What a great time! It must have taken a lot of time and commitment from everyone, but sure payed off! On Monday, April 23, 2012 7:21:12 AM UTC-7, Montclair BobbyB wrote: > > Boy, somebody up there must like us... Somehow we managed to slip > through this weekend virtually untouched by this Nor'Easter that's > been pounding several states in the East, and in the mean time had a > fantastic ride from Cumberland, MD up to Ohiopyle, PA along the > beautiful Great Allegheny Passage Trail. > > Our total rider count was 14, and folks came from as far away as > Kalamazoo, Cleveland, Washington DC, Wilmington DE, Bowling Green OH, > Princeton NJ and Syracuse. We had a great bunch, and the cross- > section of Rivs was truly stunning... We had Saluki, Hilsen, > Hillborne, Bombadil, Atlantis, Quickbeam, SimpleOne and Rambouillet... > what a variety!! > > Friday night we assembled for dinner and a few beers in Cumberland, > which is nestled in the mountains of western Maryland... beautiful > country. Four of our group had ridden ahead to Frostburg, 16 miles up > the trail where we planned to meet on Saturday morning. We were > bracing for some pretty steady rain, and T-storms, according to the > local weather forecast. > > Saturday morning we assembled at the Cumberland trailhead (where the > C&O Trail heads southeast to Washington, and the GAP Trail heads > northwest to Pittsburgh). There is excellent overnight parking > (covered by the highway), very close to the trail. We were wheels > down by 8 AM, and hoping to get over the Eastern Divide by Noon. The > sun was shining brightly at this point... huh??? We were puzzled, but > delighted nonetheless. The ride up to Frostburg was gradual and not > particularly difficult... but tedious. I was glad to stretch my legs > at Frostburg, where we grabbed sandwiches to go, and met up with 3 of > the 4 lead riders (one other rider, Ken Peyton was attempting an early > breakaway... and would successfully hold off the peloton clear into > Confluence, our stayover destination). > > A short distance up from Frostburg we came to the (massive) Big Savage > Tunnel, which extends more than 3000 feet straight through Savage > Mountain. This was IMPRESSIVE to say the least, and it was a blast to > ride through. Shortly after the big tunnel we reached the top of the > Eastern Divide (certainly NOTHING LIKE the Western Divide, but for us > it meant our pedalling would get a subtle boost on the "downside"). > > The weather became cooler and more overcast, with an occasional short > spritz, but no rain as had been predicted. The scenery along the > trail was beautiful, including several high and long viaducts, the > Salisbury being the longest at around 1900 feet... these were > spectacular. As we neared Confluence, the scenery got even prettier, > and we began to follow the river more closely. As Confluence loomed a > mile or two ahead, the skies grew darker, and the last 1-2 miles to > the Paddlers Lane House (where most of us were staying) were into a > miserable headwind with steady rain. This is the first time I had to > stop and actually put on my rain gear. But once inside the house, we > dried quickly and forgot all about the rain. Our hosts were very > accommodating, and generously loaned us their car to drive into town > to pick up our other 2 riders (who were staying at 'overflow' > accommodations), grab a stack o pizzas and a few sixpacks of beer.... > the perfect ending to a perfect riding day. > > Sunday morning was overcast and noticeably colder, but still very good > riding conditions. After a huge breakfast in Confluence at the local > breakfast favorite, 12 of the 14 set off for Ohiopyle, while John > Philip and Tom Nezovich headed back for Cumberland, which they planned > to split into 2 days. The forecast was calling for snow Sunday night, > so there was a slight chance they would get caught in snow Monday > morning, or at least a nasty, wintry mix... I'll have to wait to hear > how they made out. > > Meanwhile we rode into Ohiopyle (the veritable nerve center of the GAP > trail, and a haven for kayakers and rafters). We had arranged for a > tour of Frank Llloyd Wright's Fallingwater, which was amazing as > usual, and then decided (due to a lack of time and a nasty forecast) > to get shuttled back to Cumberland from Ohiopyle (instead of riding > the additional 16 miles to Connellsville and risk getting caught in > bad weather). It turned out to be a wise choice. > > I could go on and on about this weekend, but I'll let others chime > in... GREAT GROUP OF PEOPLE, awesome bicycles, and a spectacular > route... Everything went better than expected, so I couldn't be > happier. I trust others enjoyed this as much as I. We WILL do more > of these rides, of that I'm sure. > > In the mean time I have set up a Riv Rally East set of pics on Flickr, > that we will certainly add to. > http://www.flickr.com/photos/16461051@N04/sets/72157629879604519/ > > Thanks to all who came out for Riv Rally East (despite the ominous > threat of awful weather), and to the few who had reserved a place, but > were unable to join (for a variety of reasons), I'm very sorry you > were unable to join us... you were missed for sure. >
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