This bike ride came together in a hurry. A group of us, friends from high school, had ridden the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the C&O Canal together in 2016. It was a 300 mile bike ride from Pittsburgh to the Washington, DC, area over six days. Earlier this year, there was a documentary about this trail produced by a PBS station in Pittsburgh. It was called The Great Ride. It was quite inspiring, and reminded us of the wonderful time we had had in 2016. I said that I was prepared to do this ride with the same group once again. Koushik immediately took me up on the the offer, and proposed that we ride this year, without waiting too long. The others agreed almost immediately after that.
It took just a few weeks for the plans to come together. We decided that we were going to do the ride at a more relaxed pace this time. Instead of covering 300 miles, we would just do the 150 miles of the GAP. We would spend a day exploring Pittsburgh, and 5 days doing the GAP itself. This is how it came together.
Arrival in Pittsburgh for Bike Ride
Seeing Pittsburgh by Bicycle and Boat
Riding to Smithton, PA
On to Ohiopyle. PA
A “Rest” Day in Ohiopyle, and then on to Confluence, PA
In the Rain to Meyersdale, PA
Destination Cumberland, MD
This was a special ride. The more relaxed pace of this ride allowed us to enjoy each other’s company much more. We were not rushed in any way. And as we rode, I could feel a deeper and simpler level of connection emerge. Another layer of my inhibitions in the company of friends slipped away. This ride was especially good for the spirit.
Just as for the previous ride in 2016, not all details of the ride where completely figured out ahead of time. We did know where we were staying – the towns and the establishments in those towns, but the particulars of the places we would stop at during the day, and what we were going to do at any particular place, or where we were going to get food and water during the day, were fluid. We were flexible. It worked out well. We saw some great things, and ate some great food (there was the one clunker for me, but that’s all I am going to say about that!). The boat tour of Pittsburgh turned out to be unexpectedly special.
All the establishments we stayed at along the way this time were different from those we stayed at in 2016. We also stayed at more Bed and Breakfast establishments, and only one motel. The owners of all of these places were great in their own ways. They all made us comfortable, and also spent some time with us. We got to know more about each other. One of the owners was the mayor of the town! All of these places had a character of their own. The experience was not about staying the night at the most luxurious place available, but was about something deeper than that. We were staying at places that represented the local town in some way, and we were getting to know some of these places better. We lived in some of the really old buildings that had been renovated. We met the locals and talked to them. We were getting a flavor of the real America.
One would think that rain would ruin a bike ride. Not for me! Even though the rain did change the nature of the experience on the one day that it poured, it brought out a different kind of joyousness. I became a child once again, riding in the rain. I could hear the sound of the rain through the trees, and on my poncho. There was the dirt thrown up by the wet tires. My glasses were getting wet and my shoes and socks soaked. But, somehow, all of that did not matter that much as I was riding. We just rode on through the rain to the next stopping point while others stopped for shelter. We were able to dry out and warm up nicely finally, at the end of the ride. The rain gear did help!
Something different this time was that towards the later half of the ride we encountered some people over and over again in different places along the trail. And we met all of them again at the end of the ride. We were all people on the same mission. I do not remember anything like this from 2016.
The nature of the end of our ride in Cumberland was simply awesome. It could have been anticlimactic – a slow ride to the end line in a plaza in Cumberland in the middle of a hot day. But, no! We had a cheering squad awaiting us. Our families, and even classmate who was visiting from India. The garlands and the awards were a bonus, but I would have been happy enough simply seeing their smiling faces at the finish line. That was special, and unique to this particular bike ride.
A few days have passed since the end of the ride, and I have had time to ponder the richness of the experience of the week that we rode our bikes. It is going to be a hard act to follow.
Koushik had bought everybody new riding jerseys with the GAP logo on them.
The ride started with a somewhat steep climb through the town itself to get back to the trail. Back on the trail, it was back to the regular uphill climb, but with a much reduced angle of attack than what we had experienced in town.
The next stop was the Keystone Viaduct bridge.
We crossed the CSX railroad tracks below us.
The Flaugherty Creek flowed below us next to a roadway.
There were windmills on the ridge in front of us.
The ride took us up the side of the ridge and on to a flatter and more open area behind it.
We crossed the Flaugherty Creek a few times during this section of the ride.
We made a pit-stop at a place called Deal to use the restroom.
The trail was surrounded by meadows and wildflowers of different colors.
The next milestone was the Eastern Continental divide. This was the highest point of the bike ride. It was going to be a downhill ride the rest of the way!
Koushik photo-bombed the picture I was taking of the elevation range of the GAP.
The next stop was at the 3000 foot long Big Savage tunnel.
I would not recommend the activity shown in the picture below to anybody!
It almost looked like there was a car approaching us through the tunnel. It was actually the light from two bicycles next to each other.
This picture was taken at the exit of the tunnel. It is at a slight angle to the rest of the tunnel.
