you are hardcore or not. Three of us Mark, Dan, And Jim decide to continue on travel along the canal and the rest of us jump on the Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) to bike along the smooooth pavement into town.

There is a lot of discussion going on about the surface of the Canal especially compared to the GAP trail. It would be interesting to get a count of how many people doing the trip between DC and Pittsburgh jump off here and take the paved trail for the 20 + miles.

I think you would miss out on something if the C and O was not like it is, but the GAP trail sure was nice! People like me who are doing this as a challenge/vacation probably will do it either way but I really think there would be more local use/support for the towpath if it were smoother and more reliably mud free. If I am planning a weekend ride and one of my options is a bumpy and muddy canal, I think I may choose another route. Wouldn't you?

We glide into Hancock smoothly and stop at the Canal Bike Shop for some supplies and a few souvenirs (I think they could sell a lot more souvenirs if they had them). Two of us (not me I already have a comfy seat) opt to purchase the jell seat covers :)

We are covered in mud but glad to finish the day. Everyone is excited to get there first day finished.

I know Hancock well because my dad grew up there. I have been there many times and know the town. We head west on main street and loop up and around 522 to the hotel. We check in and take our bikes behind the building to hose them off. The staff was nice enough to bring us some old towels to dry our bikes off before we took them into the rooms.

My dad, who was actually nearby, stopped by to check on us. Since it looked like it might rain and we really did not to walk into town, we had my dad shuttle is into town to Weaver's Restaurant for dinner. It ended up that that was a great idea because they close at 8:00 PM and we got there about 7:45. If we had walked we would surely been too late.

After dinner we shuttled back to the hotel. I don't think anyone had problems falling asleep.

62 miles - total 218 miles ...read more...

Day Three Meyersdale to Cumberland-GAP Trail

Day Three started off like day two with more rain. The radar and weather report looked like things might clear up by lunch and with only 32 miles to go, I thought I could wait out the rain. With my shifting issues, repaired chain and loose headset, I figured I should have the bike looked at before I started. I spent the night in Sumerset and of course the two local shops I found we BOTH CLOSED on Wednesdays. I called back to Rockwood and they said they would be able to help me out.


I got to Rockwood around 11:30 and got a major tune-up for a very reasonable price! kudos to the shop! The rain stopped and sun actually came out for a minute while the bike was being repaired.

I got back to Meyersdale to finish out the GAP ride. I was a little disappointed to start. I had originally planned on taking the trailer bike out today. I was going to haul one kid for the first 8 miles and the second for the 2nd 8 miles including the continental divide and Savage tunnel.

Based on the fact that the weather was not looking good and I could not figure out, with the map we had, how to find Deal for the switch. I know it looks easy from the maps online but I could not find my print out and I did not want to risk being w/o a ride while with one of the kids.

The ride was again nice. I got a chance to see the bridge at scratch hill and the Keystone viaduct.
As I approached the Eastern Continental Divide, The weather started getting cold and foggy (read VERY humid) I entered the Savage Tunnel which seemed to be full of fog. That ride was cool. I could not even see the end for the longest time (maybe because of the fog). I finally exited the tunnel and entered Maryland as the quick decent began. I can't speak for everyone but I think the gradual climb and quick descent of traveling west to east is the best way to go.

I cruised down to Frostburg and followed the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad line into Cumberland. I think the ride from Frostburg would be great in the fall. I think you can take the train from Cumberland and ride the trail back.

Funny, when I got to Cumberland I ran into 3 biker who basically road the same ride as I had today. Seems like they left early and spent most of the day in the rain. Leaving late allowed me to get my bike fixed and stay dry all day...sweet!

I checked into the hotel , and got some free warm cookies, as the team riding the canal began to start showing up. seven of the eight that were originally supposed to make the trip arrived. The 8th rider decided against the trip because he was unable to train and prepare. Did I mention that the Holiday Inn was having happy hour where they were giving away Free Food and Beer to guests!!

We went to dinner, walked down by the start of Thursday's ride and had a few drinks. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped by the Queen City Creamery and some of the guys got a snack for the night. We decided we'd start the trip at QCC for breakfast.

