South for the Summer

 

Mockingbird with Nut
Welcome to North Carolina Welcome Center I-95S
June 19, 2024

Summer begins tomorrow afternoon at 4:51 PM. We should be back at our home in Florida shortly before Spring hands off the season to Summer. 

We are on the road home after a short visit to allow my assault on the GAP. 

And now I am tackling I-95. Ugh. At least things seem light so far because of the holiday. 

— Bob Doan, mm157 North Carolina

Riding the GAP - The Light at the end of the Tunnel

Brush Tunnel
Near Cumberland, MD
June 16, 2024

 The third day of the GAP ride was tunnel day. We rode through three long tunnels, one of them was almost 3300 feet. I learned that tunnels are dark and cold! Really cold!

The last tunnel was most interesting, however, not because of its particular geography or length, but because as we arrived to transit, a Western Maryland Scenic Railroad train was coming out of the tunnel. Truly, the light at the end of the tunnel was an oncoming train. 

We stopped and chatted with the runner in the image while the train passed. It was pretty exciting because we had been riding along the tracks for quite a few miles and I hoped that we would get to see the train. And we did!

I enjoyed waving to the people on the train. When we lived in Maryland I wanted to ride the train, but never was able to get it on the schedule. 

I feel fortunate that within a few miles of the end of the three-day ride to have actually arrived at the perfect moment to see the train emerge from the tunnel. Coincidence? I think not. 

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

The Gap - We did it!

 At about 12:30 PM, Sunday, June 16, 2024, three travelers biked into Cumberland, MD, completing a Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail ride. There were no bands or cheering crowds, just three riders on fully loaded bikes achieving the goal they had set out three-days earlier in Pittsburgh, PA, to achieve. 

Milemarker 0
Cumberland, MD
June 16, 2024
Photo by Patrick

I took an image of final day the stats, just to remember better what we had accomplished. We had climbed over 1300 feet in about 20 miles and then descended about 2300 feet in 24 miles. We were in the saddle for about 3h46m, but were out on the trail from 7:20 AM until 12:32 PM for a total ride time of 5h12m. We stopped a lot to enjoy the countryside and the beauty.

There was so much to see along the way. We saw farmland and hills. We enjoyed crossing long bridges and biking through long tunnels. We even got to experience a train passing us and coming out of a tunnel that we were about to traverse. We stopped to let the diesel smoke clear from the tunnel before proceeding through. 

Patrick and Jeremy on the Trail
Greenville Township, PA
June 16, 2024

The final day was not without equipment problems. My bike decided to go into freewheeling mode again. I think the hub, which has almost 4000 miles on it, may need replacing. I will take it into the shop when I get back to Florida for a definite diagnosis.

Atop the World coming out of the Big Savage Tunnel
June 16, 2024
Photo by Patrick

But completing the ride, actually it was a journey, was the best. Along the way we biked just shy of 160 miles. That distance includes the off-trail riding to and from hotels, bike shops, and eateries. 

I think we had a good plan, which was devised by Jen. Doing the long ride, almost 60 miles, the first day set us up for success on the tough almost completely uphill second day. It then allowed us to enjoy the assault on the summit followed by the 24-mile mostly downhill into Cumberland. To dispel a myth--yes we did pedal on the downhill, but our speeds averaged about 15-16 mph which offset the 9-10 mph on the uphill side.

Eastern Continental Divide
GAP Trail
June 16, 2024
Photo by Patrick

The Big Savage Tunnel, at 3294 feet, was an experience. It was dark, even with my sunglasses off. And it was cold. All of that made it a bit disorienting. 

This ride had been planned for a long time. And as I wrote earlier, a big thank you goes to Jen, who was not able to join us on the trip she planned. But, she was critical in helping us complete the trip after the accident. Thanks to Patrick for his advice and help in selecting gear and giving advice about how to best tackle the ride and for persevering after flying over his handlebars and impacting the ground rather roughly. It was his fifth trip on the GAP. Finally, to Jeremy for being a force of reason during the difficult time on the trail after the accident when it seemed that the ride may be over before we completed Day 1 and for leading the final 6-mile tough uphill leg during Day 2. 

I can't believe it's over, but am happy that we did it. Yesterday was my best Father's Day ever--on the trail and lunch with my boys and then having dinner with my daughter.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

Day 2 - GAP

Ready to Depart
Connellsville, PA
June 15, 2024

We survived.  

It was 45 miles uphill. We gained over 1000 feet in elevation as we rode today.  Thankfully, it was at a low incline.  But all uphill. 

We left Connellsville this morning full of enthusiasm and arrived in Rockwood about 4pm after a grueling day. Along the way we crossed bridges hundreds of feel above gorges.  We saw whitewater rafters and had a broken spoke fixed at a bike shop. 

Bridge into Ohiopyle
Ohiopyle, PA
June 15, 2024

But, unlike Friday there was no major accident to slow our progress. 

The bridges we crossed were awesome. High above the river. It was fun to see the people on the river. 

Great day. 

