Day 6, June 27, 2011

Rest Day

I’m taking a day off from riding today. I’ve been pedaling for five days and am giving my legs a a chance to recover a bit. My primary motivation, however, is to take time writing my blog post and relax at the café. I took a break from my blog and had a pleasant conversation with the Reverend Benson Tummuheirwe from Uganda and his friend Deanna. We talked about the nature of the Divine. Although we disagreed, and I was honest and frank about the philosophical implications of his belief system, I found Rev. Ben to be a most affable and engaging conversationalist who, despite my great theological disagreements with him, remained friendly and good-natured throughout our discussion (as did I, of course). The Rev. Ben was one of those rare men who comes across as exceedingly difficult to dislike--a genuinely nice man. He and Deanna are leading a group of cyclist from Pittsburgh to D.C. to raise money to sponsor Ugandan orphans. The sponsorship helps find homes and provides schooling for the kids. Rev. Tummuheirwe’s organization is called Juna Amagara Ministries.
　
I also enjoyed having a lunch with Mr. Bert van Eck, a retired chemist from the Netherlands. Bert started on the C&O canal trail last week and is going to Portland, OR. This is his first time cyclo-touring in the States. We had a nice conversation about the bike being more of a means of practical transporation in Europe. Bert explained that most Dutch, for example, who live less than three miles from their place of work ride their bikes to work. Most children also ride their bikes to school. Like most of my bike trips, I get to meet so many intresting people from all walks of life. I am, of course, biased, but I have found very few cyclo-tourist who aren't, for the most part, fascinating human beings.

Good-Bye for now. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning to continue on the Allegheny Trail. I shall update my blog when I arrive in Pittsburgh. (If all goes as planned, I should be there Wednesday evening.)

Ron
　
Note: Please refer to the link below for information on Rev. Ben's charity for Ugandan orphans　
　
　http://www.amagara.org/

Day 5, June 26, 2011

I woke up at 7:30 and left the campsite at about 8:30 or so. I arrived at Cumberland mid-morning. I went to the Cumberland Trail Bike Shop to chat. They were a nice bunch of guys and offered to wash the mud and grime off my bike that had accumulated along the sometimes muddy C&O trail. I hung around town for s bit and took some pictures. Later on in the afternoon, I began the Allegheny Passage Rail Trail.  The Allegheny Trail connects the C&O Canal Trail and runs from Cumberland to Pittsburgh, PA. The trail utilizes unused railway beds. The Allegheny is much smoother (and much less muddy) than the C&O trail. It’s comprised of packed crushed limestone and is close to asphalt in terms of it’s surface. (Yes, it is possible to ride a bike from the heart of D.C. to Pittsburgh without ever riding on the road. Now, what’s not to like about that?)

I stopped about 15 miles up the trail in Frostburg, MD, a college town at about 1800 ft elevation. It’s a steady climb out of Cumberland for the first 20 miles. The going isn’t too difficult, though, since, being a former railway, the grade never exceeds 2%. I decided to stay at the Trail Inn Café located just a few hundred yards off the trail. The Café serves decent sandwiches, beer and wine. The Trail Inn is a charming little place and offers a variety of accommodations from a few tent sites, a hostel (where I stayed), and private rooms. The Trail Inn also offers wifi to guests of the café and lodgers. The owner, John, is a gregarious and personable man. I managed to negotiate a slightly better rate on my stay. (I shamelessly used the humble school teacher ploy.) I would definitely recommend The Trail Inn to anyone traveling the Allegheny Trail. Few places along the route offer the value that can be found here. For those who might want a break from the primitive campsites along the C&O canal, the Trail Inn is an oasis at a reasonable price.

Day 4, June 25, 2011

Bad News! Shelton has to leave the trip. He had been taking some antibiotics for a sinus infection and has just not been able to recover. The rigors of cyclo-touring require that one is feeling at 100%. I feel bad about everything. Shelton is a wonderful friend and travel companion. In the summer of 2009, we completed a tour from NY to Richmond. I had taken my eldest son, Alex, to begin his Plebe year at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and Shelton and I rode our bikes back to Richmond. The same week that we had taken the trip was the same week that 24 years before we endured the heat and humidity of a Georgia summer as we completed Paratrooper training at Fort Benning. I shall miss our evening conversations we would enjoy after a long day of pedaling. The trip will be lonely, but I must go on my way.

