And Away We Go!

The clock marked 2:40 PM on this July Monday afternoon as the Solaire and her running mate turned left onto U.S. 19 headed north, seeking cooler air, lower humidity, a change of scenery, a bit of R&R, and a long-overdue adventure.  By the time we reached I-75, we realized we had already traveled further from home than we had been since COVID-19 unleashed its wrath on southwest Georgia.

We were in no hurry, so we moseyed through the woods to connect to I-20 on our journey northward, enjoying the views of luscious green woodland and healthy crops of the sparsely populated farming communities of east central Georgia.  With a sideways glance, our most observant lead driver noticed a shady gravel parking area belonging to the Harlem Baptist Church, just perfect for our picnic supper of homemade chicken salad.

Picnicking in Harlem

Under the shade a few pecan trees, we set out our lawn chairs, fixed our plates, stretched our legs, and chatted about our plans for the rest of the week.  Much to our dismay, the Chevy diesel did not want to start when we were ready to move on down the road.  YouTube to the rescue! And some ingenuity on Jamie's part to figure out the problem and get 'er running.  One would think that just having had a tune-up at the auto shop in preparation for this trip would have prevented such a disturbing occurrence.  Nope! May have caused it.

Near midnight we pulled into an empty Cracker Barrel parking lot in Mooresville, NC, opened the windows on the Solaire, turned on a battery-powered fan, and crawled into our bed for a good night's sleep.  At 7:00 A.M. we were one of two parties to be seated for breakfast.  This is social distancing restaurant-style.  My first dine-in experience since before mid-March!  

All's quiet at midnight at Cracker Barrel

Dining in at Cracker Barrel

And shortly thereafter, we were on the road again, with no particular plan, just a destination in mind. A fuel stop - truck stops only this trip, we've promised ourselves - at the Mt. Airy exit begged us to linger longer, so we found an empty public parking area next to the Post Office on Main Street that would accommodate the two rigs, thanks to an inquiring phone call to City Hall.  

A leisurely stroll along the Mayberry themed street brought happy memories of Andy, Barney, Opie and the rest.  We trekked in the opposite direction along Main Street to visit the Sheriff's office with jail cells and Wally's Service Station, where we took a few stand-and-pose photos of ourselves, declaring we would blog this trip, despite not having posted last year's adventure (yet!), and we purchased our traditional souvenirs: Christmas tree ornaments for Mary and Becky and a decal or magnet for Jamie to add to his outdoor refrigerator.

Stroll along Main Street - sporting some COVID barriers.

Antique trucks: the Darlins' and Wally's Wrecker

Jamie checking out Andy & Barney's radio equipment. Imagine that!

From Mt. Airy, we continued northward, passing through the Walker Mountain Tunnel, and eventually climbing to the top of a ridge overlooking Bluefield, West Virginia.  The air was cooler (than home) and breezy on this sunshiny day.  For nearly an hour, we & one additional car were the only visitors to the East River Mountain Scenic Overlook.  Again, perfect social distancing!  The covered picnic patio made an ideal spot for lunch.

Then the Chevy diesel decided to misbehave again.  Fortunately, Jamie knew just the trick to get 'er going again.  At the base of the ridge we lucked up: a bustling Chevrolet dealership.  I'm not being sassy - ten cars must have come in while we were there and the service bays were lined up; it was bustling. That's a good thing.  The mechanic on duty wasn't much more helpful than YouTube, but he did put Jamie's mind at ease about the problem.  Guess it's just one we'll have to deal with for the duration of this trip. We'll see!

By mid-afternoon we had found our destination for the day: Rifrafter's Campground in Fayetteville, West Virginia.  As I sit here typing out this first blog post of our week, I feel refreshed by the gentle breeze, the cooler temperature, and the shade of the forest we are in.  No sweat: not even during the backing in, leveling, setting up camp phase.  

We have plans to roam about the countryside over the next few days, but our most important plan is to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation away from the stress of home and work.  (If only we could really get away for a few days; we've both been answering calls and emails today, and we both have scheduled work-related Zoom meetings this week. Hmmm.)  Nevertheless, we will enjoy every minute we have to travel, and be thankful for our jobs, too.

Perhaps I'll update the blog again tomorrow or the day after, or sometime after that. Maybe.

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.