I’d chosen to spend the night in Trappe for a couple of reasons. One was because it was a decent distance from Kent Island. Another was that the next nearest town, Cambridge, was another six miles off, which would have given me a longer day than I wanted. And finally, I found it amusing that my bike shop, Bikesport, was in Trappe, Pennsylvania, and that the two towns came by their odd name in much the same way – from the nickname of a local inn.
That said, there were considerable differences between the two towns. The Pennsylvania town is older, dating to 1717, and very hilly. It also abuts another town, one with a college, and so Trappe PA is abuzz with college students. The Maryland town is flat and rural, just 300 residents, a couple of churches and parks, and one diner, which was closed when I arrived.
I had previous contacted the webmaster for the town and arranged to camp at a nature center a few miles away. However, when I arrived I discovered that there had been some miscomunication between us – the nature center did in fact not have water, and instead of having a combination to unlock the gate, I was told I could “throw my bike over the fence.” I was already low on water, and on discovering that neither of the two town parks had working spigots, I began to formulate an alternate plan. In the 2 hours or so I had left of daylight I would knock on church doors and see if they would let me camp in their yard, or at least let me tank up on water. I’d read about other bicycle tourists doing so with success.
As I began to ride down Main Street towards a church, another cyclist pulled up to me. “You wouldn’t happen to be from Trappe Pennsylvania, would you?” One of the town councilmen heard about my coming and wanted to greet me. I quickly explained my dilemma, and after discussions with his neighbors and better half I was allowed to camp in his backyard.
Once I set up my tent, I unhooked the trailer and rode off to explore the town. Trappe’s most famous citizen is John Franklin “Home Run” Baker, the hero of the 1911 World Series and a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. One of the town’s parks is named in his honor, and he’d probably be proud that the Little League team plays there. His home is one of a number of historic buildings in Trappe.
After a tour of the small town, I rode a mile to a gas station and cleaned up in their mensroom, since I didn’t want to disturb my hosts, and then crawled into my tent shortly after my return.
Category: Bike Touring
Delmarva Tour, June 2009 – Part 3
Maryland Rt. 50, the Ocean Gateway, is a 55 MPH two and three lane highway running through Queen Anne and Talbot Counties, crossing the Choptank River at Cambridge, and swinging through Dorchester as it turns east for the Atlantic coast and Ocean City. The shoulder is very bikable in most locations, clean and wide. One needs to be careful for turning cars at intersections and driveway entrances, but if you can live with the noise of the traffic speeding past you, it’s not a bad ride at all. Most of my riding today and tomorrow will be on this highway.
That said, it’s not a pretty ride. Fortunately in Talbot County the Maryland State Bike Map routed me onto Rt 662 for a spell, bringing me to Wye Mills, home of a functioning historic flour mill and what once was the symbol of Maryland, the 460 year old Wye Oak. One advantage touring on a weekday brought me was the chance to get a private tour of the mill, since the caretaker had no one else to talk to.
The state park was a quarter mile up the road. The white oak tree fell during a 2002 storm, but a seedling was planted in the base of the old tree, and perhaps one day it will rival its parent in size. A portion of the downed tree is on display – the first solid portion, about 30 feet up the trunk.
I’m afraid I didn’t spend enough time at Wye Mills. I missed the historic church and schoolhouse, and the nearby county park would have been worth a few more minutes.
Continuing on, I kept joining and exiting the Ocean Gateway, adding miles on the highway and enjoying sightseeing when I left. I wish Talbot’s Little Red Schoolhouse had been open for a tour when I rode by.
However, the sight of farms, fields rich with corn and barley, brought some consolation.
I skirted around Easton, unfortunately bypassing the historic district to make miles. I stocked up on provisions at a Target, shocking some shoppers who had apparently never seen a touring cyclist before. Or at least one my size. Then off again, rolling through farmlands along flat country roads to my night stop – Trappe, MD.
To be continued…..
Delmarva Tour, June 2009 – Part 2
Early Monday morning my host came into the spare bedroom and woke me up.