Today our goal is Cumberland, MD. It will be a tale of two rides.  The first half will see us gain another 600 feet of elevation and the last half will be a downhill where we lose about 1600 feet of elevation. Fun. 

— Bob Doan, Rockwood, PA

Day 1 into Day 2 - The GAP

Waterfall along the trail
GAP
June 14, 2024

We completed our aggressive day1 ride.  But, it was not until 8:30 pm that everyone arrived at the hotel. As I previously wrote, we stopped for lunch with about 25 miles remaining in our planned ride. After lunch we completed another 10 miles before problems happened. My bike developed a weird thing where the pedals turned freely in both directions.  Ugh. After taking the back wheel off to examine the free spinning cassette, I banged the tire on the ground and everything returned to normal.  Apparently the lever which allows the pedals to go backwards freely failed to reengage. We reassembled the bike and it worked perfectly for the rest of the day.  

About one-half mile later, however, Patrick collided with my rear tire and bent his front rim.  He also took a nasty tumble. We fixed the rim as best we could to allow the bike to be ridden, but it had to go to a bike shop.  The decision was to head back to West Newton which was 5 miles closer than Connellsville. Jeremy accompanied him while I pressed ahead to check into the hotel. Through a series of events best left for Patrick to explain, they wound up in Pittsburgh to replace the wheel and then Jen drove them to the hotel in Connellsville. 

So we are all back together with functional bikes for the next two days of planned riding. It was not easy, but it is done. 

Today is a planned 40-mile ride.

— Bob Doan, Connellsville, PA

GAP Day 1

 

Point State Park
Pittsburgh, PA
June 14, 2024

We are 35 miles into the ride.  We are planning 60 for today ending in Connellsville, PA. 

Riding out of Pittsburgh along the river was beautiful and also a testament to the steel city.

We will depart West Newton in a few minutes to hit the trail again full and ready for the remainder of the day. The weather is awesome.

Bob Doan, West Newton. PA

Preparing to Ride

 

And we departed for the ride yesterday.  We arrived safely in Pittsburgh and are preparing to head out. The car was fully loaded as are our bikes. 

It is early and we are hoping get 60 miles done before the afternoon thunderstorms. 

More later. 

— Bob Doan, Pittsburgh, PA

A Fun Evening with Family

 

Luke Catching Flying Seafood
Ellicott City, MD
June 12, 2024

It was an evening for celebrations and much of the family joined together for a meal at Sakura Japanese Steakhouse in Ellicott City. 

I have to admit, I am still getting used to the oppressive traffic in the Baltimore area. I had forgotten how bad traffic is on the main roads from about 3:30 PM to after 7 PM. I have been about 15 minutes late for everything I have attempted during those times. Last night was no exception. 

We had a wonderful time at the restaurant, once we arrived. The family had good fun at the table and there was so much to discuss--especially for those of us heading out on the GAP ride tomorrow. 

Of course the meal ended with the tossing of shrimp and people trying to catch it in their mouths. I do not think anyone caught the shrimp. That was lucky for me because the chef forgot I'm allergic to and I got caught in the moment of trying to catch the airborne shellfish until the cry at the table brought me to reality and I allowed the seafood to bounce off my face. 

It was truly a fun evening with family. 

It's Alive

3D Printer Printing
Glen Burnie, MD
June 10, 2024

 I was given a non-functional 3D printer a few months ago. I spent a lot of time trying to fix it and replaced a number of parts. Fortunately, my son Patrick is very good with 3D printers; he has a small 3D printer farm. 

I brought the non-functional printer with me as we journeyed north and Monday night, shortly after Chris and I returned to Maryland, Patrick gave the printer about 30 minutes of his time and then, miraculously, the printer printed its first, possibly ever, project. 

Amazing1 

For my part, I was close to the fix, but not having Patrick's depth of knowledge the obvious problem was unseen by me. Now I get to take the printer back to Florida and hopefully will start making projects. 

I am still preparing for the upcoming bike event as we depart for the GAP ride on Thursday afternoon! I may do an easy 8-11 mile ride today just to stay in shape.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD

And We're Here

 Cooler temperatures and lower humidity greeted Chris and me when we finally arrived in Maryland yesterday. Who knew that 82 degrees could feel cool?

An amazing thing happened on the road yesterday. My truck turned in its best MPG ever! It hit 20.8 MPG as we were struggling in Virginia I-95 traffic. I am lucky that my smart glasses can take an image without my eyes leaving the road. The previous best was something in the 19 MPG range. I have no idea why a truck with over 91,000 miles suddenly got a bit more efficient, but I'm happy about it.

The drive yesterday, while shorter than the day before, seemed longer. Maybe it was the crazy traffic we encountered from about Richmond, VA, to our destination. 

I am happy to report that my bike arrived without any problems. I took it for a short spin around the neighborhood to do a basic check, but I'm hopeful of a longer ride later today or tomorrow just to do a complete check and keep myself in shape for the upcoming GAP ride. 

It is going to be a busy few days.

-- Bob Doan, Odenton, MD