GAPCO - Day 6 July 9

What a fabulous day of cycling.  We pedaled just over 40 miles for the day.  It started out in the 70's but it climbed into the high 80's with 92% humidity.  The good news was that the trail we rode was like traveling along a leafy tunnel.  We were sheltered from the full brunt of the sun all day. 😎

The ride was one of those times that you float along the path and let your mind drift through some of the most beautiful scenery of green.  It was poetic in nature.  It seemed even effortless at times.

We moved along the trail with the river flowing beside us.  A short ride down the trail the river began to take on a faster pace and entered a set of rapids.  The rapids continued as we reached the town of Harper's Ferry.  Another stop on the historical trail we are traveling.

    Harper's Ferry arsenal which John Brown captured at the outset of the Civil War.  Harper's Ferry sits in the V of the confluence two rivers.  It is a beautiful river town that was a center of activity during the War of Northern Aggression.  The town changed hands 6 times during the Civil War.  It was an easy town to capture but a very tough town to defend.  It is surrounded on two sides by mountains.  Anyone who commanded the high ground from these mountains could control the town.  

    The church at the high point of the town.

    The old houses along the Main Street of town. 

Once we left Harper's Ferry we traveled downstream on the towpath and came to a lock keepers cabin that was restored and open for viewing.

The lock keeper was on duty 24 hours a day and was called to duty when a barge would approach the lock.  The barge would blow a horn and the lock keeper would work the lock and guide the boat into and through the lock.  The house was a two bedroom no bath house.  The first floor consisted of two rooms, a sitting room and a kitchen.  The second floor had two rooms.  One was the lock keeper and his wife's bedroom and the second room was the children's bedroom.  The lock keeper was given the use of the house and an acre of ground.  He was paid only a modest salary and had to supplement that with other means to make ends meet.  It was not an easy life.

Speaking of locks and waterways...  we came upon several aqueducts along the path.  The aqueducts carried a waterway and hence the barges over and above rivers and streams.

The Catoctin Aquaduct as seen today.

The Aquaduct as it appeared when in operation.

Another Aquaduct over the Monocacy River, a large expansive span across the river.  One heck of an engineering marvel.

And of course the topic of water brings to mind water that is accessible along the trail.

   The convenient and readily available state of the art water refilling stations that are dotted along the trail.

 

As we finished the ride for the day we caught a ferry across the Potomac into Leesburg, Virginia. 

 

Who would have thought that I would be cycling into Leesburg.  In my career at Xerox I sent quite a few stints at their training facilities in Leesburg.  Never would have imagined that I would be on a bike in the area at some point in my life.  😊

The Potomac...

Tomorrow is the last day of the ride.  We will be riding into Washington DC and finishing the ride.  It went by quite quickly.  😕

GAPCO - Day 5 July 8

Today was a rest day and as is the case with many a rest day I have had on my travels, very little rest occurred.

We rode to the Antietam National Battle Field.  We ended up pedaling a bit over 18 miles but it was well worth it.  

Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle of the Civil War, or for that matter in American History.  Over 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded during the 12 hour battle.  The battle field encompassed a wide area with a driving tour and plaques denoting specific troop engagements and outcomes.  We did not do it in a car.  We pedaled our way through history.  It was hard to comprehend the scale of the battle and the degree of carnage.  Over 100,000 soldiers took part in the battle.

The day ended with a great meal at the Blue Moon Pub and then a trip to Nutter's for...

A monster cherry vanilla cone!  😋

GAPCO - Day 4 July 7

What a great day of biking.  The day started out with picture perfect temperature and sky.  It was one of those idyllic rides.  We headed out for a 74 mile ride.  We were treated shortly into the ride by a wonderful 18 mile stretch of paved roadway.  It was great to not be jarred by the loose gravel, potholes and splashed with mud.

The roadway was at a fairly constant incline but we could pick up some speed and roll on with quick enjoyment.  😊

One of the highlights of the day was Fort Fredrick.  It represents the varied history that this rich area has.  

Fort Fedrick was originally built to be protection for settlers on the frontier.  It saw service for Marylanders during the French and Indian War in 1755.  It then was abandoned until it was pulled back into service during the Revolutionary War as a prison stockade for captured British soldiers.  And then used as a garrison for Union troops whose mission was to protect the C&O Canal during the Civil War.

A farther ride down the C&O took us back along the canal.  We rode with the canal on the left and the Potomac River on the right.  We came upon several other places of historical significance.  

This is Dam 5 which was of strategic value to the Union forces to ensure movement of supplies.  Confederate General Stonewall Jackson attacked this site early on in the war.  He tried to destroy it with cannon fire, which failed.  Then by undermining it and destroying it with explosives.  Again to no avail.  We assaulted it with our bikes and conquered it and moved on... 😊

Other areas that we rode through of significance were Williamsport and Falling Waters.  

