Day 62-65: Washington DC to Pittsburgh

Wow, much has happened since our last blog post. We apologize for the long silence, but our travels took us through areas of poor coverage which made frequent updates difficult.

We rode our bikes along the C&O Canal Trail and Greater Allegheny Passage Trail (GAP Trail) all the way from DC to Pittsburgh. The C&O Canal took us along the Potomac River most of the way through Maryland. From Cumberland, Maryland we caught the GAP Trail, which follows old railroad grade up and over the Eastern Continental Divide, and drops into the Ohio River valley via the Youghiogheny River.

Many aspects of this ride were just great. The scenery and views, cool little trail towns, ease of access to camping and amenities, and almost no riding on roads and traffic made this a great bicycle route. If any of you all are considering a short bicycle tour, definitely consider this route.

Since we are so far behind on our blogging, we won't get into too much detail about each day. Some highlights were an old bar/general store in the town of Little Orleans, MD, a stopover in Cumberland, MD for breakfast and coffee, several old railroad tunnels that the path travelled through, and the Youghiogheny River in Ohiopyle State Park, PA.

On our last day on the trail, Thursday the 5th, we decided in the morning to make a big 90 mile push into Pittsburgh. The trail was smooth and we were making great time passing old steel mills and industry along the Monongahela River in the greater Pittsburgh area when the path all of a sudden stopped in a riverfront shopping center. We fumbled around, trying to catch the trail again, and ended up inside Sandcastle, a big water park. Somehow, we found ourselves trapped inside, and we had to make an escape through a hole in the fence down by the river with our bikes and trailer. By this time, it was close to getting dark and we realized that the only way we could get back on the trail and finish the ride was to ride on a busy road for a bit. So... We called in reinforcements (aka Jen's family) who came and rescued us. Needless to say, a Primanti's sandwich was in order after the big day!

Lots of photos, in no order since I have no control with this iPhone app!