Happy trails!
With my trip completed and my final pieces of trail wisdom imparted, this blog comes to a natural endpoint. It was, afterall, a blog about a defined event and I've said pretty much everything there is to say about the GAP/C&O ride. I have really enjoyed blogging, so I think I'd like to continue with a new blog, maybe one that is less narrow in scope so I can ramble unrestrained. Thanks to my friends who followed me. And if you're a stranger, I hope the biking information was/is useful to you.
Happy trails!
1 Comment
Q: How do you work out the one-way travel?
A: I picked to go from PGH to DC because I have a friend in Bethesda, where I could leave my car. Ultimately, I drove to DC and my friend drove me to PGH with my bike. Then my car was in DC when I finished the ride. Before the generosity of my friend, I had worked out some other options.
Q: How small are the towns? A: Really, really...no I mean really...small. I grew up in a small town I thought, until I stayed in some of these small towns. Now, they may be a short drive to a place with more services, but you, my friend, are on a bike and probably not looking to do more biking when you get to your B&B. So you may have one choice for dinner (two if you count the convenience store in town). I didn't have any problems, but you should know that bike shops are often closed some weekdays, and restaurants on Mondays. And if you think you (or your non-riding spouse) will do a bit of window-shopping in cute stores, that won't fill much (or any) time in most towns. Q: Is there a place to stay/eat in Paw Paw? A: Paw-Paw was the remote point of the trip. Evidently there was once a place to stay there and a restaurant, but I'm told things change out, so always check the web for more updated info on the town. If you decided to go to town, when you get off the trail, it will put you into a parking lot. Climb to the street and turn left to go about 3/4 mile to town. There are no signs and nothing is visible. I waited till someone pulled in and asked which way town was. When I got there, I had a convenience store only. Q: How bad are the bugs? A: Not a single bite for me. No ticks either. I carried DEET and some repellent bracelets. Never used them. As most bikers know, when you are biking there are no bugs. It's only when you stop that you get bothered. There was one buggy stop near a dam on the Potomic, but I guess I went at a good time of year to avoid bugs. Q: Are there bears? A: I can only answer, 'yes' by what others have reported. I actually saw very little wildlife, even few deer. Didn't even see bear/deer poo on the trail. I did carry bear mace, accessible on my rack. So I guess they didn't want to mess with me. Q: How good is cellular service? A: I have Verizon service and I found it to be generally pretty good. There were some dead zones, but overall, better than I was anticipating. BTW, there is an app for the C&O called C&O Companion. I didn't buy it ($2.99) so I have no opinion, except that apparently not having the app didn't cause any problems! I had so many questions when I decided to ride the GAP/C&O that I decided to put them all in one place after the ride was over. After you know a thing, you forget you didn't once, but hopefully I will capture things other future riders want to know.
Q: Which direction should you ride? A: I rode west (Pittsburgh) to east (Washington). I really liked this direction and I would do it the same way next time. I liked the smoother GAP first and the mostly downhill C&O second. While I was out, it seemed I saw more people going the opposite direction. Q: Where does the GAP technically start? A: Seems like a strange question, right? But I actually had a hard time figuring that out. As of Sept. 2012, Homestead PA is the official start. Do goggle maps and zoom in; the trailhead is next to a fish restaurant. Q: Are there trails in Pittsburgh that connect to the GAP? A: PGH has many trails, but the GAP has a 1-mile incomplete segment. Local PGH people told me it is a very dangerous stretch of road to ride on. Q: Is the trail safe for a woman to ride alone? A: Well, I did it alone, so consider the source. I felt safe; no creepy people. But I did not camp; I used B&Bs. The greatest risk from going alone is if something happens to your bike in a remote section of the trail. You either have to fix it; wait for help; or walk you and your bike out. Q: Is the trail well marked? A: Yes. This was one of my biggest concerns -- would I know I had arrived at my destination? Would it be obvious where to leave the trails for my B&Bs? I had no problem. I picked B&Bs that were all close to the trail and I carried maps. There was no marking at the beginning of the GAP though and I also never found a mile marker "zero" in Georgetown. I also thought the C&O mile markers were more consistently present than on the GAP. Q: What are the trails like? A: You will see a little bit of everything. Most of the GAP is hard packed cinder. But there is a section in PGH that is on the roadway (separated from traffic by cones) and there is some asphalt. in McKeesport you have to watch signs carefully (some signs, some painted bikes on sidewalks...); you are mostly on quiet town streets. The C&O is "not as nice" -- lots of people think it should be as good as the GAP, but fail to recognize it is an old mule path and not an old railway bed. It is rougher. Some ruts, some roots, some rocks -- you have to pay more attention. That said, I didn't think it was bad, just different. It will be worse if it's raining. Q: What is a good time of year to do the trail? A: I biked from Sept 18-29 and thought that was perfect. No wicked heat. The mornings were cool, but the days warmed quickly, even at the higher elevations. There was the initial tinge of fall color at higher elevations. If you want fall color, you probably need to ride in October. it was a great time if you don't want crowded trails. I was in between summer vacation people and leaf-peepers. The B&Bs were not full. Q: How are the campgrounds? A: I did not camp, but I thought they were all pretty nice and well-maintained. On the C&O, they had nice clearings, porta-pottys and hand pumps with potable iodine-treated water. Q: How bright a lamp do you need for the Paw-Paw Tunnel? A: I had a small LED headlamp that I placed on my handlebars. It was adequate for slow walking. I was able to avoid the puddles. It might have been better to have more candle-power, but as weight was a trade off, like I said, it was adequate. Q: How much water should you carry? A: Depends on the heat I suppose, but I carried two 24-oz bottles for ~30 miles/ day and that was always adequate. Q: What kind of bike do you need for the trail? A: I saw all kinds. I had a hybrid with wider, hard case tires and I thought it was perfect for the varying conditions. This is a question I’ve received a number of times since I got back. It has two answers: Yes and No.