After breakfast Sadie had Daniel drive me over the Bay Bridge to Kent Island so I could resume my adventure. We arrived at a shopping center at 8:30 AM and I began to assemble the rig. In this photo, Daniel seems a little wary of the weight I’m pulling. Still, it’s less than that of a 75 pound Lab.
Daniel’s suggestion was I follow the access road to Rt. 18 and follow that through Kent Island, but after he left and I’d ridden it to a store for more liquids, I set my mind on finding the Cross Island Trail. The CIT travels six miles across the island and narrows, offering great views of the bay. I headed north, and while looking for it experienced another example of the serendipity I find while touring. A sign pointed to “Stevensville Historic District”, and I followed it to the right. I was rewarded with the sight of Victorian buildings, their bright colors popping out in the morning sunshine.
At the restored 1902 train station…..
… I met up with a cyclist on his way to work.
Jim is a roofing contractor, and it seemed everyone in town knows him. We spoke for a few minutes about the town and my bike, Jim taking an especial interest in my trailer. He then told me to follow him for a tour of good buildings to shoot. “I don’t want to hold you up from work” I said. “I got two days to finish the job, so I can take a few minutes” he replied as swung a leg over the top tube. And we were off. I’d never have noticed this church without Jim playing shepherd to me.
After more talk, photos, and riding, Jim led me to the trail head, passersby exchanging good morning with my leader and I. We said goodbye and good luck, friends for a quarter-hour united by a town and two wheels.
The Cross Island Trail was lovely, offering both shade and scenic views of the water and nearby flora.
After a trip through Nature’s realm, it was back to Man’s as the trail ended at Rt 18. At the trail end is the Maryland Watermen’s Monument, a tribute to those hardy folks who lived their lives, and often gave them, on the Chesapeake.
As I started on what promised to be a day of riding highways, I noticed a turtle attempting to cross Rt 18. I attempted to herd it across the narrows to the water, and was soon joined by others. We saved two turtles that morning, and I felt I’d partially repaid some of the debt I owed to Nature for the wonderful trail rides I’d had over the previous two weeks.
Off I went down Rt 18, searching for the bikeable portion of Rt. 50, the “Ocean Gateway.” I stopped for directions twice, rode up entrance ramps twice only to be turned back by the “No Bikes” signs, and eventually reached it after a ride through the small town of Grasonville. I saw all the trappings of small town America – the little businesses, the roadside stands, the fire hall and the post office and the homes modest and grand, all inviting me and my camera. However, I had miles to make, and they had to wait for another day. I rode up and onto the Ocean Gateway, and began to grind out miles on the shoulder as 18 wheelers sped past me.
Delmarva Tour, June 2009 – Part 1
Early in 2009, Bike Forums member Spinnaker proposed a tour for Bike Forums posters on the Montour Trail, Great Allegheny Passage, and C & O Canal Towpath. The three trails cover 380 miles from north and west of Pittsburgh, PA, and Washington, DC. I and several other posters signed up to what promised to be an exciting, taxing, but satisfying trip. Having done the trails twice in 2008, I felt I couldn’t leave it at that. “I’m a bike tourist”, I thought. “Why not ride home instead of renting a car in DC?” I pulled out maps and requested more vacation time at work. The time off was approved, the mapping went well, and before I knew it I had a planned tour.
The adventures, and sometimes misadventures, I and the other Bike Forums posters encountered during our week-long trip to the nation’s capitol are the subjects of other threads. I was stretched, bonked, and exhausted from the tour, and Bike Forums member ALHanson was kind enough to host me Friday and Saturday nights, June 19 and 20, so I could recover for my departure the morning of the 21st.
My original plans had been to ride from ALHanson’s home in Northern VA to Annapolis, but I increasingly became concerned about the lack of a good bike route between DC and Maryland’s capitol. A few exchanges on Bike Forums produced an offer of a ride, and so I was soon at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. I rode the bike trail that circles the airport, followed a connector, and soon enough was headed down the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail to the Chesapeake. The trail offered me both a short day and more time to recover from the knee trouble and chafing problems I’d suffered during the previous week.
