GAP Mile zero: The end

View from the top

Welcome to Maryland, which was part of the north but hung onto Jim Crow laws into the 60s

barely readable sculpture

to encourage trail riders to go up a very steep hill into town they built a series of switchbacks decorated with about 5 bike part sculptures. Trail was sandy and the turns too sharp for me. I lost momentum and then insisted we walk. Part of our journey took us up 5 flights of stairs

the hair moved with the wind

one of the many waterfalls between Frostburg and Cumberland. All this shale indicates probable oil and coal

the start of the C&O canal which I rode on for a bit until I realized I was going away from where I was staying in town

the end of this adventure. Sigh

our very bicycle themed hostel. Much more comfortable than the barebones place we stayed at in Rockwood plus had fancy coffees we could make and snacks. The owner drove me to s state liquor store so we could have wine which we drank on a swing on the porch

Cumberland is a very old industrial and transportation hub but they managed to turn their downtown into an inviting place

when in Maryland, eat crabcakes. They had 'pig' for my friend but it turns out he loves crabs

and this silly drink

I did the final leg of our journey by myself, 15 miles of downhill from Frostburg to Cumberland.He kept wanting to stop; I wanted to get to the hostel at the time I said I would made difficult because I got lost in town. Then a very slow moving train blocked my path for 15 minutes. Yep I could carry everything (bike!!!)under the underpass full of homeless people but I waited. Our very nice hostess told us we needed to go to the National Park Service and speak with Ranger Rita to get the real scoop on trail conditions. I left that chore for my friend. We were advised not to go on but if we chose to do so, a list of outfitters was given who could pick us up for a price (though on line, some people were doing this for free). Meanwhile my DC friend as saying he'd come get us if there was a flood emergency. But at least the first few miles of the C&O looked good. We had reservations at a hostel in Little Orleans the next night, a hotel in Williamsport then another hostel in Harper's Ferry. The latter was problematic as one has to cross a ricketedy footbridge to cross the river complete with a spiral staircase (pain in the ass with a bike). But in the middle of the night I read that bridge was washed away so that would be impossible (one could maybe ford across an old railroad bridge or go on an active railroad bridge. I imagined some kind of Stand by Me situation there. Nein danke. But for a while we lived in denial that all was right with the world, got our wine (thanks Gail!) and later walked to town and ate crab cakes in the cool evening air.

My usual insomnia hit at about 2 am. Started readings of the  National Flood page. Pawpaw West Virginia, Mile 10 for us, was completely underwater. We would have to go through a long tunnel there which of course was flooded. Once I saw my friend stir, I said we needed to talk. He wanted to wait until morning. No can do. We went downstairs so not to disturb the other rider who was in our same leaky boat. He agreed we had to abort. Do we want to ride back to Pittsburgh? No. Take a train to DC? Only if we could get reservations for our bikes. They let only 8 bikes on a 18 car train and then claim to be bike friendly. But we got the reservations. Do I tell my friend in the middle of the night that we are coming 3 days early? That could wait. If he said no, we'd look for an airbnb.

tunnel vision

I do like this photo of me at the highest point of the Youghiogheny canyon. Wish my arms were as toned as my legs 

one of the many bridges we crossed with my buddy in the middle When I was pregnant with Josh, I camped near here to go white water rafting. This bridge had no guardrails and most of the floorboards were missing. Still I crossed it

Fancy bridge entering Ohiopyle. Note how wet it is

cute bakery where I splurged on an apple dumpling

No I won't

And miles and miles before we sleep

We started in Pittsburgh, staying in  Connelsville, Rockwood and Cumberland. Massive floods prevented us from continuing much to our chagrin. Took a train to DC and went on trips from there Still I am disappointed even though DC is fun

wild mountain laurel All was very lush

typical sign post

1800 foot long viaduct outside of Meyersdale

train museum in Meyersdale We were on the former Western Maryland Railroad abandoned tracks

inside a cabooose

As we were going through mountains and over rivers and could only have 2% grade, there were lots of bridges and tunnels

On the Eastern Continental Divide, there were lots of windmills

our high point, 2400 feet. Going uphill for 2.5 days can be tiring especially through wet sand and gravel

my friend about to tackle Big Savage Tunnel

But it was all lit up! I had gone through it in total darkness 5 years ago and brought all kinds of lights with me. Unnecessary weight as it turns out though when I was stuck after dark riding in DC they came in handy

an immature bald eagle through a scope

Eagle lovers along Pittsburgh's South Shore community

run off  from coal mine. We went through lots of former steel industry and coal mining places, most shuttered. Went by collapsed mines. Not a safe or clean industry. Being nice to us trail riders is bringing in some bucks

our rainy hotel window overlooking the surging river

inside nice and cozy. I came in to check in after I was caught in a downpour. I was quite the sight. Should have seen the look on a fellow traveler's face as he looked at my bedraggled self. Disgust? Curiosity? But the hotel is used to us and was very gracious and accommodating. Yay Cobblestone. Boo fat guy who comes by car.