32 miles - 156 miles total
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Day Two Connellsville to Meyersdale-GAP Trail

The Second day did not start off as well as the first. It rained most of Monday night and Tuesday was supposed to complete the 2+inches of rain the Pittsburgh area was expecting. I sat and watch rain for a few hours and figured I'd just better plan on riding in the rain.

It took a while to get breakfast and pack up the crew and check out so they could drop me off where I had stopped in Connellsville. I got on the trail around noon and started off toward Meyersdale as the rain had stopped. I had some back-up destinations set up in case the rain got too heavy. I needed to go far enough that Wednesday would be less then 60 miles so I could finish and meet the group in Cumberland for a Thursday start of the C and O. I started out on the road which is actually a wide lane next to the road that led past the Bike shop in Connesville. I would later regret not stopping in to have my misaligned derailer fixed.

It took me a long time to get through the first 10 miles of the day. I rode with the river on my left and forest or cliffs to the right. I think due to the heavy rain, all the water flows were in high volume mode. I think I stopped every 1/4 mile to get a picture of another waterfall.

By the time I hit Ohiopyle, I was done looking at waterfalls. The incline of the ride was obvious for most of the day but the gradual nature of the slope made it almost unnoticeable to the legs.

At some point during the morning, I saw two ladies walking their dog. I think I startled the dog and the unleashed pet began barking and chasing me till the owners were finally able to call it back. I thanked them for there hospitality and road away wishing I was carrying pepper spray.

I wondered what they would have thought if I had given their dog a nice spray? Would they be upset at me or realized that their stupidity caused their dog to get temporarily decommissioned? I hate the thought of spraying an innocent dog just slightly less than the thought of getting bit! I wish spaying the owners would solve things but I doubt it.

About 1/2 way into the ride I hit Confluence one of the most inviting towns on the GAP trail. they had a little bridge into town and even a map to inform bikers where everything was. I stopped at the Lucky Dog Cafe for a sandwich as it started to rain again. The rain only lasted a few minutes and I was off.

Confluence was the first bail out point of the trip but since the weather was not bad, I decided to continue on. I tried to call in but the best I could do was get a txt message through during a brief call connection. Note: at this point in the trail there is a sign stating that there is NO cell signals for the next 20-30 miles. I guess I was going all the way to Meyersdale.

My bike was acting funny and I was having shifting issues for some time. I was not too concerned because I was only alternating between 2 or 3 gears anyway and I could find them. Somewhere near Fort Hill, I hit a bump and could no longer peddle. I looked down to find my chain mangled and broken. I was carrying a spare but figured I would attempt to fix this one.
Using my new Alien Tool, I was able to fix the chain in a matter of minutes. Ok, it was closer to 1/2 an hour. I had a hard time lining up the pin to drive it into the chain. The tool came with and alignment gadget but to use that I had to dismantle the tool. Once done I threw the tool pieces in a zip-lock bag and continued on. Did mention it started to rain while I was fixing the chain?

I think it had rained throughout the day but most of the time I was under thick tree coverage and did not really notice it.

No sooner did I fix the chain but I came across a Large Tree downed blocking the trail. I had seen two crews earlier in the day working on trees but they must have missed this one. I also crossed two other downed trees but they were both less than 4" in diameter. As I was maneuvering my bike through the tree, I heard two other bikers coming behind me at the same time. All I could think of was where were they 10 minutes ago when I was working on my chain.

They (Grant and his son-in-law Joe - hope I got the names correct) were doing 90 miles today starting out in McKeesport (I think) and ending in Rockwood. Their plan was to get to DC and turn around and come back! I don't know if they made it but that would have been an impressive ride. I was grateful to have a chance to ride with them as I figured out if my chain fix was going to keep together. I continued on as they stopped for a break because I was still 15 plus miles away from Meyersdale and it was getting late. I passed Rockwood and the Bed and Breakfast/Bike shop around 7:30 and continued on for the last 10 miles of the day.

