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