Chicago to New York City – Days 12 and 13

Monday, October 7, 2019

Start: Wheeling, West Virginia
End: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mileage today/cumulative: 64 / 646
Elevation Ascended today/cumulative: 1,841′ / 15,027′
Weather: Rain, 54° at start; Rain, 54º at finish; Winds: none
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 3 / 5

In their song “Rain”, the Beatles sang “I don’t mind”. Sorry, Paul McCartney, I do mind. And no, Rupert Holmes, I don’t like pina coladas or being caught in the rain. Especially on a bicycle.

We departed Wheeling, West Virginia in the rain. We arrived in Pittsburgh in the rain. Somewhere along the way we crossed into Pennsylvania, our fifth state. It was a cold, dreary, and very wet day on the bike. Fortunately, nearly two-thirds of it was on trails, beginning on the Wheeling Heritage Trail, a paved path that ran along the Ohio River for about 14 miles. That later joined the Brooke Pioneer Trail, part of which had sustained heavy damage, possibly from a landslide or large trees downed. This portion of the trail was closed with signs warning “Danger – Do Not Enter”. When you’re riding a bicycle to New York City and the only way to get from here to there is on the closed trail, there’s only one thing to do. We walked right around the barriers and kept riding. It was slow going with a few rough spots that forced us to walk our bikes around obstacles and over chewed up asphalt, but otherwise the trail was passable. It was just very slow going as we concentrated on remaining upright.

We eventually turned eastward away from the Ohio River and toward Pennsylvania. Between those two points there are hills, followed by big hills. And it was still raining. Somewhere in Pennsylvania, we rode onto the Panhandle Trail, a 24-mile path that is paved for the first 17 miles. The remaining seven is crushed limestone and sand. Wet sand. By the time we approached Pittsburgh, we were a cold, wet, mess. We found the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, a walkway on the Fort Pitt Bridge that spans the Monongahela River and led us to our hotel at Point State Park, where the Monongahela and the Allegheny Rivers unite to form the Ohio River. A nice hotel room and a hot shower awaited.

Day 13 was a rest day in Pittsburgh. The rain stopped overnight, the sun came out, and we spent a fun day with our good friends Deb and Julie, who came all of the way across Pennsylvania to see us (we’ll see more of them over the next few days!). We visited the world’s largest bicycle museum, rode up the Duquesne Incline, and saw a few sights on the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) campus, Deb’s alma mater. We ate lunch at The Church Brew Works, a craft brewery that renovated and adapted the old St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. The church was built in 1902 and had a storied history in the 20th century. In 1993, the Diocese of Pittsburgh underwent a reorganization and the church was put under an act of suppression by the Bishop of Pittsburgh. The building lay dormant until the restoration began in early 1996. Three years later The Church Brew Works reopened the doors of St. John after restoring it to its former glory with many of its original features. The beer was good and the atmosphere unique and spectacular.

Day 14 will be the first of three days on the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150 mile rail-trail. It’s going to be epic!