Thursday, June 27, 1996
Day 47
Ohiopyle State Park, Pennsylvania
to New Germany State Park, Maryland
Today's Miles: 42
Cumulative Miles for the Tour: 3093
Degree of Difficulty: Difficult
Terrain: Steep, Rolling Hills
Find of the Day: Rails to Trails
Don't be deceived by the low milage. It was another day in the Appalachian Mountains and after yesterday's climbing, it was tough to finish the 40 miles of hills today.
The morning started with a good downhill to the "Rails to Trails" pathway that started in Ohiopyle, going 11 miles south to Confluence. Rails to Trails is a program that is being developed nationally by local groups throughout the United States. They are turning abandoned railroad beds into trails for hikers and bikers. The idea is to connect them all and have a transcontinental route. Adam and I have decided to become active members in Washington DC and San Francisco, respectively.The trail followed the bends and turns in the Ohio River. Sarah, Adam, Lee, Dave W and I took an hour and a half to pedal the 11 miles. We stopped to look at the river, the mountains, the kayakers practicing in the rapids and anything else that would extend our time on the trail. It continued at a consistent 1 to 2% grade for the duration of the route.Dave Blair was waiting for us in Confluence, so we stopped and had breakfast before tackling the next leg of the ride. Route 281 took us back to Highway 40, 3 miles from the Maryland border. We stopped for the obligatory picture taking at the Mason/Dixon line and then launched into one of the many 40+mph downhills of the day. I topped out at 47.5mph on the first try. The problem after that was one of physics...what goes down must go back up. It was a draining day as we peaked and valleyed through a large section of the Appalachians.I'm sitting at a campground, about 24 miles east of Cumberland as I type this. The sun set about a half hour ago and a three quarter moon is lighting the sky. We're surrounded by a beautiful setting of native, Maryland trees with our tents out in the open to catch a view of the stars if we happen to wake in the middle of the night.We're all waiting for Ken to show up with Adam's brother, Paul. They're coming to spend the night and have breakfast with us before heading back to Washington DC in the morning. (As I am typing this, a skunk walked under the picnic table to check out what is going on. There is just enough moonlight to see the stripes on its back. I don't dare move as he is walking under my feet. OK, it's gone now...)Tomorrow will be the final day of climbing in the mountains. From Cumberland, we've been told it's downhill for the 175 miles to DC. If the weather stays like it was today, we'll have a great two days to finish the tour.
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271