Great Allegheny Passage: Pittsburgh to Cumberland

This year's big biek ride is a return to the Great Allegheny Passage. The 150mile route starts in Pittsburgh and goes to (and beyond) Cumberland Maryland. I will be taking advantage of some availabe free time forced by the loss of the summer theatre seaosn due to COVID. My wife and daughter are going to visit family and look at a college in the area after dropping me off and will pick me up in Cumberland a few days later. Unlike the lasat time I rode this trail (in 2015) I will be riding West to East.

Finishing my first big ride - Pine Creek Trail from Jersey Shore to and back

Back in 2009 I bought a new bike. My grey Schwinn Sierra GL, it was a toss up between this or a Trek, but the Trek only came in red and green and I wanted black or purple but would settle for grey. And thus a new hobby was started. 

There are plenty of bike trails in the Lehigh Valley, and I started to try them all. but I really wanted to do a multi-day solo bike ride. I had read an article about a trail in northern PA that was 63 miles long and I thought that this would be a great adventure. So I packed up my bike and camping gear and headed to Wellsboro to ride  the Pine Creek Gorge Trail. That first trip was very rough around the edges. I wasn't;t really prepared for rides longer than 15 to 20 miles in a single outing. I did not have proper riding gear (bike shorts?) or the right kinds of accessories. I didn't't make it the whole trail that day, and decided to go home in the middle of the night. 

But I always wanted to finish that trail.  2020's pandemic and more time at home afforded me the opportunity. This time I would start from the Southern end (Jersey Shore PA) and work my way back up to the point I turned around at 11 years earlier (Slate Run, PA). 

I drove up to Jersey Shore Pa from Allentown, the ride took me nearly 3 hours and was mostly on major highways until the last section where it felt more like I was on the rural roads I remember from growing up in Wisconsin. I stopped once to get gas and some beef jerky on Allenwood, Pa and followed Rt 44 to Jersey Shore. The parking lot was easy to find and had plenty of parking available. Starting by the red caboose in the parking lot I started my trip north. Within the first mile you have to cross a very busy road (Railroad St). Fortunately there is a bridge going over the 4 lane highway less than a mile from Railroad St.

You hit the first of several bridges on the trail at around 4 miles from Jersey Shore.  The trail going South to North is slightly uphill but not so bad that you feel it. The trail runs mostly alongside Rt 44 up until this point. It's worth noting that you lose reliable cell coverage somewhere around the first bridge. 

For the next 4 miles or so you are riding through farmland or woods alongside the Pine Creek. The next bridge is near the Ramsey area and here you cross over the Pine Creek and pass homes. This continues until you reach the bridge (number 3 for those of you keeping track) leading into the Waterville area. In Waterville there is a convenience store (McConnell's Country Store) , a bar that serves takeout food (Waterville Tavern) , and a place to stay overnight (Pine Creek Valley Lodge). It also your chance at some spotty cell reception. 

After crossing Rt 44 one more time you keep going through wooded areas with little signs of homes or buildings for the next 5 miles or so. At this point you find yourself in the Jersey Mills area of the trail. 

The next ten miles offer more stunning views and dense wooded areas. there are signs for a couple of hiking trails along this section as well. When you get into Slate Run, you can either continue on the trail to the next town of Cedar Run, or you can turn left over the bridge and stop in Slate Run to grab a bite to eat. That's what I chose to do. I had a late lunch at the Hotel Manor and Bar. At this time restaurants could only offer outdoor seating and take out food. I got a Chicken Sandwich and a root beer and sat at one of the picnic tables to eat. There is also a general store just a few more yards down the trail that I did not go into.  When I ride the trails again I will proably make this my mid point and will stay overnight in the Hotel part of Manor Hotel and Bar, but for now it was time to turn around and return to my car. 

