60 miles from Connelsville to Meyersdale Pa. Suprised by the cooler temperatures this morning as I set out for day 2 on the gap trail. Met a couple of interesting fellow riders along the way. The trail south ward has a slight upgrade to it for nearly the entire way. But it is so very slight it is hardly noticeable.
70 miles today. 60 of which were on the Great Allegheny Passage. This 150 mile previous rail way begins in Pittsburgh and ends in Cumberland Maryland. It is mostly covered with shade and has a crushed stone base. Two more days on the trail, 5 days of rest then a meet up with the Anchor House riders for the trip back to New Jersey
70 miles and 3 states covered today. Started in Ohio, crossed through West Virginia, entered into Pennsylvania. Felt a need to minimize the hills today by bicycling on US INTERSTATE 22, only to realize that no bicycles were allowed. Disregarding that warning i choose to use it anyway. No one seemed to mind, not even the start trooper that I passed as he was sitting in his cruiser in the median.
A much better 64 mile ride today. I relied on Google bicycling maps today and choose the route with less hills but more miles. This option can sometimes be hit or miss. Today it was both. An 11 mile bike path, almost completely canopied, greeted me late morning. Only to be followed by a rutted, rock strewn mess. Like I said , hit or miss. One day to the steel city, then no need for maps as th GAP trail will be my home for the next 3 days.
So things took a little turn today. I am finished with the adventure cycling maps. Using my own intuition i choose a route that turned out to be much hillier than i could have predicted. The rising temperature and humidity didn't help much either. Tonights destination is in the middle of Amish country. Upon entering the town, crowds of tourists clogged the streets. When i finally stepped out for dinner, all but one coffee shop was still open. The town was nearly deserted due to the Amish and Mennonite influence.
Much more of the same. I am certain that everyone following is just a little tired of pictures of corn fields and wheat fields and cattle munching on grass, but hey, only 3 more days and I will be under the shaded canopy of the great Allegheny passage. Hopefully the shade will bring some relief from the heat.
What a difference 2 fully inflated tires and 10 hours of sleep can make for a 54 mile ride into Ohio. The absence of wind mills can hopefully decrease the chances of head winds. Today proved that correctly. 4 days traveling eastward into Pennsylvania and a 3 day blitz on the great Allegheny passage will drop me in Cumberland Maryland to rest up for the Anchor House Foundation Ride.
