Today was another rainy day, but at least I made it 40 miles before it became continually raining.
To back up a bit, knowing I wanted to make it to Confluence today, I left the hotel at 7:00. It was light enough for being on the trail.
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| Back on the Caperton Trail which became the Mon River North Trail |
Right off the bat I saw the first of 14 deer today.
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| I think they were used to people because they didn’t move for a long time. |
The trail became crushed gravel after awhile. I went past this place that just said West Virginia to me for some reason.
At a road crossing I came upon this scary creature…or maybe “trail mascot”?
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| He/she was very friendly. |
The trail, of course, was continuing along the river. There was this…not sure…but maybe coal plant?
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| I only think that because I saw a pile of coal |
I knew I only had about 6 miles before I would cross into state number 12, Pennsylvania. Sure enough!
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| The Mon River North Trail became the Sheepskin Trail at the state line. |
I’m not going to be in PA for all that long. Tomorrow, I will cross back into West Virginia (but I am spending the night in PA).
The Sheepskin Trail ended (for the time being), and I was out on the roads and hills of PA. Exactly like WV, it was up and down. I had the final three climbs that initiated the climb profile. The first one was after crossing the Cheat River.
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| There was a guy sleeping under an umbrella on the sidewalk of the bridge. I told him he was going to need to move so I could get by. |
The climb was .86 of a mile with an average grade of 8%! Haven’t had one like that for awhile! It was a thigh buster for sure! But, I managed to ride the whole thing.
The final climb was just shy of 2 miles long. Haven’t had one that long since…I can’t remember when!
The first rain came at 27 miles in (I kid you not). At first it was just spitting, but then it picked up to a pretty heavy rain. I put my rain jacket on because I’ve decided wet from sweat is better than soaked from rain. That squall passed, and I was able to take off my jacket.
The route did a weird gravel sly dog that was a steep, loose, chunky descent that was followed by an equally steep, loose, chunky climb. I had to walk the climb.
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| This was a halfway good part. |
Then there was another route part that briefly had me wondering.
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| I figured out the sign was probably for the driveway to the left. The gravel to the right did go through. |
I made it to the town of Dunbar. There wasn’t much to it except that there was another 2 mile section of the Sheepskin Trail. What I’m wondering is if the old railway exists from where I was on it before, but they just haven’t made it a whole trail yet?
Most importantly, this two mile section led to the GAP! For those who don’t know, the GAP is the Great Allegheny Passage. It’s a bike path that runs from Cumberland to Pittsburgh. I’m not doing the whole thing as I came on near South Connellsville, about mile 87.
This is another part of the route I have really been looking forward to. The GAP and the C&O are iconic routes. Unfortunately, the rain returned with a vengeance for the remainder of the day. At one point, I heard a tree fall. It was below the trail on the river side. It did freak me out just a little. I think there’s a little PTSD from the flooding I’ve experienced.
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| This was a cool waterfall. You could walk behind it. |
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| The trail and the Allegheny River |
I would have taken more photos, but it was just so rainy. I saw a couple on touring bikes. I stopped and said hello. It was nice to see other people out there doing the same thing. In fact, they were also riding to Confluence, and staying at the same place.
I came to the big bridge over the river just before coming into Ohiopyle. There were a bunch of rafters down on the river.
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| I guess it wouldn’t matter that it was raining! |
I rolled into Ohiopyle. I had 11 miles to go to Confluence, but I was hungry. I just wanted a snack to fuel me the next 11 miles. I went to the market/restaurant. Despite the rain, there were tons of people. I got my snack, and sat outside under cover as it was too cold inside.
Back on the GAP, I caught up to another two riders with gear. I had actually seen them in Ohiopyle loading up their bikes. They were stopped, fixing a derailleur issue. They caught up to me a bit later. They had started their ride on the GAP and C&O in Ohiopyle. Tim, and daughter, Maddie were enjoyable to ride with. Before I knew it, I was at Confluence!
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| Tim and Maddie |
I made my way to the River’s Edge Cafe and B&B. I met the woman I had talked to on the phone. She gave me the low down on the house and where I could put Wanda. They even had a hose that I could rinse the sand and dirt off! She hasn’t been this clean in days! I dried her chain, and lubed it. She’s safely parked in the garage.
The B&B is this cool old house. I think there’s just three rooms. Anna-Maria is the owner. Very nice woman, if not a wee bit frazzled. The cafe serves dinner. A continental breakfast is included. The room is only $90!
Cool thing…Sarah is camping in Confluence tonight! We are going to ride together again tomorrow!
