In the previous posting, I indicated that Kim and I were riding the final day to reach the Atlantic Ocean, and that I would bring the journal up to date as to the previous days of riding.
We indeed reached the Atlantic Ocean in Ocean City, Maryland on August 22nd. That day's ride was an easy ride of 29 miles ... flat roads and a light tailwind made for a nice way to finish the trans-continental ride ... lord knows there were not many easy days similar to this in the past three months. There is a tradition for cross-country cyclist ... dip a wheel in both Oceans ... so Kim dipped her wheel in the Atlantic, much to the amusement of some of the many beach-goers. Once again mention of the accomplishment brought joy to those understanding the ritual of "wheel dipping". I had not dipped my wheel in the Pacific, so I did not dip my wheel in the Atlantic. My sense of accomplishment existed, but I just did not feel it was appropriate to partake in the finish of a ritual that I did not begin. Besides that, I did not feel like carrying my bike across the sand.
Upon completion of the dipping, etc., and a restful evening, we headed back to our respective airport cities the next day ... Kim was to fly out of Baltimore and I from Washington D.C. Two-and-a-half days after leaving Ocean City, we found ourselves at the end point of our summer of riding together. This was not an easy moment for me as sharing the summer's adventures and misadventures with Kim was something I will always treasure. Rarely does a person enter one's life so quickly that so quickly develops into such a strong friendship. We both had much to offer to the other in the way of how we live our respective lives ... lessons in living that may have life-long benefits. Anyway, we did the usual things friends do when departing and not knowing when next we would meet ... said those things that need to be said ... and as usual for Kim, tears flowed. Me? Guess there are plants down the road from our departure-point that cause allergic reactions (watery eyes and runny nose). This sad day was Saturday, August 25.
The flights back to our respective domiciles was on Tuesday, August 28. I spent two very satisfying days playing the role of tourist in Washington D.C. Saw many of the usual sites. The most overwhelming site visited was the Library of Congress building. Having been in the construction business for over 35 years, I have grown accustomed to the "budget-controlled" plainness of most new structures. The Library of Congress structure is simply magnificent. The degree to which this building is detailed is just mind-bending. Beautiful, simply beautiful.
I had hoped to tell of the days of riding between Ohiopyle, OH and Salisbury, MD, but there were too many days and too many not-so-remembered-memories to accurately retell. The riding of the GAP rail-to-trail and the C&O Canal tow path does warrant retelling.
As mentioned in my posting of August 15, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail is wonderful. A great trail to ride between Pittsburgh and Cumberland, MD ... well maintained path and lots of small towns that are easily accessed. I would say "yes" to anyone considering riding this trail. The C&O Canal tow path would not receive such a recommendation from me. The C&O Canal ran from Cumberland to Washington D.C. Where as the GAP trail is well maintained, the C&O is a very rough trail. Being that it is so flat, drainage of rain water is a non-occurring event. The tow path trail consists of two parallel 18" wide dirt paths separated by a 24" grass barrier and grass on each outside edge of the two paths. Because of the grass, all accumulated water pools until soaked into the dirt. Mean while, cyclist ride through the many pools of standing water, which results in small ruts and ridges in the paths. So, as I say ... very rough riding. At one point we opted (love that word) to ride an adjacent highway. A word or two about the highways (other than Interstates) in southeast Ohio, northeast West Virginia, southwest Pennsylvania and western Maryland ... for me, extremely difficult; very short ups-and-downs; very steep short ups-and-downs; very "no shoulder" steep short ups-and-downs; very large-truck-traffic "no shoulders" steep short up-and-downs. Rarely do I feel as though the roads we ride are unsafe. This section had me worried. Not-so-amusingly, Kim seemed to enjoy the highway far more than riding the C&O. Thankfully, Kim saw the fear in my eyes and agreed to return to the C&O.
The story gets better (in telling, not experiencing). Shortly after returning to the trail, Kim noticed her rear tire getting softer. Being the insecure person that I am (in addition to being a butt-head), I immediately felt as though somehow I was to blame for the flat tire. Ah, sweet insecurities. So after replacing the tube, we continued on. Earlier I mentioned that the small towns on the GAP trail were numerous and easily accessed. In-as-much as these small towns valued the money riders of the trail carried, they advertised the town's existence well in advance of the town's turn-off road. Not so on the C&O. For one thing, small towns along the tow path are almost non-existent. Between Cumberland and Hancock (a 61 mile stretch) there were reported to be two small (and I mean small) towns. Unfortunately we missed both. Due to this we did not get the chance to sit and consume a nutritious lunch. Of course we had our usual mix of healthy snacks and unhealthy snacks, so we were able to stay reasonably fed.
The condition of the trail and the lack of urbanization were two factors that made the day's ride unenjoyable, but the main event has yet to be recounted. Starting recounting now ... after exiting the 3000' tunnel at the possibly-mythical burg of PawPaw, we noticed very black storm clouds. The clouds did nothing to belay our fears of heavy rain ... rain it did. PawPaw is approximately 25 miles from our projected finish town of Hancock, and there are no alternate towns or routes. After experiencing the thorough drenching back in Pittsburgh, we both understood what was to come. As it started to pour, I noticed a resigned smile on Kim's face. So we headed on down the path, riding through three-to-four inch deep pools of water ... pools that would typically be twenty-to-thirty feet long. So for the next three hours we rode through mud and water. We have camping gear along with us so we could have stopped and set-up camp, but one of the common beliefs shared by Kim and I is that even on a beautiful day, neither of us like camping. So we rode on ...
thinking that things could not be much worse. Along the trail we came upon two cyclist fixing a flat (their second in the past hour) in the pouring rain. Life lesson: no matter how bad things seem, they can always get worse. End of story is that we found lodging at a Super 8, cleaned up, went to Pizza Hut and survived to ride another day.
So, the summer's ride has been completed ... about three months of riding and a tad over 4800 miles. Many good memories. Sorry that it had to end.
I am now back in Tucson, and have moved my meager belongings out of the self-storage unit to my rental unit. Feels good to be in familiar surroundings and have a wider choice of clothing (but I must admit my wardrobe is similar to my belongings ... meager). Still unpacking; still getting things in order; still wishing I were still out riding the unknown (to me) roads; still thinking about next summer's possible routes.
Still... life is good.
Randy. Thanks for letting us read our way across America this summer. I always looked forward to read a tale of cycling adventure written in true Garmonesque style.
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