Shelton and I had lunch together and wished each other well. I began pedaling up the trail at around 1:00. I stopped for the night at the Town Creek campsite about 20 miles from Cumberland (the end of the C&O Canal trail). Two families had pedaled 5 miles onto the trail to take their kids camping, so we shared the small site. They were nice folks and invited me to sit by their fire and eat smores with them. I chatted for a bit and retired to my hammock to go to read and go to sleep. Rather than using a tent, Shelton and I had decided to try the Hennessey Hammock on this trip. It’s basically a one man tent that hangs from two anchor points (trees, for the most part). It’s asymmetrical construction allows one to sleep relatively flat. While it’s possible to sleep on one’s side, it is designed for one to sleep on his back. Shelton swears by it. He says it’s the best sleep out-of-doors he has ever experienced. I like the hammock so far, but since I normally sleep on my stomach, it’s taking me a little time to get used to it. I’m going to hold off on my opinion versus the merits of a tent until I have a few weeks of using it.

Day 3, June 24, 2011

John offered to drive us back to the trail, and we accepted. John dropped let us out at the trailhead in Williamsport. John, ever the thoughtful host, made us a filling and delicious breakfast. After breakfast sport, we all bid our farewells, and Shelton and I continued our ride.

Today was rough going. We were dogged with mechanical problems (a great annoyance, particularly so early in our trip). Let me explain what happened. Shelton is a big man. I don’t mean obese; I mean big. He’s 6”4 and 250 pounds. Now that’s a lot of weight on a bicycle, especially when it’s towing a bob trailer (a bicycle trailer designed specifically for bike travel).Shelton had a new, hand-built wheel made with DT Swiss spokes (a step way above the typical made in China variety) since we knew from our experience on other trips that he needs a strong wheel that can support his bulk, equipment, and rigors of the road. The bike mechanic did a poor job building the wheel or, Yikes, he used poor quality spokes. In any event, we spent most of the day adjusting and tightening Shelton’s spokes every few miles to avoid a total breakdown. Shelton was having a difficult time. In addition to the mechanical problems, he was feeling ill.

We arrived in Hancock, MD in the early evening. We went to the C&O Bicycle Shop to see what we might do about the wheel. To make matters worse, Shelton was having some gearing issues as well. The mechanic told us that he would not be able to get to the bike until the next morning. He offered to put us up in his “Bunk House” (a hostel-like accommodation with showers and bunk beds) free of charge since we were having work done. Shelton and I cooked some eggs, mac and cheese, and ham on our portable camping burner and then just relaxed the rest of the evening.

Day 2, June 23, 2011

We made it to Harpers Ferry, WV today, only about 30 miles up the trail. There was a detour due to flooding (the Potomac River runs next to the trail and floods frequently during rainy seasons), so it looked like we might have to get off the trail and ride on the roads. My good friend, John Wood, from Winchester, however, came to our rescue. John graciously picked us up at Harpers Ferry and brought us to his home for a home-cooked meal and a bed. We also had the opportunity to take showers. John and his girlfriend were wonderful hosts. I enjoyed introducing Shelton to my friend, John, and we enjoyed conversing after dinner. John invited us to stop by on our way back home should we decide to take the C&O Canal on the way back.

Summer 2011 Washington D.C. to Milwaukee, WI (Day 1, June 22, 2011)

This Blog records my bicycle trip from Washington D.C. to Milwaukee, WI and my exploration of Michigan's Upper Peninsula (UP). I expect the trip to be somewhere around 1500 miles. If all goes well, I ought to be in Richmond by the end of the first week in August. I welcome any comments and suggestions about my trip. Thank you for following me!

We left Washington on the C&O Canal Trail in Washington D.C. late Wednesday morning. The C&O Canal Trail (http://bikewashington.org/canal/) is a beautiful 180 mile, traffic-free route that runs from Georgetown to Cumberland, MD. At one time, the trail was the canal towpath. It has since been converted to a recreational park. Since we had such a late start, we didn’t cover as much mileage as we had intended on doing. We stopped for the night at the Horsepen Branch campsite somewhere around mile 30 of the trail. The Horsepen Branch is one of the many primitive campgrounds located at about every five miles along the trail. As long as one can go without a shower and basic amenities, they are great little spots and are typically serene and scenic. Best of all, they’re free!