GAPCO Day 1-Pittsburgh to connellsville

 The day didn’t start quite like we expected.  We got everything packed in on time. But we declined the gps suggestion to go around the tunnels…tunnel traffic is pretty standard, so how bad could it be, right?   What we didn’t realize was that the tunnels weren’t the problem-the construction on the other side was moving 2 lanes over into the lane merging on the highway.  But we made it to the Grant Street Parking garage, across from the Amtrak station without much difficulty.  I will have to post a breakdown of what I figured the financial commitment would be for this trip (including the parking garage and train home).  I do know it was half the cost of any supported trip I looked at.  

Mile

148.8

Only 333.3 more miles to go!

It is fun to check out the other riders who gather at the western terminus of the GAP.  Point State park is beautiful and it was shaping up to be an amazing day for a ride.  This part of the trail is kind of strange, as we have ridden it during our training.  We felt like we were just on another training ride.  Honestly, of the 60 miles (61.87 to be exact) we rode today, only 10 miles were completely new to us.  I think that does make a difference because picking out landmarks makes the miles tick by faster.  I tried not to have a bad attitude about all the thru-riders on e-bikes…I just decided that they only get credit for half the miles.  

The view of Pittsburgh from the Hot Metal bridge is stunning.  I don’t know how JB recognizes different bikers as they fly past, but just after we snapped this picture, JB yells, “Tom!”   I just thought he was mistakenly talking to strangers thinking they are long-lost friends….again.  To my surprise, a long-time friend-Tom Fanning-turned around and chatted with us for a bit.  It was another delay but well worth the time.  What is time anyway?  We had decided that this was going to be no-deadline trip other than to get in before the sun sets.  

Pittsburgh has a lot of history.  The trailguide book is an excellent source of information about things to watch for along the trail. We had picked a few things,  we had not notice before, to make sure we didn’t miss. One thing was the locks and dam of Braddock.  It is hard to see in the picture but it was pretty cool.  Several of the other things we saw had been posted in training pictures.   

Some of the other neat (non-historical or landmark) things we saw included several special-needs bikes.  Hand-bikes, low recumbents and front and back adult-seated trailers were great to see—making the trail available for people who would otherwise be unable to enjoy the beauty.  We spoke to a couple on a tandom with a belt drive (belt in place of a chain but it is much more complicated than that).  We laughed that JB and I had tried to ride a tandom once…bad idea.  They had ridden all over the United States over the last 30 years.  JB and I have had a late start at bikepacking but we hope this experience will lead to many more.  There were also a couple of deer, several woodchucks and some very bold bunnies along the way.  

Just after McKeesport, we came across a rock stacking area.  The last time we were there, there was really nothing stacked. Today, there was some cool stacking going on.  I added my piece before moving on.  I will say that climbing and decsending with 20 pounds (JB has 30 pounds) of equipment takes some adjustment.  The bike handles very differently around corners, when standing up to climb and stopping.  Of course, pulling that weight up the hills is rough. But the speed that extra weight creates on the downhill is so fun. Top speed of 22.6 mph with the help of full packs. 

Lunch in West Newton as planned but a little later in the day than we expected…almost put us in the West Newton  Cemetery haha.  We found we had not drank as much as we should over the first half.  Refilling at lunch, we made a point of drinking more on the second half.  I think I ate too heavy for lunch and ended up with mild lower intestinal issues.  Nothing a good port-a-John couldn’t fix.  

Sometimes, we just needed a leg and butt break.  My foot has been doing better than I expected.  I had some knee issues but I think we figured out that my seat had gotten lowered a little when I took a spill a few weeks back. A quick stop and adjustment helped.  It is always good to stop and smell the roses—or wriggle your toes. 

Connellsville was the goal for the day and we made it around 5:30 pm.  All very familiar territory as the trail goes right behind my old office.  

No, we are not camping!!  If I am going to ride a bike on a dusty, buggy trail all day, I want a nice shower and a comfy bed.  Maybe I’m spoiled, but this finished the day right.