Bobby, Thanks again for putting this Riv Rally East ver. 2012 together. I'm glad the weather held off, and that you all got to see one of my favorite sections of the GAP. Ed and I were sorry to have missed this years ride, but have read the posts and viewed the great pics that have been posted. Ed liked the new blue version of his Surly LHT that was there, and I was admiring all the different Rivs in attendance.
Like minded, friendly folks, enjoying a great ride. What could be wrong with that! Can't wait to hear about next years plans. Cheers, Rusty (Pittsburgh) On Monday, April 23, 2012 10:21:12 AM UTC-4, 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/C4s5BBGGTMgJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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