John Philip provides this link that shows some snow shots: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cnyriv/sets/72157629525386656/ On Apr 24, 2012, at 11:10 AM, Thomas Nezovich wrote:
> Bobby and others, not all the Riv Rally East participants escaped the > weather but we would have had we not ridden on Monday. John Philip and my > plans originally were to ride with the group to Connellsvile and bid them > good by and turn around for our B&B reservation in Rockwood. With the bad > weather predicted we decided to go no farther west than the Saturday > destination of Confluence. We breakfasted with the group and while they went > farther west, we headed back east to Rockwood. We managed to make the 20 > miles there last nearly three hours. Rockwood is small and not much was open > on a Sunday. We ate a couple of times at the Opera House and at supper a > fellow who operates the Opera House and the Hostel on Main gave us a tour to > the hostel. It is very nice and inexpensive. The Rockwood Trail House B&B > is nicer ( but more expensive) and I've stayed there before. We spent much > time watching weather TV and scanning weather sites on computer and knew we > were in for some snow. > > We awoke to a slight covering of wet snow and around 34 degrees. Light snow > was falling: not too bad. After a great breakfast we left expecting it to > be worse when we got higher near the Divide. It did get gradually snowier > and windier. The stretch between Meyersdale and Deal to the Divide was very > snowey with probably 6 inches of snow on the ground. It was very slow going > in the snow: 5 or 6 mph with moderate falling snow but a tail wind. > Curiously, when we got through the Big Savage Mountain tunnel there was much > less snow on the ground, less falling out of the sky and different winds. > The snow soon disappeared, the trail was gravel again and the tail wind > returned. Our new problem then was we were cold. The little downgrade > allowed us to make 14 to 16 mph on the way back to Cumberland but we were > pretty damp from the efforts to reach the tunnel. We made it back to the > cars and managed to enjoy it and make it back home the same day. > > I had some concerns about ride Hetres in the snow but they were not too bad. > The snow riding was slow and level or slightly up hill though. The snow was > gone by the time we were zipping downhill. > > As Manny says, "Pictures prove it happened", but you will need to wait for > John Philip's post because I forgot my camera. > On Apr 23, 2012, at 10:21 AM, 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. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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