The hostel we stayed in is about 30 feet from a major train line and about 25 feet from a railroad crossing. So every time a train would come through, the noise of the trains and the horn would be loud. However I was tired enough, plus earplugs, and I didn’t hear a single one of the trains last night. I usually sleep until 5-6AM. Today I woke up at 6:45. Needless to say, I felt great.
We had a simple breakfast of energy bars and some canned peaches. We decided that we would make our way to Meyersdale – about 14 miles away. Once again, the weather was picture perfect. Cool, crisp, dry, and blue skies.
This section of the GAP between Rockwood and Cumberland is probably my favorite part. There are patches of woods, interspersed with railroad bridges, tunnels, and tremendous views of the mountains.
My favorite bridge on any rail-trail I’ve done is the Salisbury Viaduct. This bridge is a converted train viaduct, stretching about 1800 feet long over the valley below. It crosses a major highway, the Casselman river, and some farm country. The views are great. You also get your first glimpses of the windmills that are high in the mountain ahead.
Once we arrived in Meyersdale, we rode down the hill into town and found a place to eat. We really wanted to eat at the GI Dayroom, but it was closed due to Labor Day. We wandered around and found a neat little place called Donges. The food was good and we enjoyed our time before climbing our way back up from downtown Meyersdale to the trail.
As we were sitting down during breakfast, we ran into Russ. There is something that happens so often during bike touring, I feel compelled to describe it. Some people call it “trail magic”. I see it more as “Godincidences”. These are the opportunities to run into people that you know, day after day. Yes, you’re riding the same direction, but each at your own pace, each choosing different places to eat, sleep and so on. Yet with all of these combinations and permutations, somehow you keep crossing paths. I have had this happen on every bike tour I’ve done in the past ten years.
With Russ, we “met” on facebook. He posted in a group of trail enthusiasts that he’d be riding the GAP. Without any planning whatsoever, I bumped into him outside of Pittsburgh and we introduced ourselves. Then we’ve crossed paths several times over the past 3 days. Pretty neat.
Back underway we made our trek towards the Eastern Continental Divide. A few more really neat bridges and tunnels. This bridge is a Bollman truss bridge. It was not originally part of the railroad here, but was moved here to span the road below for the bike trail. I think the cast iron ornamentals are interesting. You don’t see these kinds of details on modern bridges.
This is another of my favorite bridges. It was originally designed for two train widths. Only one side is used and was converted for the trail. This bridge is several hundred feet long and provides spectacular views of the valley to its left and right.
A few miles later, we finally made it to the Continental Divide. This is the high point that divides the eastern watershed from the central watershed. On the east side, water flows into the Atlantic Ocean. On the west side, water flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
On this map, we rode from Pittsburgh on the right side to the “you are here” marker. We continued today down the mountain into Cumberland later today. Tomorrow, we turn around and make the climb back up to the top!
The way down from the divide is always a fun ride. It is a gentle grade, but enough that it makes for a very easy ride. There are a couple of tunnels along the way, including the Big Savage tunnel. This tunnel is over 3200’ feet long. You take off the sunglasses, turn on the headlight, and enjoy the pleasant cool temperatures in the tunnel. Just wonderful!
After emerging from the tunnel you are immediately treated to one of the best views I’ve ever seen from my bike. From up here, you can see several layers of mountains in the distance.
Just before we went into the tunnel, JB noticed that my rear wheel had a slight wobble. I looked down, and sure enough, it had a wobble! That is not good. When we stopped, I checked and I had a broken spoke. It is not a common occurrence, but it needs to be taken seriously. I called ahead to the bike shop in Cumberland and made arrangements to have someone work on my bike.
Moving along, the next stop was the Mason & Dixon line separating Maryland from Pennsylvania. We took the requisite picture of us being in two states at the same time.
We decided not to stop anywhere else on the way down so that I could get to the bike shop and hopefully catch the mechanic today. We made really good time and found our way to the bike shop.
On the plus side, they did happen to have the right spoke size. That’s a blessing – there are many sizes and they happened to have the right one. On the down side, the mechanic was already gone so it won’t get fixed until tomorrow morning. That will delay our start tomorrow morning until I get my bike back. In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a problem. I’m thankful for the help!
We took our picture at the “Mile 0” marker for the Great Allegheny Passage and then went to the Fairfield Inn to get checked in and cleaned up.
We had some trouble finding a place open for dinner, but we eventually got pizza here. The food was decent but the service was … well … anyway the food was good.
So now I’m sitting at the Fairfield, finishing up our laundry and writing my blog. It has been a very good day.
Tomorrow we begin our return trip back to Pittsburgh. I designed our itinerary to stop in different towns on the way back. Tomorrow will be a long day. We have 63 miles from here to Confluence. That includes a 23 mile climb from Cumberland back up to the Continental Divide. Hopefully my bike is ready early so we can get underway.
Until tomorrow, may the Lord bless you and keep you.
Peace!
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