The ride back to my car was a little grueling despite being mostly slightly downhill. I thin I pushed myself too much to make Slate Run and should have turned around earlier. But the miles slowly went by and with a few well earned stops along the way i was almost back to my destination. with less than a mile to go to my car i had hit a wall, i was willing myself to "finish strong", then I literals hit a wall, well actually a retaining barricade. just as you cross Railroad St there is a sharp turn and  to see on coming traffic you need to look over your right shoulder. There is also salt/cinder on the crossing probably left over from winter road treatments. The combination of looking over my shoulder and applying my break into a turn caused my bike to slide out from under me sending me chest (and face) first into the metal guard rail. My chest took the brunt of my fall, while my hand and face only received minor scratches. The bruise on my chest would be spectacular. Fortunately I travel with a first aid kit (and a full kit in my car) so I was able to patch myself up and bike back to my car. I called my wife and told her what had happened and headed back home.

The trial is as good as I remember it, and I was glad to be able to say I rode the entire trail. I didn't really see that many people on the trail on this trip, but it was still early in the season and I suspect the trail is very popular in the summer months. The lack of reliable cell coverage could be an issue if you have a bad crash or smoother sort of emergency. There did appear to be several options for food and such along the lower half of the trail, which means if you plan properly you could forgo packing your own food for the ride. Next time I will do it from North to South and stop in the middle to overnight. Maybe in 2022. 

Total Mileage: 53.3 

Total time riding 6 hours 24 minutes

Back in the Saddle again...5BBT 2019

2018 was a rough year for me, so I didn't get out to do much biking, and no multi-day trips. I did a short charity ride in June and a just few local trail rides in the summer. So in the fall I signed up for 2019's Five Boro Bike Tour in New York City. I had done the ride a few times before and had to pull out of being a volunteer in 2018 because of my health. 

By the end of the year I was sick again and ended up having multiple leg surgeries to resolve complications from my chemo treatment. I was in the hospital for nearly a month right before Christmas and had to take time off of work to rehabilitate. Since the 5 Boro was non-refundable I was determined to do it, even if it meant I only rode for ten miles and then had to SAG all the way to the end. This would be my first significant bike ride in 9 months. 

Because of my health issues I decided to join a charity team this year. I chose Gilda's Club New York City because of the work they do helping cancer patients, and because my local club (Cancer Support Community of the Lehigh Valley) has been very helpful to me and my family during my treatment.  I quickly exceeded my fund raising goals, and was set to ride.

The weather for the ride day was looking grim, lots of rain and colder temperatures. I arrived in New York City the day before and, as is my habit, met up with my host for the weekend, Susan. I went to to the Bike NY Expo to pick up my rider packet and spent the rest of the day hanging out and doing touristy things in New York City. 

I awoke at 5:00am for the ride and after taking a breakfast to go I headed down to meet the rest of my charity team. The rain was pretty heavy and I ended up missing the group photo. I was already soaked and it wasn't't even yet 7AM. I guess the good news is once you get so wet you can't really get more wet. I joined my start wave, ate my now cooled (but tasty) breakfast, and waited for our turn to go. 

The rain would ebb and flow all day long hanging around just enough to be a pain on the roads, but not enough to make the ride unenjoyable. Because of the weather there were a lot of no-shows which meant for the most part the roads were not packed and the flow was pretty good, with only a few notable exceptions  There is something exciting to ride down the middle of 6th Avenue without having to worry about traffic. 

After the first few miles we hit Central Park. This would be the first real test of my legs on this ride, there are a couple of hills and lots of opportunities to crash. Fortunately I made it through Central Park without a hiccup. The rain kept many riders away and the ones who did show up seems prepared to ride in the wet conditions. I've been a volunteer in the past and have seen first hand wet road related wipeouts and crashes.

The first real trying part of the ride was the bridge going over the Queensboro bridge. Despite the incline I was able to make it over without getting off my bike and walking. It was at this point I started to think that I could actually do this thing. 