I'm baaaaaaack. The trip that I have been training for needed to be stopped half way. I was trying to focus magical thinking ignoring warnings and the rangers' advice hoping all would be just right if we'd wait but in the middle of the night, I awoke my friend and said, we need Plan B. Can't it wait until morning? No it can't..not if train reservations are involved.

Damn.

And we did have fun and saw other stuff. Maybe we had even a better time than we would have had the trail not been under ten feet of water with the Potomac ready to sweep us away any moment. I will post some pictures later. But I didn't get to be a through rider so no biker cred for me. And there are not many female through riders much less those at my advanced age. I did find women on bicycles on the trail But they were going from B&B to B&B with their husbands covering at most 20 miles a day..  And I did learn a lot. Number one: don't carry everything you need on your back. Panniers are the way to go. We were equipped with some tools, which I don't usually carry because, sad to say, I wouldn't know what to do with them. The few things I did carry were useful in our minor emergency..flat tire. Lipstick marked the spot of the leak and my tweezers extracted the sharp stone that would probably repenetrate the patched innertube. And my friend needed a spoke wrench to fix his suddenly way out of round wheel that was impossible to go further on. Fortunately we were near a bike shop then and all was repaired.

The true through riders camp..none of these sissy hostels for them. Free camp grounds abound. At the end of the second day, a particularly tough day due to the steady climb, I approached a pair of handsome young dudes in the lone bar in town. All their camping stuff still on their bike, which puzzled me as it was late. I asked them how things were going (2 days of rain, yeah just great).

Terrible, just terrible. One of them was near tears. The campground was a half mile past town. When they got there , they were told they had to register back in town so extra biking for them and bonus, up hill into the town. This set them both over the edge. We are not fucking cooking tonight dude. Thus in the bar (which had terrible food btw). They were very tired.

I ran into them several times the next day and they were in much better moods especially when they could finally go downhill. They were allowed to camp under a pavilion which made setting up a tent in pouring rain more manageable.  Someone had taken their photos at the Continental Divide (common photo op) and someone's thumb was over their faces which they didn't see until the end of the trail where I saw them last. So cute guys from Louisville...happy trails. I know they learned a lot.

The trail begins at The Point in Pittsburgh where all the rivers converge. Did that 5 years ago. Plus, the Point Park was covered with some Three Rivers  art festival  thing complicating many riders' lives. (couldn't park where they had planned.) We started high in the hills from my friend's brother's place on the south side of Pittsburgh. High in the hills. There are trails along the water that eventually hit our desired GAP. The most obvious road down to the water is narrow, twisty and full of Trump voters who hate bicyclists and say endearing things like Get the F off our roads. And no sleep for Sue. His brother had taken in out of the goodness of his heart a 20 year old street person with a toddler. She watched TV all night on full volume right next to me. Lots of old sitcoms with loud laughtracks. Her boyfriend was there, not the father of the toddler as he was in jail, not for beating the  crap out of her which he definitely did  but for something else, arguing loudly with her. I was thinking  that domestic violence was about to start. The baby cried too but not nearly as annoying as the TV and fights. Also it was very hot and I couldn't get the 150 year windows open so at the crack of dawn, I woke my friend up and said we have to leave ASAP.

One break: it was supposed to rain all day in Pittsburgh and it did not. We were dry until we were just a few minutes from our first night spot and then all heal broke loose. Still our path was wet, not a problem in the beginning paved sections but the sand and gravel sections were harder to plow through.

The hotel had a bar, yay! once I got clean. Once it stopped pouring we went to a Dairy Restaurant, which is a different concept in Pennsylvania than in New York. That was good. There was a pool but I was so, so tired, off to sleep.

