Day 2--Connellsville to Rockwood

I apologize for wonky formatting on this post. It is hard to do this from the phone.  

We would be hard pressed to have better weather. Staying at the Comfort Inn in Connellsville was an amazing decision. We were able to take our bikes up to our room and have plenty of space. They do have a storage area, but there are no racks and it is not secure. We were able to eat a good breakfast and enjoy the beautiful sounds of the river before getting underway at 9 AM.

 I love urban art, and outside the hotel was a beautiful piece of metal work. Unfortunately, it is hard to take a selfie so both of us can be in a picture that shows the entire structure. Sorry if you were getting tired of seeing pictures with just me.

JB lost familiarity with the trail about 10 miles outside Connellsville. He also realized he had his socks on the wrong feet.  Sounds crazy, I know.  The socks are even labeled left and right-you would think an engineer would be on top of these things.

I had done the entire trail to Ohiopyle during my training so I became the trail guide. From Ohiopyle to Confluence was familiar to us both, since we rode that many years ago.  There really isn’t much other than nature on that section of trail.  We really didn’t even pass very many people.  

At major trail heads, we met people who were obviously doing thru rides…we assumed the same Pitt to DC ride we were on.  It was jaw-dropping to hear one man started his ride in Chicago and another couple started June 30th IN OREGON!!   Makes our little adventure seem less crazy.  

I am going to just dump some pictures of the beauty and bridges we saw between morning and lunch.  Not much explanation is needed—God has created an amazing world  I encourage everyone to step away from technology and the fast-paced world and breathe in His awesome!!

Lunchtime in Confluence was the plan.  It was pretty cool that the little town had a greeting committee taking down statistics about what state people were from.  They also had an information station right on the trail to help direct people to the businesses of the small town across the bridge.  We were given a ticket for a free gift from the local bike shop and were told that the restaurant where we planned to eat was closed due to water leaking problems.  We decided on the The River’s Edge Café (and B&B)…and it was wonderful.  We sat on the porch and watched the river flow by; plus, the food was spot-on. Ended up being a very happy plot twist. 

A quick stop at the bike shop in Confluence let our lunch settle.  We ran into a couple riders who had come from Markleton-Rockwood (where the trail was closed). Hearing their experience with the shuttle and the description of the road alternative (from someone with obvious experience-his legs were shaved) sealed the deal on taking the shuttle…but first Pinkerton bridges and tunnel.   

 

I don’t think the picture does justice to this structure. We thought it was beautiful before we turned the corner past the trees.  The sky opened up and the rock face of the mountain was stunning.  A friend of ours, Jack Paulik, had done a lot of work on the GAP development, including this area.  The tunnel was dark but well kept.

The shuttle at Markleton was a great idea…confirmed by seeing the small road without any berm. Then the decision was EXTRA confirmed as the van climbed the hills in low gear. We would probably still be doing that last 6 miles now!!

 Our B&B in Rockwood is adorable.  The Gingerbread Man B&B is right off the trail and we chose a room with its own bathroom. The wrap-around porch provided a nice place to hang out and relax.

Plot twist number 2 was not as pleasant.  Apparently Rockwood is a small mountain town with little to offer.  The waitress at The River’s Edge warned us to grab snacks to take with us because dinner might be hard to find.  When I spoke with the owner of the B&B, Josiah, I was told that the plan to eat at Dough Girl Pizza was not feasible for bikes. 

He told us that there was an American Legion next to the house that served food but might close the grill early. And he said that the gas station across the bridge makes great pizza.  Well, the Legion didn’t have an unlocked door that we could find even though we heard activities and smelled cigarettes. Hard pass.  We headed to the gas station…it was just after 5 pm.  As we entered, JB told the gentleman, “we heard you make good pizza.”  Without making eye-contact, the man flatly replied, “Pizza’s done, we close at six.”   Well, okay then.  Hmmmm….up the road, we see the town brewery.  Thinking that every brewery has good food, we entered.  We were told the menu was on the wall (written in chalk).  I asked if they had anything non-alcoholic.  The guy behind the bar replied, “iced tea”.  Next question—any food?   The two bikers we rode the shuttle with, who are staying at our B&B and had apparently been through the 

same process and the man behind the bar all point to two shelves containing 3 bags of chips and some jerky. The guy behind the bar states, “we can make you a hot dog..”. Another hard pass.  I’ve been to a lot of places where you have to make do with what you have available.  Fortunately, Dollar General’s are a staple in even the smallest of rural communities.  Yep, we had a Dollar General dinner packed with 24 grams of protein. 

Did you save room for dessert tonight??  ABSOLUTELY!