This year, we thought about several different trips and decided we would go back to a familiar route, but do it a bit differently. Joe and I will be cycling the C&O Canal + Great Allegheny Passage. We will be cycling from Washington DC to Pittsburgh on these two great off-road trails.
This will be my third trip on the C&O and fourth on the GAP. Joe and I did this route a few years ago, but in the other direction (we started in Pittsburgh last time). Our total trip will end up being somewhere between 375 and 400 miles probably.
This time, we will do it in 7 days instead of 6. This way we will have a little more time to do some sight seeing. We hope to stop by some civil war battlefields, and see the Frank Lloyd Wright house “Fallingwater” as well.
Today we drove up to Pittsburgh and were greeted at St. Stanislaus parish by Father Nichols. We’re staying overnight here and then catching a 5:00AM train to DC. We’ll then cycle back over the next 7 days to the ‘burg.
This church is gorgeous. We caught 4PM mass and then after a little conversation with Father Nichols, we went and grabbed dinner in one of the Mexican restaurants here in the Strip District of downtown Pittsburgh.
It is really raining here, and the forecast for the next few days looks wet along our ride. I don’t mind a little rain when riding, but the C&O will get really muddy and slow us down. So, prayers for good weather would be greatly appreciated! 7 days of rain could make this a long ride.
One small change this year: my traveling mascot, Mr. Hamster, won’t be with me for the first time ever on a trip. He’s still at Rose-Hulman with my daughter. So instead, Ms. Bug (a ladybug, of course) is coming along. She’s also one of my daughter’s crochet creations that she gave me a few years ago. Somehow, it seems quite odd not to have Mr. Hamster with me … but Ms. Bug will settle in nicely, I think.
Time to turn in soon. That 4AM wake up alarm will be coming far too soon. I’m going to get some reading done and hit the sack. Next Stop: Washington DC and off to Leesburg VA.
Peace!
Deacon Matt's Blog 
Hi Matt Thanks for the update. Cycling is a great connection in this family. Be careful and enjoy? I was hoping you could join us in Pittsburgh but it seems you have a full schedule. My family Loves going back to Pittsburgh for all the good memories. We hope to see most of the family At dinner on Sunday,. My grandchildren love going to Pittsburgh and want to do so much In a very short time that visiting families is out of the question. Kennywood, Pirates, laurel mountains for rafting and biking, strip district, too. We are renting a house on Mount Washington with a great view of the city. I can’t wait to see my family. Hope all is well with your family, sure wish we could get together but unfortunately the miles Make it quite hard. I send my love and prayers to all of you. Love Aunt Lucy
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Thinking of you as you begin your 2018 cycling adventure. Prayerfully you will have good, if not perfect, weather, and have fun and interesting experiences along the way. It will be interesting to read the differences in the previous ride and the current one. God’s blessings along the way and know that we’re thinking of you all the way. Love, Mom