As anyone who knows me or follows me on social media already knows, every three years since 2003, I have embarked on a bicycle tour on the GAP and C&O. For my third trip on the trail, I decided I would go all the way to Washington DC.
I made plans. I didn’t have enough time off of work to do the entire trail from Pittsburgh to DC, so I chose the town of Garrett to start. I had family living in DC so i had a place to spend the night.
MAY 19th, 2009
I packed up the bike onto my car and headed south on I95 to the suburbs of DC.
I found a Metro station and loaded up a Metro Card with enough money to pay for a week of parking. Left my car in the garage, loaded my gear to the Schwinn Cruiser I had at that time for my bike and took it and myself for a ride on the DC Metro (my favorite subway system that I have ridden on to date).
I couch surfed at the previously mentioned families place and got up early the next morning to ride to Mile Zero to await my shuttle to Garrett.
Fun fact: Mile Zero of the C&O Canal is at the exit lock or water gate that used to let boats into and out of the canal from the Potomac. The Watergate hotel and office complex nearby got it’s name from this gateway into the C&O.
May 20th, 2009
I got to mile zero at 6:30am.
I waited. Looking at every car, truck and van that pulled into the parking lot at the Thompson Boat Center
I waited some more.
No shuttle.
After an hour I finally pulled out my iPhone and looked up the shuttle company i had chosen and gave them a call. It turns out that the shuttle was now stranded on I68 in Maryland. A truck carrying boulders was driving ahead of them and accidentally dumped a boulder on my shuttle. I could wait a day before they could get another shuttle for me or ask for a refund. I asked for a refund.
I then searched for other shuttles, but most on such short notice were available or cost more than I had budgeted. The family I had in DC were unable to provide a ride either. So as the morning turned to afternoon, I made the choice to ride back to the Metro. Ride the Metro back to my car and head west to Meyersdale. I chose Meyersdale because I knew I could make it from there to a campground in Frostburg, it was mostly all downhill. The plan would be to ride to Hancock Maryland and then ride back to Meyersdale. Riding to DC would have to wait until another year.
I did just that. (somewhere I still have that loaded Metro Card)
I arrived in Meyersdale at around four. I put the top up on the car, unloaded the bike and packed up. I snapped a few photos and was on my way.
Or so I thought. The chain popped off the bike.
I got the chain back on, and was once more on my way.
A few miles later, before the Keystone Viaduct, the rear tire went flat with an audible pop and hiss. (why is it always the rear?)
Unloaded the bike, changed the tube, reloaded the bike. And was on my way again.
About thirty minutes later near the Eastern Continental Divide, the pop and hiss happened again. Rear tire once more. I found the hole in my old tube, patched it and then went through the trouble of exchanging it again.
I made it to the top of the hill and rolled through Big Savage by seven. At the overlook, the sun was begining to set behind the mountains west of me and the view ahead was turning to beautiful shades of purple.
I didn’t pause long at the overlook. If I wanted to make it to Frostburg before dark (and hopefully before the campground office closed) I was going to have to fly down this hill.
Just as i was leaving PA and crossing into Maryland, POP HISS!
I got off the bike, looked at the flat rear tire with disbelief. I removed my helmet and through it in anger and pushed over the bike and sat on a nearby bench to cool off my anger.
When the Hulk in me subsided, I made to decision to just set up camp on the Mason Dixon Line. I set up my tent, changed into my camp clothes and made some dinner. Then I turned in early. It had been a long day.
MAY 21st, 2009
I woke up the next morning and made coffee and breakfast. Took down camp and began to work on repairing my tubes.. Once the tubes were patched and seemed to hold air, I deflated them. One of them went in my tool kit, the other back into the wheel.
As I was slowly pumping back up my tire, I heard an ATV approaching. A hunter with a riffle on his back pulled up beside me and asked if I needed any help. He informed me that he was either the sheriff or the chief of police in Cumberland (my memory is foggy on this, that’s why I should start journaling these things the day of and not waiting twelve years to write it down. Any-who… back to the story.) and he was up here to hunt some turkey. He then informed me that he had an air compressor in his ATV.
We pumped up my tire and checked the pressure on the front wheel. He informed me of a really good bike shop in Cumberland called the Cumberland Trail Connection and that If i ran into any more trouble to stop by there and to ask for Hutch.
I thanked him. He then headed up the hill to find turkeys and I headed downhill to Cumberland. I looked at my C&O Canal guide and saw the first campsite wasn’t far from Cumberland. So I took my time traveling down the hill.
