Part 1 - The Great Allegheny Passage
As you get older in life you may begin to realize that it's great to get together with family members and old friends and experience an adventure. Mary and I, along with my brother Terry, his wife Bev, and a long -time friend Don, decided to ride our bicycles from Pittsburg, PA to Cumberland MD along the Great Allegheny Passage. We began our part of the trip by stuffing our bikes into a rented car and driving to Pittsburg where we stayed at the South Side Traveler’s Rest (www.sstrpgh.com). We arrived a day early so we could explore Pittsburgh a bit and I highly recommend visiting a city on a bicycle. Most cities have worked hard at integrating bicycle lanes and paths for people to get around without the worry about what to do with the car. One of our stops was the Andy Warhol Art Museum. The amount of art work Warhol produced was huge. Best known for his pop art he also produced sketches and films and was a huge influence of the pop culture of the 60’s and 70’s.
We arrived in Pittsburg and put the bikes back together across the street of the car rental return
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Over the Allegheny River to the Andy Warhol Museum
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Birth of Venus by Andy Warhol from Details of Renaissance Paintings, 1984
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Aretha Franklin as seen through the eyes of Andy Warhol
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One of the six prints comprising Andy Warhol's Skulls, 1976
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Obviously Andy did not spend enough time in the country.
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From our limited excursions around town we experienced Pittsburg as a bicycle friendly town and the main path is the Three Rivers Heritage Trail which rides along the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers. These two rivers meet at the Point of The Golden Triangle where they flow together to form the Ohio River. Traveling on a bike lends itself to meeting people, especially when your bike is packed with paniers. As we rode the trail alongside the Allegheny Mary offered to help a man with tying up his boat and he told us to be sure to go see India.Arie at a free outdoor concert that night at the Point Park. We put it into our itinerary, took our bikes back to the hostel, had a quick nap then met our companions on foot, ate dinner and made the venue in time to hear. the last song of the concert. Upon saying goodnight we confirmed plans for our departure on the following day.
The fountain is located where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers meet to form the Ohio River.
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In front of the Southside Traveler's Rest ready to hit the road
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The next morning we met up and started our ride on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail which leads into The Great Allegheny Passage, an old railroad bed along the Monongahela. “We pulled out of Pittsburg, headed to the Eastern Seaboard”. The miles rolled by as we passed McKeesport and Boston while we enjoyed our conversation and delightful weather. Mary and I were so happy to be on a bike path with no cars and we were able to talk to each other and enjoy the scenery without the constant awareness of traffic. As we closed in on the day’s destination of West Newton my butt began to hurt and I couldn’t wait to get to our campsite. It was obvious that our springtime activities of getting our garden all planted and putting some food away for the winter should have included getting on our bicycles more than we did. We pulled into our campsite, set up our tents and met Terry, Bev and Don at their B and B before heading for dinner. The dinner began with the waitress accidentally spilling a tray of water over Mary. Luckily Mary’s quick response of leaping out of the way avoided most of the ice water shower. The waitress felt horrible but you know accidents happen and life goes on and just like the bicycles must keep rolling along. Back at the campsite we wondered how anyone slept with the constant rumbling and loud whistle of the train. Like anything I guess you just get used to it and it’s just part of life.
The next morning we were up early and made oatmeal before meeting our companions. Our stove (Whisper Lite) runs on gasoline so we can fill up our metal gas bottle at a regular gas station making it easy to get fuel in almost any town and there is no container to recycle or throw out. Our fill-up usually costs about 30 cents and lasts about three days of cooking and coffee in the morning. It always takes explaining when at the gas station because their first response is, ‘The water to fill your water bottle is over at the sink’. I then have to explain that we want to fill it with gas for our stove and yes, it is safe.
The next morning we were up early and made oatmeal before meeting our companions. Our stove (Whisper Lite) runs on gasoline so we can fill up our metal gas bottle at a regular gas station making it easy to get fuel in almost any town and there is no container to recycle or throw out. Our fill-up usually costs about 30 cents and lasts about three days of cooking and coffee in the morning. It always takes explaining when at the gas station because their first response is, ‘The water to fill your water bottle is over at the sink’. I then have to explain that we want to fill it with gas for our stove and yes, it is safe.
One of many sites of the Yough (pronounced 'Yock') -short for the Youghiogheny River
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Terry and Bev heading down the crushed limestone Allegheny Passage bike trail
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Setting up the camp along the Youghiogheny River
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After meeting the group we headed down the railroad bed and already my butt was hurting and I could tell it was going to be a long day. After McKeesport we started following the Youghiogheny River and the scenery is absolutely stunning. As we rode there was conversation about our personal lives, politics, economics and environmental concerns as well as the history of the area. Both the beautiful scenery and conversation helped keep my mind off my aching butt. Connelsville, our destination for the day was a welcome site. The free ‘hiker-biker’ campsite was at the edge of town and has a three sided shelters which we took advantage of by setting up our tent inside one of the leantos. We immediately met a fellow traveler who seemed to be living on the road and had welcomed information about the road ahead. It is at this shelter that I noticed a biker with a long white beard and a tie-dyed bandana pass by and at this time didn’t realize that our paths would cross a few more times before the end of our trip. After setting up camp we all met for dinner at O’Donalds a pub across the river. As we approached the bar I expected to be eating the standard bar food but that was not the case, the food was great and we even met a couple from VT.