These were areas that Lee's confederate forces used as escape routes after the defeat at Gettysburg.  The Potomac River was at flood stage at the time.  If the Union forces had pursued the confederate forces they would have trapped them with their backs to the Potomac and the Civil War would have ended much sooner.  

The ride took us on the towpath through some of the most beautiful Maryland countryside.

    The Potomac River meandering after Dam 5.

    The canal section that is as it was when it was in operation.

    The canal as it is today in many sections.  It has been reclaimed by the forest and nature.

    Another picture of nature reclaiming the canal.  A rock slide that has totally covered what was once the canal.

And lastly, to end a great day...  We went to O'Malley's General Store where they had live music performed by local musicians.  It was great!

A fitting end to a wonderful day.

Tomorrow is a rest day.  😊

GAPCO - Day 3 July 6

We rode out of Cumberland Maryland this morning without a drop of rain hitting us!  That is a first for the trip.  We are now on the C&O Canal towpath trail.  We have left the Great Alleghany Trail and started on a new section.  The Great Alleghany was a very well groomed and maintained trail.  We didn't know how good we had it until we started riding the C&O.  The history of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) started in 1828.  It was devised as a great waterway to connect the growing nation with the promising west.  It was to be a vehicle of commerce to bring coal and natural resources to the east and Washington.  It took until 1850 to finish and by that time railroads had surpassed the usefulness of the canal.  It never made it to its original goal of connecting to the Ohio River.  The canal runs 184.5 miles along the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland Maryland and has a system 70 some odd locks that keep its path level.

It fell into disrepair and was saved when it was listed as a National Heritage Scenic Trail in 1971.

The trail is a rough jarring path that has not seen repairs or upgrades in many years.  It was a series of mud puddles that were tough to avoid.  It was stren with potholes and bumps that made for rough travel.  Much worse than its counterpart the Great Alleghany Trail.  Yet the C&O did take us through some very beautiful and serene topography.

    The good part of the trail! 😊

    As you can see, the trail is not groomed or maintained well.

    A picture of one of the 70+ locks that kept the waterway level.  The canal and the locks were designed to be 15 wide.  The barges that were built to traverse the canals were built to be 14.5 feet wide.

   The Paw Paw Canal tunnel is one of the longest waterway tunnels in the US. It is 3,191 feet long.  The walkway is only about 3 feet wide.  As you walk through the tunnel it is so dark that you can't see your hand in front of your face.  I did say walk through the tunnel as you cannot ride it.  If you tried you would become disoriented and end up in the canal.

    Here I am getting ready to venture into the darkness of the tunnel.

    A rock slide that came down on the far side of the tunnel and completely covered the canal.

    The towpath along the canal that at times is only about two feet wide.

    One of my buddies I met along the way.

Lastly, the view from the B&B where we are staying tonight...

July 5 Epilogue - the bike

I forgot to mention my trusty bike in my last post.  The last two days have been hard on her what with the rain, the mud, the sand and the gravel.  It began making a noise today or should I say the front wheel began making a noise.  I knew what it was... the front hub bearings were not happy at me.  😳   They were shouting out a rather annoying thumping noise.  It got progressively worse as the day went on.  When I got into our destination town I Siri'd local bike shops.  "Cycle and Things" came up and I gave them a call.  Asked them if they did emergency repairs.  The person I talked to said sure bring it on by.  I further asked if they had a mechanic and parts for a 105 hub who could work on a cup and cone setup. (I know, I'm speaking bike now). He responded that he doubted I had that bad of an issue, it was probably just an adjustment.  So I brought my trusty steed by.  It turned out that it was a two employee bike shop and I had talked to the owner.  They were great, the two employees.  They tore apart the front hub and found water and grit had gotten in the bearings.  The mechanic asked how old the wheel was.  I told him that it was less than a year and a half old.  His response was classic...  bullsh#t he said.  He did some measuring on the rim surface, dropped out the ball bearings and pronounced the wheel to be at the end of its useful life.  He said there was no way the wheel was a year and a half with that wear.  That's when I told him the wheel had taken me the length of Africa, through five countries in Central America and Australia.  I told him the wheel had well over 12,000 miles on it.  The two employees were shocked and the stories began.  The repairs took 20 minutes and only $20.  But the conversation took over an hour and a half.  They got me back on the road but reinforced the rims and the hubs have had the wear of a lifetime.  He said I got more than my share of rides out of them.  It has been a good set of world rides...  I guess it is time to look for something new to take me on my adventures.  😞

GAPCO Day 2 - July 5

Today was a good day but a wet day once again.  It was a 76 mile (122k for my metric friends) ride through the Pennsylvania and Maryland countryside.  It rained on and off through a good portion of the day.  The humidity and moisture from the last day or so hung in the air and created fog and mist in the hills, valleys and along the water.