I stopped at each rest station, to refuel and rehydrate and to thank the volunteers. they were often packed and hectic, but everyone seemed to be having a good time. Somewhere at one of the rest areas I lost a GoPro battery, but wouldn't notice until a few days later. The rain made most of my Go Pro footage useless as the camera was mostly rain spots. 

The last section leading up to and including the Verrazano Narrows Bridge is always the hardest part of the ride for me. It is a long incline followed by another long incline before you finally get to the bridge itself. The rest areas are usually depleted of supplies and people are starting to get cranky. But I felt good, exhausted, but good. By now I was determined to make it to the end without walking or without taking the SAG bus. 

I managed to get to the top the bridge in a little over 11 minutes, the last time I did the ride I did it in 8 minutes. I was slower this year and it felt like it. But I did it without stopping and without walking. The ride down the bridge was fun as always even if I did have to ride the brakes a bit more than normal because of the wet road conditions.  I arrived to the finish point, collected my medal, and decided to keep on going to the ferry back to manhattan. Normally I stay a little while at the finish festival, but the rain had turned the field into a huge mud pit, and my charity team had long since headed for home. This is the only place where I did any walking the mud was so thick and sticky that my tires got stuck twice and I nearly lost a shoe. Once I was back on the road I would drive through every puddle I could find to try to wash a little more of the mud off my feet and bike. The wait for the ferry wasn't too bad, but the offered ice pops were not as appealing in the 50 degree weather. 

Once back in Manhattan, I rode to my friends place in Chelsea and loaded up my bike, after a quick shower and a change into dry clothes, we had a early supper said our goodbyes and I was heading home. 

I was a good ride, and despite the rain I enjoyed myself. I think this might be my last time doing the Five Boro Bike Tour. I want to spend my money and time on trails I haven't yet ridden and places I haven't yet seen. 

Total mileage: 47.7 Total riding time: 5 hours 46 minutes

and the the rains came...

Today's ride was originally part of a planned two-day out and back.. the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail is a 19 mile trail that connects with the Heritage Rail Trail in New Freedom PA...

I started in New Freedom and made my way south ... the hill is mostly downhill going south so I was able to cover a lot of distance without much effort... I knew that it would be harder on the way back as I'd be traveling uphill on my return trip...

The trail passes over several roads, but most of them are either access roads or country backroads and as such don't have a lot of traffic to worry about ... signage reminds bicyclists to walk their bikes through the intersections... but few do...

The last major stop on the trail is the depot in Monkton MD... there are restrooms and a series of benches at the depot ... the depot is open weekends in the summer and there appears to be several businesses moving in as the season ramps up ...

The trail continues another six miles south from Monkton... I chose to turn around at Phoenix MD ... which is now just really a parking lot and trail access point...

The ride back north was slower because of the uphill grade ... its not bad in this section but ramps up the last 8 miles of the northern end of the trail ...

Just as the ride was getting harder the sky grew dark ... and without much warning it began to rain ... then hail ... by the time I got my rain gear on I was soaked... I pressed on even though it was riding up hill in the rain and on trails that were essentially now river beds ... the last 7 miles took me about an hour ... eventally the rain quit and the sun struggled to come back out ...

I had a good ride despite the sudden turn of weather ... my bike has never been so muddy ...

39.5 miles 3:58 minutes total riding time ... elevation change of about 650 feet (mostly at the northern end)

2017 TD Bank 5 Boro Bike Tour

Every May bicyclist from all over the world participate in the 5 Boro Bike Tour... 40 miles of New York City streets are closed off to cars for the exclusive use of 32000 cyclists ... here are just a few of the photos I took along this years route...

We start down in the financial district of Manhattan ... and move our way uptown along 6th Ave...

We pass the world famous Radio City Music Hall...

And ride through Central Park...

Over several bridges ...

Through all 5 boros of New York City...

With thousands of fellow bicyclists...

Until finally arriving in Staten Island via the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge ...

For a total of 40 unforgettable miles ...