9/13/2012

It is Thursday evening, and I am sitting in my comfortable living room, watching the news and eating strawberry-rhubarb pie. If you haven't tried this pie, you must, as it has become my favorite pie. As I am no longer engaging in extensive exercise every day, I must cut my calorie intake, which is why the pie is not a la mode.

Yesterday, I left Harper's Ferry at 8:40 am, headed towards Georgetown in Washington, about 62 miles away. I started at a fast pace, as I had agreed to meet Sonia at Great Falls, just outside of Potomac, MD, at 1:30 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and it felt good to be alive, while racing down a rocky dusty path. I traveled past a few small towns such as Brunswick, and promised myself to pay a visit one day. The ride was tough as the C&O Canal path is very rocky, with deep ruts, making the surface feel very unsteady. I stopped at about 10:15 to have a light snack. Since I've given up Skittles, I switched to real fruit, and devoured a banana, along with a couple of peanut butter crackers. I can't describe how good that banana tasted.

I talked briefly with an older man who filled me in on his exercise routine, which included walking 1 hour a day. As he walked, he smoked a big cigar, and as I passed him, I reminded him that his walking would keep him alive for at least another 20 years. I kept up my reasonable pace, keeping in mind my goal of reaching Georgetown, and before I realized it, I was running over a 10 foot black snake! I instinctively pulled up my feet and YELLED! I have no idea why I yelled, except to say that it was my body trying to express FEAR. I had passed another snake a couple of days earlier, but as I passed him, his head was lifted in the air and he appeared to be directing traffic as I zoomed ahead. 

I reached Great Falls at about 1:00 pm, which was earlier than I had anticipated. Sonia arrived at about 1:20, a bit frustrated, as she had gotten lost and had a difficult time finding Great Falls. We shared a hot dog and a Coke, and I took off for Georgetown at 2 o'clock, realizing I had only 15 miles to go. At about 3:30 I arrived in Georgetown and was reminded why I like visiting Washington. A young, vibrant city with a Hershey ice cream store. I have never seen a Hershey ice cream store, which is similar to a Haagen Dazs store. Multiple different flavors, which I believe is the best ice cream, bar none!  I got in discussion with the proprietor about Hershey's ice cream. He was from Pakistan, but gave me the 153-year history of the Hershey company. As he talked, I thought "I should know this information".

Sonia and I headed towards Baltimore after eating our ice cream and later that evening, I found myself lying on the couch, watching the baseball game. All of a sudden, my body experienced a depth of exhaustion that I can honestly say I have never experienced. My breathing was deeper and slower than I remember it being in a long time. It felt good to be physically exhausted, as my parents and grandparents probably felt on a daily basis, as they toiled doing hard labor to support their families. I traveled a total of 339 miles and yes, it feels good to be alive and exhausted.

Rick 
Note from Jane: Rick plans to blog over the weekend, summarizing the highlights of his trip, so please check back next week for updates!

Rick's photos

Mission Accomplished

Rick biked a total of 339 miles!! He will update the blog, one last time, sometime today. Stay tuned!

The last 50!

Notice the apple and banana (replacing the Skittles)!