The B and A is a rail trail, with no more than a two per cent grade down to the coast. This being a Sunday, the trail was busy with walkers and riders. The weather was warm but not sultry, and while folks perspired, the air didn’t stick to them when they stopped. And there were many places to stop as the trail wandered through the little towns along the way. I paused at the park headquarters, a former train station being restored to its Victorian small-town grandeur.
Too soon the trail ended. But I had only a couple of miles to the city on roads with moderate Sunday traffic. I’d been advised by a rider I met at a rest stop that Annapolis crab is much better than Baltimore’s, and the view of the city from the scenic overlook was not to be missed. “Annapolis reminds me of Venice, with the domes on the churches and the water”, he said. I’m glad I stopped, for he was right about the view at least.
Before I knew it I crossed the Severn River and was watching boats pass by.
I called my hosts for the evening, folks I’d met through Warm Showers, the mutual hospitality website for touring cyclists. Little did I know my host was both a celebrity and a dog.
Sadie McCready is perhaps the most famous canine bike tourist of recent time, a distinction that almost tops the phrase “internationally known chess historian” in conversation-stopping ability. Sadie and one of her people, Daniel McCready, the week before my arrival completed an 850 mile tour from Maryland’s capitol to Maine to promote the East Coast Greenway. They raised 6000 dollars, spent more than three weeks on the road, appeared on FOX News – Sadie’s choice, no doubt, since she is a Lab – and were written up in numerous newspapers. Sadie rode in a trailer and Daniel rode a recumbent. The dog would get out on hills so Dan didn’t have to lug her 75 pounds of weight up a grade.
The photo shows my host and Daniel at Ego Alley on the docks in Annapolis. (Ego Alley is the nickname for the area where private boats are moored. I’ll let you guess why the name stuck.) Sadie had been honored by the Mayor at a ceremony, and throughout the evening people would pass by and point, saying “Look, there’s Sadie!” Being a Lab, she took it all in good grace.
After dinner, ice cream, and a short walking tour of the historic district, Sadie, her people, and I all set off on a boat tour of the Annapolis harbor. We four were the only travelers on the boat, and the sun was beginning to set. The condition of the light was to a photographer like a doggy toy to a pup:
Once to my host’s home, showered, changed, and rested, I soon fell asleep, thinking of the day’s ride, and planning to make the next day as full of wonder as today had been.
Allegheny River Trail, August 2010 – Part One
My vacation for 2010 was spent on an auto tour of scenic and natural places in central and western Pennsylvania. However, I did manage to work in a short bike tour during my trip. Prior to leaving on the seventh my friend Judy and Troy “the Hobbit” from the Great Allegheny Passage Yahoo Group agreed to join me for a little trip down the Allegheny River Trail.
Friday, August 13, I left my hosts’ home near the New York border early for my long drive to Franklin and the Allegheny River Trail, my next stop. I visited Bradford’s downtown to see the oldest working oil well in the city, which is in the back of a McDonald’s. It’s been producing oil since the 1870s.
As I headed south, I stopped at several observation platforms and overlooks in Allegheny National Forest. While I found the much praised Jake’s Rocks to be overgrown and unimpressive, the Overlook Rocks were much better viewing:
… and hiking. These stairs to the base of the rock formation are a very tight fit for a Clydesdale. I was brushing both walls.
Kinzua Dam was worth a few minutes of my time:
I reached Franklin by 4:00 PM. The plans I’d discussed with Judy and Troy were to meet there, spend the night at the campsite a mile down the trail, and head out from there tomorrow morning. When I reached Franklin, they’d both decided to meet me Saturday morning instead. Having time to kill, I decided to ride up the connecting Justus Trail. I found it boring, and started the processes of putting my trailer together and loading it. This took forever, partly because I had to move anything of value into the trunk before leaving the car at the trailhead for the next two days. By the time I’d finished it was 6:30, and I wobbled off.
I’m not indulging in hyperbole to say I wobbled. Aside from ten miles in Pine Creek Gorge and three miles earlier that afternoon, I’d not ridden a bike in eight weeks. And I’d not pulled a fully loaded trailer in 14 months. It took everything I had to hold a line and keep the rubber side down. When I wobbled to a stop a mile and a tenth later, I found a canoe trip of Boy Scouts had taken over the campsite. I set up at the far end of the area and spent a quiet night.