Yes… I loved the adventure, the trail, the sights, the B&B’s, and the actual biking. GAP/C&O is a great trail system, though I might look for a new trail with a similar distance and attributes if I wanted to do another bike tour, just to see something new. Or if I only wanted to do half the distance, I’d do the GAP without the C&O. No… while it was a great way to spend 5 months in training and two weeks on vacation, nothing else got done around my house and yard in the process. This is the reason most of the people I saw on the trail were retired. It was really time consuming for a working person to train and something had to give. I made the choice to ride this summer and let my place go to weeds (literally!). Not sure I want to continue to give up my other interests. But I will keep riding for fun. I would hate to lose all my hard-earned ‘bike fitness’. ![]() Levi Deal Mansion, Meyersdale Now that I’m home, I’d like to share my trip itinerary for those who think they’d like to do the GAP/C&O at a leisurely pace and with comfortable B&B’s. I had reservations the whole way. Most B&B’s are small and you’d hate to not get a room if you are just winging your biking days. Some towns are so small there really is no back-up plan. Except where noted, all of the B&B’s are very close to the trail. I’d probably make some changes later in the trip to go more miles. For example, I would visit Harper’s Ferry, but not stay there. Day 1: Homestead, PA to West Newton, PA, 26 miles Homestead: Courtyard Marriott West Newton: Bright Morning B&B Bike shop: West Newton Bike Shop Day 2: West Newton to Connellsville, PA, 26 miles Connellsville B&B Bike shop: Bikes Unlimited Day 3: Connellsville to Confluence, PA, 26 miles The Parker House B&B Bike shop: Confluence Cyclery Lunch: Ohiopyle Day 4: Confluence to Meyersdale, PA, 30 miles Levi Deal Mansion B&B Bike shop: none Lunch: Rockwood, Opera House Day 5: Meyersdale to Cumberland, MD, 33 miles The Bruce House Inn B&B Bike shop: Cycles and Things Lunch: Frostburg ![]() Norris House Inn, Leesburg Day 6: Cumberland to Little Orleans, MD, 43 miles Town Hill Hotel B&B (6 miles from trail / shuttle provided) Bike shop: none Lunch: Convenience store in Paw-Paw or pack it! Day 7: Little Orleans to Hancock, MD, 17 miles 1828 Trail Inn B&B Bike shop: C&O Bicycles Day 8: Hancock to Williamsport, MD, 25 miles Candlelight Inn B&B Bike shop: River City Cycles Visit Fort Frederick along way Day 9: Williamsport to Shepherdstown, VW, 27 miles Thomas Shepherd Inn B&B Bike shop: Shepherdstown Pedal and Paddle Lovely town with shopping Day 10: Shepherdstown to Harper’s Ferry, VW, 12 miles The Town’s Inn B&B Bike shop: The Outfitter Day 11: Harper’s Ferry to White’s Ferry, VW, 24 miles Norris House Inn B&B, Leesburg (take ferry across river/B&B provides bike shuttle) Bike shop: Bob’s Bikes Day 12: White’s Ferry to Georgetown, 35 miles ![]() The Click & Clack of bikes Best ride segment: Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, MD, particularly from Frostburg on. It's all downhill, right next to the steam engine tracks for a good ways and the views are awesome. Worst ride segment: I had two, although "worst" is relative. Cumberland to Little Orleans, MD: it is indeed rougher coming out of Cumberland - ruts that will be dry or mud, depending on your weather. But I had trained on paths hat were similar, so I frankly wondered why everyone I talked to made such a fuss about it. White's Ferry, VW to Georgetown, MD: both the beginning and the end few miles are rough. The beginning had lots of mud and puddles and roots. The ending was rocky, like rolling on cobblestone. Best B&B: Wow. Hard to call just even one or two out. I will do a full B&B report in another blog, but if I limit myself to two, I'd say the Levi Deal Mansion in Meyersdale, PA and the Town Hill Hotel in Little Orleans, MD. Both had outstanding innkeepers and outstanding breakfasts. Worst B&B:The Town Inn, historic Harper's Ferry, VW. Technically not a B&B because they don't serve breakfast (they have a restaurant on the ground floor). But the innkeeper was scatterbrained or overwhelmed and the place was not very clean. Best dinner: The Press Room, Shepherdstown, WV. Nice bar to sit at, friendly locals. Good meal. (Known for their selection of oysters