September 11th

Today is Tuesday, September 11th. It's hard to believe that 9/11 occurred 11 years ago. My families' thoughts and prayers will be with all those who lost loved ones on that day. We will continue to pray for all the Military personnel who put their lives on the line every day!
I left Hancock, MD today at 9:40 am headed towards Shepherdstown, West Virginia, about 57 miles away. As I start out every morning my legs feel very heavy, and it takes a good 10 miles to get them functioning well. I kept a pretty good pace and arrived in Shepherdstown at about 3:05 pm. The trail took a detour, as part of the C&O Canal was closed for repairs. The detour route was well-marked and took me on country roads for about 6 miles. Biking the roads was somewhat different than biking the paths, as the bike paths are fairly level compared to the roads, where I encountered some significant hills. Going up those hills gave me a great workout. Traveling down them was great fun, as I got up to speeds of 30 mph, and of course made great time. When I arrived at Shepherdstown, I decided to push on to Harper's Ferry as it was still early and I felt strong enough to keep going. As I approached Harper's Ferry, I missed the location where I was to meet Sonia and traveled about 1.5 miles further, past Harper's Ferry. I had to turn around and bike 1.5 miles back. Upon finding the location, I had to carry my bike up about 40 steep steps,and then bike over a bridge to get into Harper's Ferry to finally meet up with Sonia. The mileage I biked for the day was 70 miles, with a total mileage since leaving Pittsburgh of 278.
The first thing I did upon arriving was to get a large Coke with lots of ice. I can' t describe to you how good that tasted, as well as the surge in energy from that wonderful sugar. My normal diet has been to eat a light breakfast and then to stop occasionally, for only about 7-9 minutes, and eat a light snack and drink some water. The key has been to keep the breaks to a minimum amount of time, otherwise your legs stiffen up and your ride becomes much harder. At times I have needed instant energy and I have snacked on Skittles. Now I know what you are thinking-Skittles? How about fruit, such as apples or bananas? Well, I am pretty sure Skittles have some fruit in them - at least until today when I read the ingredients. Guess what? NO FRUIT. I was shocked, and will be switching my diet tomorrow to apples and bananas.
Sonia and I checked into a B&B in Shepherdstown. I took a quick shower and had dinner at the Bavarian Inn, enjoying good German food. I find that with so much exercise I am not really that tired at night.
Well, it's time to say "Goodnight" as I attempt to hit the sack. I am currently watching the Orioles play and they are leading 7-1. This is a great time to be a Baltimore sports fan!
Rick

Photos!

Today is Monday, September 10th, and I am currently watching the Ravens game with the owner of the Bed & Breakfast where we are staying. I left Cumberland today at about 9:50 am, and I reached Hancock, MD at exactly 4 pm. I ended up biking 62.5 hard miles. The C&O Canal is a more difficult path to ride than the Allegheny Passage. The path is made of loose stone and isn't compacted like the Allegheny Passage. In addition, the path has some tree debris scattered here and there, and you have to be careful. I discovered that the squirrels have a rust color, as though they rusted from the inside to the out. They are actually quite beautiful, with rust colored fluffy tails. I felt like they were playing "head games" with me, as it seemed like they were playing the game "chicken". As I biked towards them, they would stand up on their hind legs, look directly at me, and then as I swerved at the last second to avoid hitting them, they didn't move but looked at me with a "smirk" on their face! 
The C&O Canal path has some beautiful scenery. I felt at times as though I was going back in time. I could visualize possible battles of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. I could also imagine barges being pulled up the canal by horses, and possibly slaves manning the process. At times, the canal took on a feeling of the deep south, with huge trees providing a shady canopy.
The canal path from Cumberland to Hancock was quite isolated, without any "trail towns" or cell phone service. It wasn't well traveled, so you are completely on your own if something happens, which I found exciting.
Sonia and I had dinner at "Bill's", which was a combination of a motorcycle biker bar and fisherman/hunter hang-out. There were 6 older men playing poker and drinking beer, while at the same time, breathing from oxygen tanks. These gentlemen were real characters, but seemed to be taking their poker game pretty seriously. We actually had a great dinner, enjoying good conversation with bikers I had met on the trail.
The Ravens game is finally over with a big win. GO RAVENS!
Rick

Update from Jane

Rick wrote an update last night but was unable to send it, since they didn't have Wi-Fi. I will forward later this afternoon or evening.
In the meantime, he wanted me to share that he made it to Hancock, MD yesterday, a total of 62.5 miles. He hopes to travel 50-60 miles today to Shepherdstown, WV.
He is already looking forward to his massage on Thursday night!!

On Sunday, September 9th, I left Confluence, PA at about 9:40 am. I was headed towards Meyersdale, PA which was 30 miles away. I started out feeling kind of groggy and thought it might be a long day on the bike. It was actually a beautiful day with cool temperatures. I struggled a bit, as I was biking into a pretty strong headwind, and for most of the ride I was headed uphill. (I've learned that bike riders have much discussion about riding up hills, as it obviously makes one's ride more difficult.) I finally got to Meyersdale at about 12:45 pm, feeling pretty exhausted. I met Sonia there and we had lunch at a little 15-seat diner. We both had bacon and egg sandwiches, Cokes to drink and a dish of ice cream. The total bill was $10.30. I just can't get used to these prices, as things seem so inexpensive. Meyersdale is a beautiful little town and I would recommend that anyone pay a visit. It is approximately 40 minutes away from where flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001. 