Since I was riding such a short number of miles today, I rode in street clothes. I missed my Lycra, however:
Campsite:
I retired early to the sound of the river a few feet from me. Fortunately the Boy Scouts were too tuckered out to be noisy.
Allegheny River Trail, August 2010 – Part Two
I woke up early and had a cold breakfast of trail mix while the canoe group left.
Once they were down the Allegheny, I got ready for my ride. I packed and spent ten minutes hunting for a place I could change other than the cramped portable toilets. No such luck – already there was heavy trail and river traffic and there were no blind spots at the campground. Next time change for riding BEFORE taking down the tent.
My two companions showed up as I was finishing loading my trailer. Judy came first, tipping over her trike thanks to a careless stop on a slope. Troy showed up five minutes later and took this photo while I was loading up.
Off we went south on the Allegheny River Trail. Again I felt wobbly, but as the miles rolled on I gained control of the heavy bike. I had trouble keeping up with Troy, who is very fit and a strong rider. There’s something to be said for being a farmer; all that labor keeps you in condition. In addition to his farm,Troy is also a moderator on the Yahoo group for the Great Allegheny Passage and other trail groups, which is where I met him. He’s since this trip taken up acting, and has appeared in several films. His jokes about being a hobbit are partly due to his appetite, and partly from his “there and back again” trips on the GAP and C & O.
After a few miles, we reached the intersection of the Allegheny River Trail and Sandy Creek Trail. Judy, who had gotten up before 6 that morning to drive up here, volunteered to stay ‘below’ with our gear while we rode the trail. As she pulled into the shade, we unhitched and walked up the stairs to the Sandy Creek Trail. The stairs connecting the two trails are horrible, and Troy helped me get my bike up and down.
I’d already begun to sour on the Allegheny River Trail, but Sandy Creek was a delight, with seven bridges, including a massive span over the Allegheny, and a tunnel to play on. Aside from the awkward climb up to the trail, and one short uphill near the river, the trail was flat, paved, and beautiful. Sandy Creek reminds me of the Casselman River coming down into Confluence – rocky and wild. The water level was very low, however, and the stream would be more impressive had it been fuller.
After 14 miles ‘upstairs’, we went back down to the patient Judy, and continued south to our campsite north of Emlenton. The ART continued to Indian God Rock, a massive stone with Native American carvings. Unfortunately the rock has been extensively defaced since it was discovered two centuries ago. Troy scrambled down to the rock itself while Judy and I remained up on the trail at the overlook.
Indian God Rock, combined with the heat, induced some of my silliness:
“You know God spelled backwards is Dog?”
“Yes” said Judy.
“Indian God Rock was impressive, but I’m looking forward to seeing Indian Dog Rock. It has carvings of poodles wearing wampum beads and feathered headress.”
“Neil, do you need more water? Would you like to stop and rest in the shade?”
As I mentioned above, I’d begun to like the ART less and less as I rode it. True, it was paved. But there were no services – no towns, stores, restrooms – anywhere along the trail. There was a half-mile detour onto a gravel road that included two hill climbs. And there were the tunnels. The first one, Kennerdell, was three thousand feet long and lit only by reflectors. I quickly discovered my lighting wasn’t enough, and I walked the distance. Even then I became a little disoriented in the tunnel.
Once through the tunnel, the search for the campsite began. I had been told there was a site south of the tunnel. We kept going, and still no site. Then I spotted a table and fire ring. We pulled over and set up camp. The Boy Scout troop I’d camped with the night before floated by on the Allegheny, but decided not to stop here.
We settled in for the night shortly after seeing our first bald eagle over the river, and just as the drizzling rain set in.
Allegheny River Trail, August 2010 – Part Three
We awoke to a day of drizzle. My original goal was to ride to Emlenton, and then ride back north to Franklin, but my poor showing on the bike yesterday squashed that idea. Also, Judy had enough of the trail. So we developed a plan – Troy would ride south for breakfast, then turn round and ride north. Judy would ride back to Franklin from the campsite. I’d go on to Emlenton and wait for Judy to pick me up. So 15 minutes after Troy headed south, I left Judy as she packed up.