Waffle machine in the morning with different flavor batters. Had to teach several old ladies how to make waffles from a bus tour of historical sites. They were puzzled by my bicycle attire (you are going where????) All my stuff is in plastic bags so I had clean dry clothes though the first half of the day was in constant drizzle. I did not realize then that while we got a fraction of an inch of rain, down further that day, they got 5 inches to an already swollen river from rain and rain and rain. Forests were so lush. Lots of full waterfalls on the sides of the trail and in the river down in the canyon. Ohiopyle State park has the  tallest trees in the northeast. Lots of debris on the trail so when I saw a curvy black stick on my path, I was going to go over it until I saw the viper cheeks of a timber rattler. My friend wondered why I screamed until he saw it too. Inches from my foot. We hung around Ohiopyle for a while hearing stories from other riders. Lots of friendly vibes. Outside of our lunch stop in Confluence, my friend's spokes started breaking making the wheel out of round making travel hard as the brake was rubbing. Fortunately the bike mechanic in town was excellent full of lots of useful info on maintenance and alternate routes into DC as the flood rumors were coming up the trail all ready. The town park, next to the bike shop, had a sign saying absolutely no metal detectors allowed. Very puzzling. On the road again. Now it was getting steeper and steeper and the going was tough and slow. Now back here at home, I do my 30 mile Sunday ride in a bit more than 2 hours for 30 miles.Slogging through uphill pea gravel, breaking 10 mph was a miracle. No coasting at all. If I stopped pedaling at full force, I stopped. My friend wanted to rest along the river and told me to go ahead. I just wanted to get the day over and find that beer so it was an hour before he pulled up to our bare bones hostel which we had for ourselves.

It is Sunday and I came back close to midnight last night. Too tired to continue. More tomorrow

Now it is Monday, a week after our third day of riding which was our driest. We still went up hill for the first half of the day but the gravel was drier and more compact so less getting stuck in wet sand piles so we could go faster. We were soon in the Amish town of Meyersdale, which is known locally for maple syrup. I had stayed there on my other ride. Even though we had breakfast less than 2 hours ago, my friend wanted to go into town for more food. Here the trail is much higher than the town. I was not going up that hill from hell and said I would wait at the train station which was converted to a museum This was a problem with my friend always wanting to stop for food even though he had snacks. He could buy snacks at the station and was quiet for a bit. Back into the mountains making the climb to the Eastern Continental Divide. Beautiful views of the surrounding valleys. A woman was chugging up the hill in the opposite direction, which is much steeper. Where had she ridden from? Cumberland. She had tried to start out halfway from the DC end but said the C&O trail was impassable. The 5 inches of rain Sunday on top of 10 inches over the past week flooded everything so going on side roads, which were washed out too. Lots of downed trees and power outages. She said we would not be able to continue but if we didn't believe her (I didn't want to)we could stop at the ranger station in Cumberland for updates. Maybe all would be gone with a day of dryness?Not those downed trees though. I do read their website and it needs to be bone dry for them to get their tree removing heavy equipment out there. Someone had gone through and had climbed over 22 trees in a very short period.  And climbing over trees while carrying a fully loaded bike is not fun. We now had 25 miles of glorious downhills. Yay! We crossed the Mason Dixon line, which did NOT separate the north from the south as I learned in school as Maryland was part of the North. We went through the 3/4 mile long Big Savage Tunnel which I was prepared for with my lights. But it was lit! I did learn from the bike repair man not to ever focus on the light at the end of the tunnel as it is too bright and our eyes won't adjust fast enough to the dim lights of the tunnel Obvious right? But not to this slow learner.
Lunch was in Frostburg, a small college town known for good places to eat. Unfortunately it is on top of a mountain. No I was not going to ride up there. We left the bikes near the trail and did the big climb on foot, strenuous enough.

Ambien made me do it

This hibiscus usually spends the summer outside but it is too big to move. I liked the way the light filtered through the petals

Last night a friend invited me to a Thoretta Davis concert which was to be held outside at EMU. They moved it inside due to heat and the threat of a thunderstorm which eventually did come there but missed my house entirely despite me driving home in torrential rains

She is a local blues singer. I like her music but they didn't adjust the amps for inside so conversation was impossible

my vegetable garden in early morning. All that feathery stuff is rhubarb flowers which I had diligently cut off for a while so the plant would invest its energy into stalks. I harvested 16 cups of diced stems today, which I roasted. I've been harvesting quite a bit and as you can see I have lots more. Lettuce and Swiss chard is under fencing to deter rabbits and deer

Sweet Williams which I have lots of different colors. I planted seeds 3 years ago and got some weedy things with no flowers which came back the next year. Just as I was about to pull them out, I noticed blossom buds. My Californiz poppies will bloom all summer too

pinks

the pond

lots of planters and baskets I've made

Maya hugging Allie. They are more than 3 years apart but Maya weighs two pounds less. Doctor is concerned and will put her on some sort of appetite stimulant. Her ADHD drug wrecks her appetite. When it wears off, she becomes ravenous

selfie with my SIL Maya has one adult incisor next to a baby incisor. Looks strange

Sanofi put out a press release (unless this too is fake news) that its drug Ambien may have some undesirable side effects but turning one into a racist is not one of them. At any rate, good riddance to that coarse, vile woman. Never did like her.

Tomorrow I take off on my bike ride from Pittsburgh to Washington DC, an adventure. Unfortunately, Maryland has had lots of rain and parts of our trail is washed out so we will be doing some detours. And we will be in rain in the beginning. It will not be cold so I can pack lightly. I've been getting stuff together and stressing about things that could go wrong. I should be in shape for it.