This is what it looked like from a viewpoint just outside the tunnel. We could see the entire valley in front of us (click on the picture!). The Cumberland Narrows that we are heading for can barely be seen in the distance, and is better visible in the picture below this one.
There was always the photo opportunity to be taken advantage of.
It was at this point that Shankar realized that he had left his riding gloves behind at Deal. Two of us decided to ride back to look for it, while the others pedaled on. They would wait for us further along the trail.
The trail and the tracks would run next to each other the rest of the way into Cumberland.
From this overlook above the town of Mt. Savage, one could see the ridge that we had just ridden down. We had some difficulty sighting the entrance to the Big Savage tunnel from this distance.
We had been told about a big raspberry patch next to the trail. We stopped there to pick and eat fruit.
Ram was collecting the fruit to share with the folks meeting us at Cumberland.
We passed through a tunnel that was shared between the trail and the rail line. There is a little fence running in-between the two through the tunnel. As with the Big Savage Tunnel, it felt much cooler riding inside the tunnel than outside it.
Finally, we were in the Cumberland Narrows, getting very close to our destination!
We rode slowly into town. As we crossed the finish line, we were greeted by family and friends. Ganga, our classmate from high school who was visiting from India, garlanded us.
Our spouses were there to meet us.
We received awards
and posed in front of the statue that marks the beginning of the C&O canal.
It felt great to have made it, and to have been greeted by our close friend and family at the end. We had covered 150 miles of trail safely.
The early morning fog was rising over the hills, and behind the community center. The population of Confluence is about 800.
There were people sitting on the benches in the park in the central area in town having an early morning chat.
The breakfast Sandy had prepared was quite grand – with scrambled eggs, chopped up potatoes with fresh vegetable mixed in, tasty sausage links, fruits of different kinds, orange juice, bread, and homemade jam. It was all fresh and substantial. Sandy fussed over us as we enjoyed the food, and she helped keep up a steady stream of conversation. We learnt a lot about the place. By all appearances, Sandy seemed to be a very active member of the community.
We had to ride a short distance on the main road before we hit the trail once again.
It was a steady climb right from the start. There were places where the river ran well below the trail and the train tracks on the other side.
And then it started to rain. We had to bring out the rain gear. I had to stow my camera away in my backpack and put on my own poncho.
This is the approach to the Pinkerton tunnel. The bridge is over the Casselman river. It was raining like crazy at this point. I was in no position to take pictures and enjoy the view from the bridge.
We stopped at the entrance of the tunnel.
The boy in the picture above was riding the trail with his dad. He must have been less than ten years old. He was really pounding the pavement and appeared to be enjoying the experience.
We encountered many more riders who had stopped to take shelter within the tunnel while waiting for the storm to pass, but we pressed on. I was actually enjoying the ride in the rain.
We finally arrived at the town of Rockwood as the rain was beginning to subside. There was a group of cats on the trail. It felt like they were there to welcome us. Apparently, they have become rather well known on the trail. I could not take a picture.
Then it was back on the trail. Our rain gear was put away.
Back on the trail, it was back to the steady uphill climb.
There were also the waterfalls that were formed just because of the rain that had fallen.
I would have loved to have stopped and taken more pictures on the viaduct, but it was not to be.
The first order of business was to clean up the bikes and put them away in the shed that you can see to the right of the above picture. Then we had to clean ourselves up. There was an incredible amount of dirt all over us.. My shoes and socks had gravel all over them. (The shoes are still wet this morning. I will have to ride in my sandals today.) A hot cup of coffee after a shower brought us back to normal.
We went to the Morguen Tool Company for dinner. There was a nice breeze blowing outside as we chatted. We were joined by a few of our fellow riders on the trail, including the little boy and his father.
Then it was back to the B&B for some more conversation. The bottle of Scotch was demolished. The people that we had stayed with at the B&B in Confluence stopped by to chat. We headed for bed as late as usual.
I walked around town by myself for a little bit before going back to the motel room. The others had gone back to the motel to get ready to check out.
This is a picture of the Low bridge over the Yough in the morning light.
We set out on a hike to Cucumber Falls after I returned to the motel.
We stepped off the path to go down to a stream to see the natural water slides.
We could not figure out how anybody could actually slide down this stream and stay alive!
We were trying to follow the Meadow Run Trail to get to the falls. We got lost after this stop by the Yough river.
We had to work our way back to the main road to get to Cucumber Falls. It was a good climb up a hill.
The falls were spectacular!
Here is Koushik exploring the falls.
Ram was next.
Shankar also walked behind the falls.
We then hiked the Great Gorge trail to get back to town.
Here we are at the place where we had stopped for lunch during our ride of the GAP in 2016. We were nicknamed “The Blues Brothers” for the day.
This picture is from the High bridge over the Yough. It was taken from the GAP trail at the tail end of the hike.
I thought this was a good day to relax.