The drizzle began to break as I headed down the trail. I stopped at Rockland Tunnel, 2500 feet long, to capture the fog that poured out of the mouth. Would I meet Puff the Magic Dragon inside? Or, knowing my luck, would it be Fafner? If it was Fafner, I regretted leaving my road bike Notung at home…… Again, like the previous tunnel, I walked through it.
Muddy bike. Note the grocery bag under the saddle cover – I wasn’t taking any chances!
Passing through the former Quaker State facility. Emlenton is where the well-known brand of motor oil originated. You can see several old buildings and structures over the fence, but since this is a Superfund site I wasn’t crossing over it.
I met Troy as he came back from breakfast:
We tried to ride the unfinished portion of trail between Emlenton and Foxburg, but turned back because it was as muddy as the C & O after a rain. And unlike the C & O, this one has low overhanging trees as well. I nearly crashed as I tried to avoid one water-filled pothole. After Troy left north with snacks in his bag for second breakfast, I spent my afternoon at the little park along the Allegheny, at the gazebo on the trailhead, and at an ice cream shop with Internet access. Emlenton is a nice little community, and I didn’t draw too many stares as I pedaled my bike and trailer back and forth through town.
I was joined at lunch by three riders who were taking a break from their century training ride on the trail. Paul, his brother, and his 13 year old son were from Ohio and riding a 100 mile route in September. We chatted about bikes, Brooks saddles, and riding a century. I think they found it a little hard to believe that I’d ridden a century and completed the Pittsburgh to DC trip three times – Paul’s brother inspected my bike and shook his head. But I’m used to that response from cyclists, and they were nice enough people otherwise.
Judy arrived a little after three to pick me up. After retrieving my car in Franklin, we headed north to the campsite she had reserved for us in Two Mile Run Park. This is a big park run by Venagno County, and it’s fitting Judy chose this site to unwrap her latest surprise: Mega-Tent!
This six-man shelter was purchased with Judy’s hobby of historical reenactment in mind. Now she can change standing up in a space separate from that of 50 sweaty men getting into their French and Indian War battle uniforms. As a bonus, if she takes it on a bike tour, she can store her bike inside with her. I named the tent the “Pleasure Dome” as Coleridge’s poem came to mind as she tried to set it up.
Speaking of bike touring, Judy discovered that the actual campsite we had tried to locate was a mile or so north of where we camped. The rain had knocked over enough brush that the trail shelter was visible as she rode north. We had missed it and instead pulled into a picnic area with a table and fire ring. I became excited at learning this. “You know what this means, don’t you?” I said.
“That we stealth camped.”
“Yes, we stealth camped. According to the ‘rules’, we are now ‘real’ bike tourists!” I raised my water bottle in triumph.
Ohiopyle and Oldtown, August 2010 – Part 3
The morning was warm as I set out from Rockwood. After a full breakfast, showering and using the computer at the showerhouse/game room at Husky Haven, JAGraham left to get lunch for us, drop my camping gear off in my car in Cumberland, and to park her car at the Deal Trailhead. Meanwhile, I had to grind up from Rockwood to Garrett as the day grew warmer. This part of the Passage isn’t very steep, but my legs found it tougher than I expected. However, once I reached Garrett the climb lessened, and soon enough I was at Salisbury Viaduct.
By the time I’d reached Keystone Viaduct, on the other side of Meyersdale….
… I’d begun to feel queasy. I don’t know if it was the heat, not enough fluids, or a Clif Bar I’d had an hour before, but as I pedaled on I was very sick to my stomach. Finally as I neared Sand Patch I thought “I feel like I could throw up.” And a minute later I was at the side of the trail doing just that. I stopped for a few minutes on the shadeless trail and drank long and hard from my water bottle. Once I felt better, I continued on. JAGraham had left the Deal Trailhead and ridden the mile to the Eastern Continental Divide where she could hang out in the cool underpass. I met her there, sat down for a few minutes, and drank a Diet Pepsi. JAGraham and I chatted with other cyclists hanging out in the cool, dark underpass. I soon recovered, and we were off on the “glide” portion of the ride.
