Tag: #GreatAlleghenyPassage

It was another fantastic weather day on the GAP. It was 47°F when I started in Connellsville and about 80°F when I finished in Pittsburgh. The glove liners I picked up yesterday worked great for keeping my fingers toasty.

My last day was a little over 60 miles and neatly breaks into two sections, separated by Boston PA. East of Boston, the trail still feels very rural. West of Boston, the outskirts and city of Pittsburgh begin to take shape; the industrial buildings, train tracks, and steel mills start taking over the landscape.

I rolled along listening to upbeat music and took a few stops along the way to hydrate, snack, and stretch my legs. I arrived in West Newton a few minutes before 11A. I stopped in the Trailside restaurant for an early lunch. A Cobb salad hit the spot.

The rest of the trip was beautiful but uneventful. I ended up in Pittsburgh just before 3PM. There is a nice change to the prior route – now you can continue along the Mon Wharf area all the way to The Point. The Point state park is the confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio rivers – the Three Rivers of Pittsburgh. I took a few pictures and took a little time to enjoy the weather and scenery. The riverfront was very busy today with people enjoying the water and parks.

My car was parked at the hotel and I had a 3 hour drive after to get to work for tomorrow in Columbus, OH. So I made my way over to the hotel and did a quick cleanup in the bathroom before heading out.

This long weekend was just about right. The weather and trail conditions were perfect and it gave me a nice break before a busy couple of work weeks ahead. I think this long-weekend ride could become an annual tradition – time will tell.

Today’s Stats: 61.4 miles, no issues, one strawberry UnCrustable PB&J, great weather, and lots of sunshine.

May the Lord bless you and shine His face upon you!

Peace,
— Dcn. Matt

I was really happy to get into bed early last night. Fitness trainers will tell you that a great night of sleep is the best performance enhancer you can get. I got a great night of sleep and I could tell.

When I woke this morning it was very foggy. The air temps had dropped over night into the 40s and it definitely felt like fall outside. I anticipated chilly weather so I brought my heavier coat and I’m glad I did.

After a delicious breakfast at the B&B, I slathered on some sunblock, put on my warm-wear and pointed down the trail. It was chilly for the first couple of hours of riding, but it felt great. Tomorrow looks to be even a touch cooler. The one thing I didn’t bring were warmer gloves, so I stopped this evening and bought some full-fingered gloves liners to keep my fingers a bit warmer tomorrow.

The next town up the trail is Confluence, named after the joining of the Youghiogheny river, Casselman River, and Laurel Hill creek. I usually make Confluence a place to stop in along the way. I was going to just pass through town but ended up spending a little while there. Why? Because of Pumpkin Fest 2024! Pumpkin Fest is the town’s big shindig for the year. I rolled into town and was met with food trucks and tents, lots of vendors of various crafts and stuff, and a music tent. Although it was only a little after 10A, I decided to have early lunch. I got a nice serving of Pad Thai from one of the vendors. For fair food, it was pretty good!

The people of Confluence are very nice. Every time I’ve stopped in town, someone has been kind to me. Today was no different. As I wheeled my bike around the vendors, people were friendly and welcoming. This town probably sees a zillion cyclists every day, but they still asked me a little about my trip and where I was headed.

After making a lap around the various vendors, I decided it was time to get rolling. I made quick time to Ohiopyle. Ohiopyle is a neat town, mostly supported by tourism and whitewater rafting. I had originally planned my lunch stop for there, but since I had already eaten, I just took the time to replenish water and get rolling.

There are many places to stop and take in the views, but there is one particular overlook where I always stop because it is perhaps the nicest view of the river in the general area. There was a young lady there doing an out-and-back loop from Connellsville. We chatted for a few minutes while I took in some calories to power my last 10 miles.

The last 10 miles went fast. I arrived a little ahead of schedule but the Comfort Inn was happy to allow me to do early check-in. I wanted to get cleaned up in time to walk to mass at St. Rita’s in town.

