Cumberland Coast – Riding the GAP, Part 2

The weather was as perfect as if we had specially ordered it.  Blue skies.  Cool temperature.  Low humidity.

We met our courier at the Cumberland Trail Connection, a cycle shop located at the junction of the GAP and the C&O Canal Towpath.  He drove us to our day’s starting point on the Great Allegheny Passage, again in Deal, PA. 

What a difference between today’s ride and Monday’s ride!  From the Eastern Continental Divide all the way back to the bike shop, we coasted downhill.  Twenty-five miles and didn't break a sweat.

Day 2 on the GAP 

We rolled through the 3,294’ Big Savage Tunnel, thankful for the flashlight attached to Jamie’s bike. We were greeted by a breathtaking view of the valley below and the mountains beyond. 

Big Savage Tunnel 1911

Overlook on the eastern side of Big Savage Tunnel

 

Becoming pros at selfies 

Our journey would take us through three more tunnels today, two of them on the GAP, the Borden Tunnel and the Brush Tunnel, both of which stretch more than 900’.

Borden Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage

Brush Tunnel on the Great Allegheny Passage

Another overlook - absolutely beautiful on this sunshiny day

We stopped atop the Mason-Dixon Line for a history lesson.

 

Mason Dixon Line on the GAP

Mason Dixion Line on the GAP

We passed Frostburg without climbing the zigzag pathway leading to town, as it is much too steep for these flatlanders.

After viewing the Cumberland Bone Cave and Lover’s Leap, we coasted into the town of Cumberland, MD, and celebrated our accomplishment at the 0 mile marker on the trail.

Bone Cave where prehistoric bones were excavated

Lover's Leap near Cumberland, MD

We did it!  65 miles on the GAP.  Here we are at Mile Marker 0 in downtown Cumberland, MD

Along the way, we played cat & mouse with a couple of other cyclists, and spent a few minutes getting to know them.  An avid cyclist, Deb now runs a bike tour service and offered her contact info.  Perhaps Jamie will run into them again when he travels to Richmond, VA, in the fall for the bike race he has agreed to work.

The ride was brief, just a couple of hours, and quite easy on the legs & buttocks, so we continued onto the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, looking for a little punishment.  Passing riders warned us, but we continued on. 

Along the C&O Towpath 

It was muddy.  Not well-groomed.  A disappointment.  We went just a few miles before turning around.  Deb had suggested an unmarked trail that ventures off the C&O leading into West Virginia.  We took it.

Crossing over the Potomac River, we pedaled through our fourth tunnel of the day, this one, the Knobbly Mountain Tunnel.  A short path led to Carpendale, WV.  We happened upon the town’s mayor, Butch, who entertained us with a history of the tunnel, the trains, the trail and the town. 

 

Crossing the Potomac between West Virginia & Maryland

An effort by leaders in Carpendale, WV, has opened Knobbly Mountain Tunnel to bicycle traffic.

Butch, the Mayor of Carpendale, WV, entertains us with photos and stories.  

We returned to Cumberland, washed the towpath mud off our bicycles, and enjoyed our second meal out on this trip.  Crabcakes at the The Crabby Pig.

After riding a few miles on the C&O, we had to wash the mud off our bicycles.  Smart idea for a hotel on the trail to provide a bike wash. 

Crab cake sandwich for him; crab cake salad for her.

We’ve been following the Race Across America bicycle race that began in Oceanside, CA, last week and will end shortly in Annapolis, MD.  We realized that the #2 racer would be passing through a time station just a couple of miles away within the hour.  Of course, we had to check it out.

Just as we arrived, an RV with RAAM markings pulled in.  We met Dex Tooke.   Dex is on his fourth RAAM as a crew member; he previously cycled the RAAM twice, placing him in a small, elite group of athletes who have biked from the Pacific to the Atlantic in a non-stop, 3000 mile race.   He told us the rider was about an hour out.  So, we followed the route a few miles thinking we might spot him.

No, we didn’t get to see the bicyclist.  Yes, we did sprawl out in a grassy area along the highway at a McDonald’s waiting for him to pass.  Apparently, we had missed him.  After waiting an hour, we checked the internet to find he had already passed the time station.  Hmmm. How did we miss him?

Anticipating a RAAM rider

A day filled with adventure  - dark tunnels, breathtaking vistas, interesting personalities.  We rode our bicycles in three states.

Tomorrow we pack up the SolAire and head south.  Destination:  Damascus, VA.  We plan to ride a portion of the Virginia Creeper before making our way back to south Georgia.