Bev enjoying the view of the 'Yough'
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It's always great to get off the bike
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Don and I are back on the trail
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The ride the next morning again began with a painful, bruise butt, however we were only going 17 miles and not only that, Mary and I were staying in the Yough Motel with a hot shower and bed. Our group reserved a shuttle to Falling Waters, the architectural wonder of Frank Lloyd Wright. Kenny, our driver, picked us up and thank goodness because Falling Waters is situated miles away mostly uphill. The tour led us through the house and described how the house was built for the Kaufman family who owned a department store in Pittsburg. Most of the materials used in the construction were from the local area and many local people, with little or no experience in construction, provided the labor to build the house. Many at the time had little opportunity for work and this provided not only a living, but also lifetime skills. The house itself blends into the natural surroundings with many of the rooms opening up to outside decks cantilevered over the waterfalls below.
This section of Falling Waters is cantilevered out with support only at the main body of the house
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Inside spaces surrounded by glass have access to outside spaces
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The building itself blends in with the surroundings
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On our way back to town it started to drizzle and the forecast called for rain but at this point the precipitation was off and on. After walking around town we walked to the pub and since the rain had stopped we decided to sit outside. What more could you ask for, dinner, local draft beer on tap and enjoying each other’s company. It began to rain but we were under an umbrella but as the rain and wind picked up the situation seemed to change. As we were trying to finish our dinner Terry’s opinion was the rain wasn’t all that bad, however Don and I were on the other end where the wind blew the rain in and we were getting wetter by the minute. We picked up the last remains of dinner and ran inside through the pouring rain. Mary and Bev had had enough and slogged back to the motel while Terry, Don and I enjoyed another beer and waited for the rain to stop.
We all decided on an early start the next morning which would have us ending up in Rockwood. Along the way there were miles of riding alone and during these times one can get lost in thoughts other than how much my butt hurt. The whole area once bustled with the coal and steel industry and there were competing rail and coal companies on either side of the Youghiogheny River. Ruins of old coke ovens dotted the area where bituminous coal was changed to coke with a high carbon content through a form of pyrolysis (without oxygen) known as destructive distillation. Coke does not have the impurities that coal has, burning hotter with far less smoke providing a great fuel for processing iron ore. Transportation and the steel producing resources made Pittsburg a major steel producing center. Then the Law of Diminishing Returns set in on the steel mills. Depleted iron ore deposits, foreign competition, and the rising costs in producing coke all contributed to the rapid decline of Pittsburg steel industry. With the steel industry in shambles the surrounding area faced hard economic times during the 70’s. The Pittsburg area had to reinvent itself through a revitalization process that now brings in tourists from all over the world. Some of the communities along the trail have benefited from this tourism and are prospering while other communities remain stuck in the past and seem to be limping along.
We all decided on an early start the next morning which would have us ending up in Rockwood. Along the way there were miles of riding alone and during these times one can get lost in thoughts other than how much my butt hurt. The whole area once bustled with the coal and steel industry and there were competing rail and coal companies on either side of the Youghiogheny River. Ruins of old coke ovens dotted the area where bituminous coal was changed to coke with a high carbon content through a form of pyrolysis (without oxygen) known as destructive distillation. Coke does not have the impurities that coal has, burning hotter with far less smoke providing a great fuel for processing iron ore. Transportation and the steel producing resources made Pittsburg a major steel producing center. Then the Law of Diminishing Returns set in on the steel mills. Depleted iron ore deposits, foreign competition, and the rising costs in producing coke all contributed to the rapid decline of Pittsburg steel industry. With the steel industry in shambles the surrounding area faced hard economic times during the 70’s. The Pittsburg area had to reinvent itself through a revitalization process that now brings in tourists from all over the world. Some of the communities along the trail have benefited from this tourism and are prospering while other communities remain stuck in the past and seem to be limping along.
Toxic runnoff reminds us of the closed mines that surround the area
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Plugging along
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At the end of the day it's time for a local draft
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We made our way to Rockwood where Mary and I found the office and showers of the campground on one side of the river and the actual campsites on the other side where we heaqded to set up camp and cook dinner. While walking around the campground we met up with the biker with the long white beard. He was from Ohio traveling with a minister from Nebraska who he had met years ago when his son attended a church camp. They sure looked like unlikely companions; one old hippy and one short haired minister but as we got to know them of course they were traveling together, it made perfect sense. We exchanged stories and then headed off to bed, again listening to the trains roll by, one after another, we were beginning to get used to it!
Keeping the family together while bicycles go by is a full time job
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We were all glad to rest our ....
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Don is pointing the way. It's a good thing there is only one direction.
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The next and last day of biking with Terry, Bev and Don would be a long one where we would cross the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland and also cross the Eastern Continental Divide, the highest point on the Great Allegheny Passage. The destination that day was Cumberland, Maryland where our traveling companions would leave us to go home and Mary and I would travel on the C and O canal (Chesapeake and Ohio) towards Washington D.C. We started out on the trail and the climb became a bit steeper. Mile after mile rolled by as we anticipated finally getting to the top of the Eastern Continental Divide. After two long viaducts (old trestles converted into bicycle bridges) we reached the top and who is sitting there resting, but our friends from Ohio and Nebraska. From Pittsburg to the Divide we had climbed about 1700 feet and in the next 25 miles to Cumberland we would descend about the same. We hopped on our bikes and somehow I expected a steep incline and started pedaling in my highest gear. I couldn’t wait to get to the steep decline as I pedaled faster. I pedaled and I pedaled until I finally realized that I already on the steep incline. Between the weight of the bike and gear, the head wind, and resistance of the limestone gravel bike path the image of coasting along at a great speed dissipated and yet it was much better than going uphill. Mile after mile beautiful woods and vegetation on either side we made our way to Cumberland.
Over one of many bridges
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We made it to the Eastern Continental Divide. Our friends from Nebraska and Ohio are resting inside the tunnel.
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View from the top
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In Cumberland we said our goodbyes. Mary and I sat in a coffee shop, gathered information from two men from Toronto who had biked the C and O canal many times and went shopping for food for our next leg of the journey.