After mass, I wandered to a nearby restaurant and grabbed a healthy dinner of pasta, veggies, and salmon. Nothing went to waste … or my waist, I think.

Tomorrow’s ride is a bit longer. It will be about 60 miles to finish out the ride. I’m going to get an early start since I also have a bit of a car ride when I get back to Pittsburgh.

Overall, a wonderful day on the trail.

Peace!
— Dcn. Matt

Today’s stats: 46.4 miles, no problems, 53°F at start, about 73°F at the end. Back-to-back days of epic weather.

We started our trek eastward today with a standard issue hotel breakfast. Nothing great, nothing bad. Calories.

Leaving the Hampton Inn, we made our way easily down to the point, which is the park where the confluence of the Monongahela, Allegheny, form into the Ohio river. The weather felt cool and comfortable. At the point, we met up with a group of 7 friends who are journeying to DC as well. Great people and we’ve crossed their paths a few more times.

We stopped by PPG Place on our way out of town. It’s a neat set of buildings covered in glass. There are fountains and some sculptures. The other reason we stopped there is that the Mon Wharf part of the GAP was closed for construction, so we took surface streets to get a couple off miles away from the point.

Only a few miles in, we had our first mechanical failure. Just before reaching the Hot Metal bridge, JB’s bike had a flat tire. We also had our first injury – I pinched my finger helping him and got an instantaneous blood blister on my finger. JB’s problem was that the rim tape on his nearly 30 year old bike was, well, 30 years old. There was an REI store nearby so we went by and did some bike wandering of the Southside until the store opened at 10A. $6 later, new rim tape for his bike. Tube count +1.

When we went into REI, I looked up and said to myself “those clouds up there look kinda dark”. When I came out of REI a few minutes later, it was raining very hard. Donning my rain coat, we got back on the trail and continued eastbound.

One of the nice things about the GAP is that you leave a very urban setting and gradually end up in some very pretty and remote areas. Once we arrived in McKeesport, we mostly left behind the bustle and noise of the city. For the rest of the GAP portion of the trip, we will be on a very quiet bike path that passes through small towns.

The rain kept with us for quite a while until we made it to West Newton. In West Newton, there is a neat place where a bike shop is in the basement and a restaurant is above: The Trailside. We went in for lunch and had a very good meal. Our new friends were just finishing lunch there too. By the time lunch was over, the rain had passed and we were able to proceed without our rain coats.

Pressing eastbound was somewhat uneventful… for a while. Then we noticed that Zubby had a flat tire. Looking at his tire up close, there was no tread left. Zero. He had squeezed every last mile out of the rear tire, and a few more than he should have. Some sort of tiny pebble had punctured the tire and tube. Tube count +1 = 2.

A few miles later, another flat. Tube count +2 = 3 total. We did a closer inspection and decided to put a “tire boot” on the inside of his tire. It is an emergency Mylar glue patch that is meant to strengthen a tire. We also put a dollar bill over it for good measure. Dollar bills make a great emergency patch because the fabric of the bill is very strong. We had hoped to replace the tire when we arrived in Connellsville, but the bike shop here is closed for the week. We have decided to try to nurse him along until we get to Ohiopyle tomorrow and visit the bike shop there.

After arriving at the Comfort Inn in Connellsville, we scrubbed down and walked to a local restaurant for dinner. Our new friends from Pittsburgh were at the restaurant too. Veggie pasta and a couple of local hard ciders hit the spot. Mmm mmm.

Settling in for the evening and looking forward to a nice day tomorrow. Next stop, Rockwood! Hoping that our tire boot gets Zubby safely to Ohiopyle!

Today’s stats: 64 miles, 5:48 riding time, 3 tubes used for flat repair, 1 new set of rim tape, and one bandaid for my finger.

Until tomorrow, may the Lord keep you, and us, safe.

Peace!
— Dcn. Matt