The 24 miles.1600 feet of downhill was such a blur there’s little to say. I’ve done it four times now and it’s still a thrill. At the high point of the Passage:
Big Savage Tunnel:
View from the south end of Big Savage Tunnel. Welcome to Maryland!
Cyclists come out of Bordon Tunnel, just above Frostburg.
Downhill to Cumberland! The Clydesdale Express thunders down the gravel track!
Entering the Narrows, the bottleneck north of Cumberland. It was near here in June 2008 I crashed and fractured a rib when crossing wet railroad tracks. And this was the third time I’d crossed them successfully. Practice can make perfect, it seems.
Success! Daisy the Mule watches my bike Roark at mile zero of the GAP, the Western Maryland rail station.
Judy and I said goodbye. She arranged to meet her husband for dinner in Cumberland, and they would drive up to retrieve her car. I packed up my bike in my car and headed out on the five hour drive home.
Ohiopyle and Oldtown, August 2010 – Part Two
I woke up, crawled out of my tent, and plotted my drive home Sunday afternoon. It was so breezy I had to anchor the map lest it blow away:
After breakfast nearby, we headed to Ohiopyle. Once there, JAGraham and I rode in the ‘wrong’ direction, towards Connellsville. I’d decided I wanted to see my favorite overlook on the Passage, six miles out. Repeatedly on that trip we met CrazyGuyOnABike poster Larry Albert and his two companions. Albert and JAGraham know each other from the forum, but had never met in person. Albert’s account of the meeting is here. And here he is riding down the trail:
The overlook was as pretty as I remembered it, even with the Yough at a low level:
I turned round and rode back to Ohiopyle. I watched the kayakers navigate around Fern Clif from the High Bridge:
After meeting JAGraham at Ohiopyle, it was off to Conflunce for a late lunch. I rode, she drove. Sisters’ Diner is in decline, and I may have to skip it when I’m next in town. Confluence Cyclery made some adjustments to my derailer to eliminate a squeak. And then south, and uphill, to Rockwood for my final night on the trail. I made decent time despite my hands going numb and my itchy photo-fingers.
I arrived at 7:30, rode to Husky Haven for my last night in a tent, had a big dinner, and retired with a 43 mile day behind me and a 43 mile day ahead of me.
Ohiopyle and Oldtown, August 2010 – Part 1
I spent my three week vacation in August 2010 on a car tour of scenic and natural areas in central and western Pennsylvania. This included a two night tour along the Allegheny River Trail, and what turned into a two night supported tour on the Great Allegheny Passage and C & O Canal to end the trip. However, the support wasn’t planned for originally. My riding partner JAGraham was taken ill and under doctor’s orders not to exert herself. So we scrapped a planned three days of backpacking and she gave up riding with me on the GAP aside from the downhill into Cumberland, Maryland. Still, we had fun. Including my supported tour on the last weekend in August.
Our plan for Friday was that I’d make my way to Cumberland, MD, store my car and excess gear there, and ride to Oldtown on the C & O, where JAGraham would pick me up and take me back to our campsite on Mount Davis, PA’s highest peak. Then on Saturday I’d start a two day ride of the ‘Western Maryland’ portion of the Great Allegheny Passage. I parked the car in the long term lot at Cumberland and headed south in the late afternoon.
Aside from the area around Harper’s Ferry and the final 30 some miles into DC, my favorite stretch of the C & O is Cumberland to Oldtown. It had a variety of terrain and landscape, and avoids the ‘green tunnel’ effect I find on much of the C & O. This is at Lock 75 on the canal.I made descent progress on the hard, dry trail, save for my hands. Now that I’d improved my saddle by finding a sweeter spot, my hands had been going numb after a few miles of riding. Fortunately that’s a good excuse to take a photo. Unfortunately I want to get to the point I can ride and ride without stopping. Like these through tourists I met at Pigman’s Ferry.
Still, if I have to stop, it’s nice to stop in places like this:
JAGraham picked me up at Oldtown, we dined in Cumberland, and then went back up the mountain.