I arrived in Cumberland at lunch time and went over to my favorite lunch spot in Cumberland, Curtis’ Famous Wieners. They have some of the best Coney Dogs I have ever had. And Gino, the owner, is an awesome dude and will give you a memorable conversation.
I then wandered around Cumberland. Watched some trains, checked out the canal museum and watched the steam train roll in. I also swung by the Cumberland Trail Connection to check out the bike shop and picked up a spare fuel canister for my stove. My tire was holding air, so I never asked for Hutch. I then headed east on the C&O getting to camp by five.
May 22nd, 2009
I woke up around six and made some breakfast. I talked with the gentleman I shared the campsite with. He had to leave camp early because he had an Amtrak train to catch back to DC. He rode the entire C&O on a folding bike so that he could take the train back. This was before Amtrak allowed roll on service between Pittsburgh and DC. My 2006 ride was almost an oops ride because of the lack of roll on service. But that’s a story for another blog post.
Today I was heading east. I read about the Paw Paw Tunnel at the museum yesterday and was excited about going through it today. I packed up camp and was getting ready to load up the bike when I saw the rear tire was once again flat.
I pulled out the pump and filled back up the tire. It seemed to be holding air. It must’ve been a slow leak. To the east was a virtual wilderness with no bike shop until Hancock, so I made the choice to head west and have the wheel looked at.
I rode back to Cumberland. Destination the Cumberland Trail Connection. About every mile on the trip back, I had to stop and put air in my tire. I ran into a commuter riding the canal into work who had a lot nicer pump than mine who helped me fill up on my third refill. Turns out the job he was riding into was the bike shop I was heading to. By the time I reached the shop the owner (Hutch) was coming out with a floor pump. I told him about all the flats I had in under twenty four hours and he had me drop my gear and took the bike into his shop. He told me it would be a few hours before he could work on it. I said it was fine and asked if I could stow my gear there while I rode the scenic train. He said it was fine and I went to the station to buy my tickets and change out of my riding clothes.
I rode the steam train up to Frostburg. While there I stopped at the Inn/Hostel/Campground/Cafe there and reserved a site there for the night. (I figured it was now time to turn around, call it a ride and head home early.
I took the train back to Cumberland. Went into Hutch’s shop and picked up my bike. Turns out it was a flat being caused by a spoke poking through the cheap plastic rim strip. He put a felt rim strip in both wheels, slime tubes (a self healing bike tube) and adjusted my saddle which he told me was too low. He also asked where i was heading and when I told him Frostburg, he offered me a ride. I accepted the ride, paid for my bike and arranged to meet him when he closed the shop.
I rode the bike around Cumberland. It handled like a dream. I never would have guessed saddle height had such a factor in my riding ability (now I’m a saddle height evangelist).
I got some more hot dogs from Curtis’, some ice cream from Queen City Creamery and listen to some live music in the downtown pedestrian mall.
I then met back up with Hutch for the ride to Frostburg. I don’t know if I should recount this part of the tale. I don’t want to get Hutch in trouble, but twelve years have passed. He drives fast. And he has something beter than a radar detector. He has a dog. His dog watches out for speed traps and lets him know when one is ahead so that he can slow down. We were in Frostburg before I knew it.
I thanked Hutch for all his help today and then pushed my bike up the step ramp to the campground and setup in the dark.
May 23rd, 2009
My bike is heavy. It had an all steel frame with fancy extra tubes to make it look cool. It had steel chrome plated fenders, the handlebars were too wide and the gearing sucked. The hill from Frostburg to the Eastern Continental Divide was steep. The last time I rode in that direction I got off and pushed once a mile. That was ahead of me this morning. So I ordered breakfast at the Trail Inn Cafe and asked the innkeeper if I could leave my tent set up in the campground and let him know I would be back later today for it. He was cool with it.
I threw my panniers and all my gear into my tent. I then placed my water bottles in the front basket and headed down to the trail by eight.
The climb wasn’t bad and was made easier by lightening my load and by the new saddle height. (I tell you, proper saddle height makes a world of difference). I made it to the top and cruised into Meyersdale by noon.
My car was still there and I loaded my bike, grabbed some lunch at the Sheetz and was on my way home via a short stop to pickup up my (hot from being in the sun all morning) tent and gear.
As I drove home, plans were already forming for twenty ten.