We stopped here for lunch.
This picture was taken as we were leaving for Confluence. This is where we had stayed the night.
Here we are back on the trail again. It is good to stretch before doing any exercise!
Since we were only riding a short distance, we took some extended stops along the way. 
We had to climb down to get from the trail to the river.
Even though it had felt quite hot when we had been walking in the sun earlier in the day, it was very comfortable riding under the trees.
These pictures are from a second stop by the river.
And then it was back on the trail.
This is a picture of the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Casselman rivers. It was taken from the trail.
We went for a walk after arriving in Confluence, putting our bikes away, and cleaning up. We were staying at the at The Confluence House Bread & Breakfast.
We tried to walk to the area of the confluence of the rivers but it was all on private property.
We walked a little more after dinner.
and ended up at the Youghiogheny dam. We did not attempt to walk up to the top of the dam to see the lake behind it since there was a “No Trespassing” sign on the pathway leading up.
That was the last stop before we walked back to our place for the night.
Our bikes were delivered at Washington’s Landing on the Allegheny river.
We biked along the Allegheny river. Downtown Pittsburgh is in the distance as we start the ride.
This is a view of downtown Pittsburgh from the North Shore trail along the Allegheny river.
We took a short detour to ride past the front of the baseball stadium where the Pittsburgh Pirates play.
This picture shows the confluence of the three rivers at Point State Park. Our trail continued along the Ohio river.
This is a view of downtown Pittsburgh from the banks of the Ohio river as we continue to ride the North Shore trail.
The trail continued past Heinz field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers football (American football, that is!) team.
This submarine on the Ohio river is a museum that can be visited.
Time for some fun beside the Ohio.
The end of the North Shore trail provided a break and some time for texting. The trail ran past an older industrialized neighborhood that has seen better days.
The Duquesne Incline and the water fountain at Point State Park are captured in this picture. We were still on the North Shore trail at this point.
We crossed the Allegheny river to get to Point State Park and the water fountain.
Here we are at the confluence of the three rivers. This is the start of the Great Allegheny Passage, otherwise known as the GAP.
Heinz stadium is now across the river from us. One of the Gateway Clipper boats that provides tours of Pittsburgh sails on the river.
We walked the last section through the city on our way to lunch. We went to a Turkish restaurant.
After lunch, we rode back to the start of the GAP, and rode the trail up to the 
Here are some pictures of the city taken from the boat.
This picture is of downtown Pittsburgh. At this point we were on the Ohio river. To the left is the Allegheny river, and to the right, the Monongahela.
The Carnegie Science Center and the Heinz stadium seen from the boat.
And then it was time to head back home and chill. The serious riding starts tomorrow.
The bus and train station are both in the same building.
I am at my friend’s house enjoying the warm hospitality.
We are the riders, the same folks who did the 
We are exploring a little bit of Pittsburgh on our bikes today. I hope the weather holds up.
A couple of months ago I 
The river was extremely muddy on the morning of the second day of the ride due to overnight rain. You can see the mud from the abandoned railroad bridge below.
The sediment had cleared up by the time we crossed the 
This is view of the town of Confluence from a bridge over the Casselman.
The skies had cleared by the time we got to 
This is a section near Hancock.
The river itself was quite peaceful for the most part.
The red waterfall shown below is the 
The mist cleared and we were soon riding under clear skies. This is a view of the Casselman river from one of the bridges we crossed.
This is the Pinkerton tunnel, opened only last year.
We stopped in Rockwood, PA for ice cream. The surroundings are beginning to change. We had been riding in the woods beside rivers. From now on it was farm land.
This is a random shot of a touch me not flower.
We met some interesting people. Jim, in his 60s, was into extreme outdoor exercise.
This is what you do to take care of the pain in the butt. We took a few “butt breaks”.
We have left the woods and are the riding past farms and fields at this point.
Crossing the Salisbury viaduct with the Casselman river below us.
Lunch place in Meyersdale, PA.
These two gentlemen are friends from back in the Vietnam war days in the army. They have amazing stories. They do a lot of riding all over the world. Really remarkable ordinary folks!
Crossing another interesting viaduct.
Calf with an interesting face.
More rest stops (butt breaks) before continuing the ride.
The Eastern Continental Divide!
(Click on the picture below to open it.)
View on the other side of the tunnel.
And then we were crossing the Mason Dixon line into Maryland. It was all downhill (in a good way!) from then on.
We went through a few tunnels.
After Frostburg, MD, we continued careening down the hill beside railroad tracks. There is usually a tourist train that runs between Cumberland and Frostburg during the summer, but the line looked like it was in a state of disuse.
And then we were in Cumberland at the start (end?) of the Great Allegheny Passage!
The following picture was contributed by Ramgopal from his camera since I was not carrying mine. We ended to evening with dinner at the Baltimore Street Grill. It was Koushik’s birthday present to Shankar.
Splattered Brains 