As the trip organizer said... the last 20 miles will be good as they are mostly downhill.  When one looks at that description it does beg for the counter interpretation.  The first 50+ miles were mostly uphill. 😳   The positive to that interpretation is we were on a rail trail which means a typical 2-3% grade.  But 50 miles of 2-3% grade is a stretch of the legs.  

The path of today's route took us along the old GAPCO rail lines.  It took us through the most beautiful dense woods on our right and the fast paced rushing waters of the river on our left.

The woods were so dense that light barely could penetrate.  As you looked off into the woods while riding, it would appear as if it were night because of how dark it appeared..  

The ride was dotted with great sites and experiences.  I saw about a dozen deer throughout my ride.  One was a recently born fawn who still had her spots and was rather precarious on her legs.  Another was a buck that was beginning to grow his antler rack which was covered in felt.

We rode over numerous bridges and viaducts some high above the wooded floor and many spanning great distances.  We also rode through 4 tunnels that were bored through the mountains to ease the route of the railroad.  One tunnel was 957 feet long (almost 300 meters) and completely dark inside.  As you ride through it, you could only try to keep your direction by staring straight at the exit.  Otherwise you would become disoriented and ride right into one of the side walls.  But the granddaddy of all the tunnels was a 3,294 foot (1 kilometer) long Big Savage tunnel.  It was so long that you could not see the exit of the tunnel from the entrance or even half way through.

Two other great landmarks that we saw on the route were:

- the actual Mason Dixon line...  it is commonly known as the line dividing the North from the South.  According to the Missouri Compromise preceding the civil war, the line demarked states that could have slaves (south of the line) or where slavery was abolished (north of the line). But actually the line was a survey line that was used to establish resolution to a land boundary dispute dating back to 1763.  It also defined the border between the states of Pennsylvania and Maryland.

- The other landmark that we came across was the Eastern Continental Divide.

Water that fell on the east side of the divide would flow east to the Chesapeake and the ocean.  And water that fell on the west side would flow into various rivers that ended up feeding the Mississippi River.

And lastly, as we rode along you could see a vein of coal wedged between other rock formations.

    You can see a black coal vein sandwiched under numerous layers of other rock formations.  Coal was the lifeblood and industry of the area.  Chunks of coal still falls of the cliffs:

   A chunk of coal from one of the seems from the cliff.

It was a fabulously wet day.  One that I feel lucky to have experienced.  😊

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.

    The Red Falls feeds into the waterways and turns them red as well.  Not a pretty sight. 

The rain created a misting effect that hung in the hills and valleys.  A really beautiful scene...

All in all a fantastic day with a bit of wear and tear on the bike.

GAPCO - Pittsburg to Washington DC

GAPCO - Day 0

Today was the warm up day for the GAPCO bike trip.  We did a loop through the city of Pittsburg on their bike trail system. They have a pretty great set of bike trails that leads you along the three rivers that define the city.  There are 11 riders on this tour which is on the low side.  But it makes for a good set of people as we will descend upon restaurants and stops throughout the week.  

We rode thru beautiful wooded settings and along the river front.  We crossed the river several times in and out of the city proper.  Little known fact: Pittsburg has more than 400 bridges, more than any other city.

On one side of the river there is a high bluff overlooking the city.  At one time there were a good number of incline rails that took people up the sheer cliffs to the homes and buildings above.  Now there are only two in operation.

   The view looking up the incline railway. 

The railway operates in a counterbalance fashion; as one descends it pulls the other car up.

One of the highlights of the day was a stop at Bicycle Heaven.  

It is a bicycle museum of sorts.  It started with one gentleman's hobby and led to amassing over 3,000 bikes and parts.  He had more vintage (pre 1985) bikes than you could ever imagine.  He had so many unique and special bikes...

    This is a two wheel drive bike.  It has a direct drive mesh gear system on the rear wheel that translates power and drives the front wheel as well.  Not sure the practicality of it but it is ingenious.

    A bike made in 1890 that has wooden rims.

    A very unique bike (one of only 400 made).  An aerodynamic housing encapsulates the frame.

There were so many unique shift/derailleur systems that have come and gone over the years.  Some with great promise and others that were strange in concept and even more difficult in practicality.  It was a great exploration in bicycle history.  😊

Tomorrow we head southeast out of Pittsburg on the GAPCO rail trail towards Washington.  Let the adventure begin!

New adventures in store

For those who have been joining me on my adventures...  It is about to get exciting again!

I am about to hit the road, literally.  I am going nomad.  At the end of June I will depart from Chicago and set out on a course of travels.  Sold my place in Chicago and will begin a series of travels.  First will be a bike trip from Pittsburgh to Washington DC.  Then a visit up north to British Columbia.  Followed by a month in France which leads to another bike trip across Europe. So much to see and do.  Let the excitement begin!

Stay tuned, would love to have you on the adventures...