Author: Greg

Wednesday, October 9 – Friday, October 11, 2019

Start: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
End: Cumberland, Maryland
Mileage each day/cumulative: 61-58-31 / 806
Elevation Ascended each day/cumulative: 535′ – 1,115′ – 390′ / 17,067′
Weather: Each day… Sunny!!! High 40s at start; low 70sº at finish;Winds: gentle
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 5

If you’re in a mall, the GAP is where people younger than us buy clothing. If you’re in London and a sign reads “MIND THE GAP”, you should watch your step when boarding the Underground train. If you’re in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the GAP means only one thing – Great Allegheny Passage, a 150 mile trail that extends from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. It is an iconic trail for bicyclists, pedestrians, and in some sections, the occasional horse. We spent three days riding the entire GAP and rather than posting about the daily rides, I’ve combined them into one post. 

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Days 14, 15, and 16”

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.

Continue reading “Chicago to New York City – Days 12 and 13”

Sunday, October 6, 2019

Start: Belmont, Ohio
End: Wheeling, West Virginia
Mileage today/cumulative: 29 / 582
Elevation Ascended today/cumulative: 1,319′ / 13,186′
Weather: Cloudy, 60° at start; Cloudy, 68º at finish; Winds: mostly favorable
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 1 / 2

Day 11 was a short one  due to logistics. We began the day 94 miles from Pittsburgh, which was just a tad too far to ride with shrinking daylight hours and more climbing. So, our itinerary took us to Wheeling, West Virginia, the most logical stop for hotel accommodations.

Continue reading “Chicago to New York City – Day 11”

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Start: Zanesville, Ohio
End: Belmont, Ohio
Mileage today/cumulative: 64 / 553
Elevation Ascended today/cumulative: 4,180′ / 11,867′
Weather: Sunny, 42° at start; Sunny, 68º at finish; Winds: mostly headwinds
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 1

If we hadn’t known better, we’d have thought we were riding in east Tennessee instead of eastern Ohio. Country roads that went up and down and back up again. There was very little flat road to be seen today but there were lots of ranches with cows, horses, ponies, goats, chickens, and llamas dotting the countryside. I think Bev talked to everyone of them as she rode by. It’s like riding with my very own Doctor Doolittle.

Continue reading “Chicago to New York City – Day Ten”

Friday, October 4, 2019

Start: Columbus, Ohio
End: Zanesville, Ohio
Mileage today/cumulative: 77 / 489
Elevation Ascended today/cumulative: 1,883′ / 7,687′
Weather: Sunny, 52° at start; Partly cloudy, 62º at finish; Winds: blowing us all over the damn place
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 1

There were smiles everywhere when we rolled out for Day Nine. Was it because we were riding to Zanesville, Ohio? I don’t think so. Was it because we couldn’t wait to ride 77 miles after enjoying two nights in Columbus? Surely not. Everyone was in great spirits because the temperature dropped 40 degrees overnight and autumn had finally arrived. It came just in time because some of us, myself included, were getting very, very grumpy with the extreme heat.

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day Nine”