Around 7:40 I came across another creature on the trail. It was getting late but the site of the dog ahead made me panic. I had already been chased today and now it was late. I had no way to go but forward where my ride was and it was getting late. I saw no signs of owners and I began to ponder my options. 1. Fly by and attempt to out run him or 2. creep by and hope he was friendly. None of these options convinced me to approach. When he began to move, I realize it was not a dog but a BLACK BEAR! Oh boy! Funny thing is, I figured I had a better chance getting past the bear than a dog. I went a little closer and sounded my bell. Bing! Bing! Bing! The bear looked up and ran off. I continued the ride.

It was now getting very late and cold. I switch to a long sleeve shirt and continued on binging my bell hard throughout the ride. At some point I came across two local teen using the trail. I am sure they thought I was a crazy coming through the dark ringing my bell so loud.

By the time I got to the Salisbury Viaduct, it was too dark for a picture and the cars below all had their lights on. The last mile and a half was discerning. I had to get to Meyersdale but it was so dark that it was getting to the point that riding below the tree cover made it almost impossible to see. I was not 100% sure how much farther I had to go and I figured out that by the time I would give up, it would be too dark to turn around. I ended up hitting Meyersdale station around 8:20 PM and called for my ride out of town.

I grabbed a bite and went to the hotel to get some sleep.

62 miles for the day and about 8hrs from start to finish.

62 miles - total 124 miles
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Day One After the Ride-GAP Trail

After the Ride, I was picked up and we took the family back to downtown so I could shower and check out of the Westin. We grabbed some lunch and headed to the Phipps Conservatory to see the artwork of Dale Chihuly. Very impressive and nicely integrated with the botanicals at the Conservatory. We spent about 2 hrs there before we left for our new hotel (Days Inn New Stanton PA). ...read more...

Day One Pittsburgh to Connellsville-GAP Trail

I woke up early and to my surprise, when I looked out the window, the street was dry. Based on the weather radar I was seeing, I figured I should seize this opportunity to start. If it had been raining, I don’t know if I could have pulled out a start.

I got on my bike around 5:10 AM and headed out w/o breakfast. My plan out of town was to get to the Eliza Furnace Trail, keep going east and cross the Glennwood Bridge. I started out from the hotel riding north on Liberty Ave. till I reached Grant Street and headed down to the trail. There is something really cool about riding in the city in the early morning. It is like city is yours and how it could be if there were more pedestrians and bikes than cars and trucks.


When I got down to the start of the Furnace Trail I started thinking, hmm it would have been a good idea if I had brought the light I had in the van for the Paw-Paw Tunnel. I start the trail which I assume is nice but in the dark, it seems more challenging than enjoyable. As I pass by the greyhound bus terminal, I notice a person in a wheelchair and two more sleeping on a bench. This was a little disturbing as I passed. There are a lot of underpasses and dark shadows where people may be hanging out. I was not really concerned for my safety but freaky things can happen especially when people are not expecting a bike to fly by.


I got to what appeared to be the end of the trail at a parking lot and was a little disoriented. Luckily, as I was exiting the parking lot, there were bikes painted on the ground that sent me down, around, and up to either 2^nd Ave or Irvine Street. I climbed a little hill there on a rater narrow road but was doing ok other than me wondering if I was climbing the right hill. Traffic at this time was still light and it was still dark.

As I continued on Irvine till it turned into 2^nd Ave(rt. 885), the road widened so cars could park and there was plenty of room to ride. While one of my concerns about biking through the city was the characteristics of the neighborhoods, at 5:30AM all neighborhoods all are about the same…. Everyone is sleeping.

I continues on, doing well till I come to the Glenwood Bridge. I choose to skip the sidewalk and take the right lane for myself as I cross the well lit bridge. To give you an idea of the time and darkness, I crossed the bridge without seeing a vehicle on my side, and I could NOT see the river as I crossed.

As I crossed bridge and headed right for the 837 exit, I had to get behind a dump truck and turn left at the end of the ramp (Glass Run Road). This is where the ride seems more perilous. As I get to the end of the road I have to turn left and head for 837. Based on the road size and signs I really feel like I am entering the highway! I take the 837 ramp and cross over a bridge headed east. I hug the right side of the road hoping I don’t hit any major debris and continue on till I veer off to the right onto 8^th Street.