In the meantime, I've undertook the Sisyphean task of weeding. Most will have to wait until I get back. It's been very hot and humid, not good for my running even when I am out there as the sun rises.

Most of the concert goers yesterday were about my age. All these people, will I know anyone? Turns out I did. Way back when I was a student teacher, a boy was in my class who went on to become a write for our local newspaper before it went under. Now he works for EMU. He married the daughter of my critic teacher and I worked with his mother-in-law so I did know who he was. I went up to him...no glimmer of recognition. I said I once was his AP chemistry teacher. Oh yes, you are Miss Maiden Name. But then he said, I couldn't be because I appear to be younger than him now. All his teachers are now very old. I was 21 when he was 17 so not too much different. He took a selfie of us to show his wife (who I did run into) and his mother-in-law.

I also ran into a former colleague whose daughter was once my daughter's best friend. His wife had cancer the same time I did though her treatment was much more brutal. Then she developed a completely different cancer and thought she had beaten that too but no, 5 years later she was dead. The man is a very quiet person but I think st night he said more to me than the 40 years I had known him all together.

Maya has to evaluated because of her ADHD often. Usually I go to support them but I thought Naomi could handle it. Not a good visit as Maya hadn't eaten all day and lost weight from the previous visit when she is supposed to be growing. She is thin but not bony thin. Changes are in store for both of them

I will be lucky to have phone service while I go through the mountains. Later.

triple massage

We got to sit outside this time. Steve's brother is to the far left. He looks a lot like Steve. All this going out was not good for keeping thin so I didn't go out some of the times. I have more control in my own home

Steve's brother and sister stayed with us last week. My daughter looks more like her aunt than her mother

We went for a walk in the Arb, too early for the peonies, mountain laurel and rhododendrons but they did have this unusual dogwood

grandkids enjoying the cabana

Hannah loves the police car

The Moms went to a wine tasting out in the Irish Hills. My in-laws were invited but became too ill to go there. It was in an old school house, this view being the bell tower

The Moms and some husbands. Not sure what is going on with my hair here. They had live music which was fun. We narrowly missed being drenched in thunderstorms which bypassed our house

on my ride along the river this morning. If I took a photo on my ride yesterday, it would be all white as it was extremely foggy. I had flashing lights all over me so not to get run over

Tuesday morning found me in a massage chair with one man massaging my legs and feet, another massaging my hands and the chair doing the rest, thus, triple massage. I returned to this place which I had quit because it was busy and more expensive for a place marginally closer but the last mani/pedi I got was so awful administered by a bored dude who wouldn't help me pick up my things thus ruining my nails and raised their prices 30% suddenly, I went back. The owner seemed happy to see me and arranged for my special treatment. Also it is in an Indian strip mall (Curry pizza anyone?) and I needed supplies from the Indian grocer for my butter shrimp I was cooking for everyone that night.

So our guests left yesterday. Our house was full of our kids and our grandkids, quite chaotic at times. Some drama per usual and lots of time on my part preparing food and cleaning up. We had nice weather conducive to walks and being outside before the heat wave started Sunday. It is 95 and humid as I type this and expected to go higher. I've been bicycling instead of running trying to get out as early as safely possible plus soon I leave on my big bike trip so that will help. Need to iron out lots of details before that starts but at least my body is prepared.

Just two weeks ago, I was bundled up for my long training ride in cold drizzle. How things have changed! My plants are growing quickly as are the weeds which I still have yet to control. I was out there after my exercise today but the heat got to me. Out in the country, all is so fragrant with the honeysuckle, wild phlox and apple blossoms in bloom. Coupled with the heat and humidity, the air is quite floral. When I got up early one morning, a herd of deer was in our yard trimming the long grass under the trees. The fog was dense on my bike ride, I couldn't see the deer that jumped in front of me except its white flag of a tail.

It was clearer this morning. The sun was just rising and lit up some male turkeys whose feathers glistened in the golden light. Yeah I should have stopped but experience shows that as  soon as I do, they scatter

As I recently got on Medicare, all my health plans have changed. I needed more drugs.  I have to use a mail order place now which said it would contact my doctor to get the refill. I waited and waited for these things to be mailed. I finally called to see what's up, a 2 hour process. They left messages for the doctor which were never returned. Couldn't they tell me that? I called the  doctor's office. They say their policy (this is a new doctor for me) is that they don't speak to pharmacies yet no one bothered to tell me. I got them to fax a refill to the pharmacy and got the drug 5 days later. As I have no thyroid gland, I need Synthroid. I don't look forward to having to beg for it every 3 months