if you are into that. Best trail: GAP and C&O are very different kinds of trails. GAP follows rail lines and has lots of train history and old bridges. It's in better condition than the C&) - a smoother ride. C&) is a mule path, much more rustic, but you learn a lot of civil war history along the way. You see lots of locks/aqueducts and nature. I like trains better than history, but I loved the "deeper forest" feeling of the C&C -- so it's a toss-up! Best bike shop: I stopped at many, if only to say hello and get my tire pressure adjusted. Just loved the Click & Clack brothers at Bikes Unlimited in Connellsville, PA. The Confluence Cyclery was also real friendly. Best starting point: Homestead, PA, just south of Pittsburgh. I liked going West to East personally; I did not find a reason to want to go opposite that if I did the ride again. And until they finish the gap in the trail at the water park in Pittsburgh, local PGH people warn against using the roadways that bypass the waterark; they are very dangerous for bikers. ![]() It's only been two days without being on my bike and I miss it and the fresh air! Life is full of so many things to learn and do that I tend towards a been-there-done-that-what’s-next style. My ride was fabulous and amazing and so much fun. I loved biking and I will continue to love it and do it. But what now? This piece of wisdom came across as a Quote of the Day right after I got home: "Long-range goals keep you from being frustrated by short-term failures." - James Cash Penney Wow… so very true. Having my biking goal for five months really made other troubles in life less interesting. Had something else to think about and focus on. Mind you, mine is not a terribly troubled life, but I really enjoyed the focus and ultimately, the sense of accomplishment. Maybe I’ll take up violin or tap dancing or rock climbing next. Or something volunteer and larger than myself. Yeah, that’s a better idea. Twelve days ago I embarked on "The Ride of My Life" (I have the T-shirt that says so). I rode yesterday thinking, "What did I learn/discover from all this?". There was no life-altering ah-ha moment; no new love discovered on the trail; no dramatic stories of survival -- and actually, now it seems like it was just a nice bike-riding vacation rather than some huge adventure. When I get home I think things will still be pretty much the same. But here is the list I came up with:
Sorry for the late post. I made it to Georgetown at about 2:30 pm. I never found/saw milemarker "zero", so if it were not for Linda standing there with a checkered flag the great adventure would have ended rather unceremoniously.
The last leg was very muddy the first 5 miles and the last 5 miles was really rocky. The high point of the ride was Great Falls. They were running a canal boat. And of course, the falls are awesome. Just south of the falls there was a canal path detour which required carrying the bike up stairs 3 times. You will be happy to know I was uninterested in more leg bruises and hence, made two trips at each stairway. Anyway, Linda and I gabbed so much tonight that I do not have much energy left for blogging. Stay with my blog a while longer; I will have more to say. For now, thanks to everyone who encouraged me and left posts. Well, at least that is what it felt like this morning when I woke with a start. Just 35 miles to go and GAP/C&O bragging rights will be conferred. It really does not seem that I have been riding 12 days. I do not want it to end. It is another sunny day -- I would never have imagined I could pull off a 340-mile ride with just 8 miles of drizzle. What good fortune. I imagine if I had been slogging it out for many days in the rain I would be happy to see the end of the trail!
I took a nice early-morning walk about Leesburg. Lots of lawyers and hairdressers it seems. Also several antique stores that I had time to browse yesterday. And a Cajun restaurant that was of corse my dinner selection. Breakfast shortly and then back to ferry across the Potomic for one last ride. |
DorkyBikeShortsFour months from now I intend to ride 334 miles in 10 days -- from Pittsburgh to Washington DC -- by myself. This blog will document the journey. Archives
October 2012
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