After lunch, which was 2:00 pm, I headed out towards Frostburg, MD which was about 16 miles away. The first 10 miles were straight up the mountain. I felt stronger on the afternoon ride and I was making pretty good time. Part of this ride required me to travel through long abandoned railway tunnels which had no lights in them. I had to rely on my bicycle light, which worked fine, but you had to be careful as the riding path was very narrow. As I climbed over the mountain, headed towards Frostburg, the scenery was spectacular. This is an area of Maryland that one should not miss. I finally arrived in Frostburg and decided to keep going towards Cumberland, which was another 17 miles. It was a beautiful ride to Cumberland as I was headed down the mountain, and at times got up to speeds of 22 mph. Finally, I reached my destination and racked up a total of 63 miles for the day. Needless to say, I had a quick dinner and was ready to hit the sack. It was a great day on the bike and I look forward to riding on Monday!

Rick

Well, I left Pittsburgh Friday morning at 8:00 am. As I started peddling through the streets of Pittsburgh, following the signs to the Allegheny passage, I hit my first obstacle. The street crossed a railroad track which was under repair, with a fairly deep ravine on both sides of the tracks. There were 3 workers sitting in their truck. I explained to them that I was peddling to DC and I needed to cross that railroad track. They explained that I could peddle 2 miles back towards Pittsburgh and there would be a bridge I could cross. Now I am not an experienced biker, but I did not want to go 2 miles in the opposite direction, just to cross those tracks. They must have felt sorry for me as they picked up my bike and carried it across the tracks, as I attempted to follow them. As I climbed out of the ravine and over the tracks, here is where a touch of kindness was displayed: they insisted that I take their bottles of water, as I could tell they were genuinely concerned for my safety. I assured them that I had plenty of water and thanked them for their kindness. And then I said something I thought I would never say... I looked at them and said "GO STEELERS!".
I kept peddling through Pittsburgh until I finally hit the Allegheny Passage trail. It reminds me of the NCR trail, which runs from Hunt Valley to York, PA. The trail borders the Youghiogheny River and goes from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD. It then connects to the C & O Canal and extends all the way to DC, for a total of 332 miles. I would end up biking 53 miles on Friday, and was quite exhausted, and sore in spots I hadn't anticipated. My day's bike ride ended in Connellsville, PA, where I met Sonia and stayed in a Bed & Breakfast for the night. When I got to the B&B I inquired about getting a massage as I was quite sore. I was fortunate to get an appointment at 5:30 pm. After my 1.5 hour massage, I asked the therapist how much I owed her. She sheepishly stated that I owed $40, which I couldn't believe as it was so inexpensive. Now here is where the second act of kindness occured: I had told her about my bike ride which is to raise money for charity. She insisted that I keep the $40, and that she would like to donate it to the charity "Tissue Banks International". Of course I didn't take the donation, instead paying her and giving her a generous tip!
Today is Saturday, and it has been raining hard all day. I set out this morning at 9:45 am, as I had been hoping and waiting for the rain to stop. As I left Connellsville, it started raining harder! I biked 28 miles and stopped at Confluence, PA. I had lunch and went to the bike store for some adjustments to my bike. I was completely soaked with sand and mud, all over me and my bike.
The ride has been fun, as the Allegheny Passage travels through beautiful country, with little towns that are called "trail towns", as they exist to support the bike traffic on the trail. I would encourage anyone to visit this part of the country. Well, I am signing off for today as I am starved!
Happy Travels,
Rick
(written at 5:40 p.m. Saturday)

This is the site where I met Sonia on the trail this afternoon.

Sonia and I left Baltimore Thursday afternoon and had a relaxing drive to Pittsburgh. We traveled 83 North to Route 76 West through Johnstown. What a beautiful part of the country this is, with rolling countryside and picturesque foothills. We are staying right outside downtown Pittsburgh, right next to the Allegheny passage. We had a great dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse, while sitting at the bar watching the Orioles play the Yankees! I was surprised to learn that Pittsburgh fans like the Orioles and hate the Yankees - go figure! I really like Pittsburgh and Sonia and I have promised ourselves to come back and visit. I look forward to my ride today with the hope of riding 45/60 miles.

My bike ride for charity will begin tomorrow. I expect to cover approximately 322 miles, as I travel along the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath. I will begin my trip in Pittsburgh, PA and hope to end in D.C. You will be able to read daily updates about my adventures here on my blog.