Into the GAP

I’ve decided to join in with a group and do a ride of part of the Great Alleghany Passage route next week. It’s a four-day ride that starts out in Ohiopyle PA (near where WV meets MD at the southern side of PA) and goes out for two days, towards Pittsburgh, then turns around and comes back. We’ll get as far as Dravo’s Landing Campground, near the little towns of Buena Vista and Elizabeth.

The riding is light. Only 30 miles in a day on paths that are roughly the same as the Erie Canalway that I’m used to and have done 70 miles in a full day. It should be refreshing and leave plenty of time to explore towns and nearby sights before hitting the campground and settling in for the night.

The group of people I will be joining is an informal group formed on the internet known as Bikepacking US. There is no dues, no formal membership, just a bunch of people who enjoy cycling and camping. The group is in it’s infancy, and has only done a couple rides in the past, all on the GAP/C&O corridor.

The Great Alleghany Passage is a trail that goes from Pittsburgh to the Maryland border where it meets the C&O Canal Towpath which ends in Washington DC. Since most of it follows old railroad lines and a canal in the C&O section, the grade is fairly flat and avoids most of the mountains in the area. Several tunnels are kept operating as part of the trail. Continue Reading…

Mileage

Just setting up my cyclecomputer and putting new batteries in it. Before I erase last year’s data, I just want to record that the total milage from last year was 955.3 miles. FWIW.

Where it’s at 2013

So, you ask, what am I planning now that Spring 2013 is here and it’s time to get out and get riding again? Is there a new tour in the works?

The answer is, at this point, I don’t know. There are many ideas running around that I’d like to try. I hope to settle on one or two soon.

These are just ideas at this point.

I planned out a trip last year to Dayton OH to coincide with the Dayton Hamvention. It would be nice to get there by bike and meet up with the BMHA group for their ride. I wanted to do it last year, but didn’t. When I saw the weather, I was glad I decided not to go. It poured rain the entire week and it would have been miserable.

The Hamvention is May 17-19 this year. My rough estimate of a leisurely route to Dayton would take 9 days, so I’d be leaving home around the 6th. Three days at the hamfest and another week or more to get home. That would make quite an ambitious first trip out. Continue Reading…

If At First You Don’t Succeed Tour

For historical purposes, this is the text that was at the top of the Cycle Tour page for the past 6 months. It explains what happened with the tour in 2012, so I decided to keep it, even though I am taking it out of the main page.

My first attempt at this trip ended the first day. I got as far as Hulberton on the Erie Canal where a catastrophic failure of the seat frame on my trike happened. I’ll be resuming my trip once I get that fixed (welding required.)

My plans are to ride east on the ACA Northern Tier Route, towards Maine. How far I go, or how long it lasts isn’t important. What matters is the experience. For the latest details, keep reading my latest posts in this blog. I’ll also be posting to Facebook.

Once again, my plans are on hold. I was literally packed and ready to leave again in the morning, when my phone rang and I found out my Uncle had passed away in Washington DC. Had my bike not broken down, I’d be out on the road somewhere, figuring out how to ship my bike home and hopping a bus to get back. Continue Reading…

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