Ruta Maya : GAPCO - Day 1 July 4 2016

Day 1: the start of the Pittsburg to Washington DC ride. I was in the elevator and a lady saw me with my bike. She asked where I was going for a ride. I told her that I was riding down to Washington. She said she was going there as well but that they were going in a car. She asked... why would you want to do that on a bike??? That's a long way, was her response. To those who cycle the answer is quite simple... Why not!?

This morning the weather is cooperating quite nicely. It is sunny and 65 degrees (18 C for my metric friends). That is fantastic given that the forecast was for upper 50s to low 60s and thundershowers!

Let the fun begin!!! 😊 🚴

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Today's ride was wonderful. It turned out to be a 71 mile ride with a good deal of it uphill. No real steep climbing just a constant grade of 2 to 3 percent. It's great to be out on a bike pedaling through nature.

The bike path was wonderful. It is an old rail line that was used to bring coal into Pittsburg to fuel the steel mills.

It is well maintained of crushed gravel and was pretty much a smooth ride.

The morning ride was good with the skies becoming more and more cloudy as we rode. The rain held off until about mile 40. Then it started misting and progressively increased. It was never a huge deluge more of a soft Irish rain gently kissing your cheek. 😊 It was a warm rain so I never donned my rain jacket. When your riding, once you get wet it really doesn't matter much.

I really didn't get cold until I stopped at a beautiful waterfall. It was so serene that I just stayed there for 30 to 45 minutes soaking it up (play on words 😊). But after sitting there for awhile I got chilled and had to get riding again to fend off the chill.

The trail took us through several small towns and hamlets. These towns in days gone by were fueled by the coal industry and rail lines which served to bring the coal to Pittsburg. Today they are sleepy examples of Americana holding on and adapting to a new industry, hiking/cycling.

The local church tends to be the anchor for many of these towns and villages.

The steel and coal that was the lifeblood of the area had some undesirable impact and consequences. This is the "Red Falls". It is driven by underground runoff from one of the coal mines. It is red because of acid created from oxidized pyrite. It is acidic and has a negative environmental impact.

The Red Falls.