8^th street is great, I little hill and NO traffic, I parallel 837 for a while. This is when the rain begins to fall. Not to heavy at first and I go down a hill as 8^th street heads back towards 837. I hop on 837 for a short while and head towards Neel Street in hopes of another safe route on 7^th and maybe a spin around the waterfront. As I approach Neel (or was it Howard?) I have to turn left because 837 is blocked off due to a major accident. I thought about going straight through on 837 to ride it with no traffic but I thought I’d better leave the accident scene to the professionals.

I went down a wet cobble stone street as the rain began to pick up a bit. The bumps on the road made me realize that My headset was a little loose. I followed 7^th to McClure Street and went back on 837. I skipped Waterfront drive because I forgot what street to turn on even though that would have gotten me farther along 837 before I had to ride it. By this point I was if a torrential downpour, still w/o sunlight. I pushed along 837 with all I had. When I got to the greenbelt bridge I had to stop and ask for directions hoping for some reason that this WAS the bridge I needed to cross to McKeesport. I kept biking on 837 up the hill towards Kennywood. As I passed the gloomy looking amusement park, the downpour slowed to a rain shower.

The Sun started coming up as I approached the McKeesport-Duquesne Bridge. I crossed the bridge as the rain slowed to a drizzle and followed Lysle Blvd to a left on Market Street. I took that to a right on 9^th and found the YRT trail head at 9^th and water St.

I called to check in at 6:30AM to let everyone know I was off the roads and on the trail. The trip so far was about 16.5 miles. No more rain found me today.

I got to Boston in no time. I guess I see why a lot of people start here. As the ride went, I found myself thinking that coming thorough here later in the day or a weekend would have been cooler. Based on the number of signs I saw that mentioned food stops BBQs and the like, I was hungry and the bottle of Accelerade I drank as breakfast was not filling me up. I stopped for a Cliff Bar then biked on.

I though the start of the trail was a little rough in the beginning but it was very well marked with signs and flags on poles. I followed the trail across the bridge and onto River Road<. Even though I had been warned about missing the trail off to the right, just before the business at the end of the road, I missed it and had to go back and find it. I though it was odd that the trail was SO well marked till just here, A little climb and I was on my way. My next stop was West Newton where I took a quick break and admired the new “train station” they're building. I was also wishing I had time to rent a canoe. Not a lot happened as I headed toward my day’s stop in Connellsville. I saw some groundhogs, deer, and some wild turkeys and their children. As I came into Connellsville, the rain began again. Before I got a real wet, I found the gazebo in the park and called for my ride. I clocked in with around 62 miles before lunch. I would like to comment farther on the traffic conditions and feel of the neighborhoods I biked through but based on the fact that is was mostly in the dark pouring rain, all I can say is I would Not recommend doing it in THOSE conditions. But I survived. I think taking the water front and some nice weather and light would make passable for and experienced road rider. If you spend >75% of your rides on trails I think it would be difficult.

I am glad that I did ride from downtown to make the trip complete. My original plan was to either start from point state park, which happened to be under construction, or PNCPark but with the pending rain I just left from the hotel.

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Driving to Pittsburgh

We got a late start driving to Pittsburgh with plans on stopping by Idlewild Park. The rain was very stop and go and very heavy at times. As we approached the Idlewild exit I was thinking of turning of because it had been dry for a while.

As we neared the exit the rain began again, a clear sign that the park was not going to happen today. We continued to Pittsburgh and checked into the Westin Hotel on Penn. This was a very nice hotel. All the travel sites listed this hotel at $239.00 (+ all the taxes) a night. We booked it through hotwire for $107.00 including taxes.

It rained most of the day and the weather channel was calling for doom and gloom for the rest of the week. We ran to the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum and played around for and hour and a half before they closed. This is a great museum and we could (and have) spent much more time there. After the museum we grabbed a bite to eat at Spaghetti Warehouse and stopped by Klavon’s Ice Cream in the Strip District for a big scoop of nostalgia. We went back to the hotel to stress about the weather and get ready for the ride. I went to bed to the sounds of rain.
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