Week-7

Rick's Ride

Words and Photos

Week 7
	Last Week	Index

(Click Thumbnails for Full-size Photos)

Day 43 7/27 Mon
Canfield, OH to Washington, Pennsylvania

What a pretty ride! When I woke up the Polo ground was shrouded in fog. The fog remained even as I left and only slowly burned off. Almost 10 miles from camp I cam through a dense patch of fog - so dense that it completely coated my glasses and I forced to stop and clean them off. We finally seemed to leave corn country. Again we are back among Amish farms and these are quite small. Part of the reason is the hilly land. The area around the Ohio River is heavily wooded and there are very few clearings. Even though we faced challenging hills, it was nice to see the woods again.

We entered into our 11th state - Pennsylvania. However, I failed to see the state line (I think I was coming down a hill too fast). There was supposed to be a group welcoming us to the state line, but I think I got there too early. Today I was really making very good time. The scenic nature of the route continued as we went into Washington, PA. Washington was an interesting little town, I spent some time sightseeing, and of course I had to track down a root beer float. It had gotten very hot by the time I rolled in.

Day 44 7/28 Tue
Washington, PA to Confluence, PA

I cheated today. The route map looked very complicated and unnecessarily long. Consequently, I decided to take the direct route today on US 40 (I also wanted to follow the old National Pike road). I can see why they didn't route us that way. The traffic was very heavy and the shoulders were narrow. It was fine for a lone cyclist, but it would have been problematic for all of us. Although the route was direct, this did not mean that I missed any hills. The hills were steep, usually short, but relentless. Coming outside of Uniontown I had to ascend Summit Moutain. Whew - this was the longest hill I've been on during the course of the trip. I thought that once I made it to the other side I would have had a long downhill. I was wrong. All there was on the other side were more steep hills with short downhills. When I hit the spur road to Confluence I thought things were going to get better. I figured that I would be following the valley to Confluence. Unfortunately my sense of geography was wrong and I now faced even more severe hills. At least the scenery was pretty. Just before hitting the town I found myself facing a road that seemed to go straight up. In the winter I'm certain it is used as a ski jump. For the first time on this trip I had to walk the bike. I only made it half way up. Thank goodness it was very short. The ride down the mountain into Confluence was magnificent. The town sits in the middle of two rivers and is surrounded by rivers. It looks very lovely and quiet.

It is just as well that I took my short cut. Apparently I saved about 20 miles on the remainder of the pack. While they were told the mileage was about 86, in truth it turned out to be about 97. There sure were a lot of tired, grumpy people. I was only tired.

Day 45 7/29 Wed
Confluence, PA

Today was a rest day. It was very welcome after the previous day. The sign in camp said it all: "Things to do in Confluence. There is nothing to do in Confluence." Technically the sign was right. Confluence is certainly the smallest town that we stayed in on a day off. It boasts "Bar Row" and this means three bars. The primary recreation in Confluence is rafting, kayacking and bicycle riding. I had already done the latter and had little interest in the other two. Even so, the town is nestled in the hills at the confluence of two un-pronoucable rivers. I managed to find a wonderful picnic table at the point made by these rivers. I spent the afternoon eating a picnic lunch - bread, cheese, fruit, wine, etc. I had a great day off. I did nothing except enjoy the scenery and the scenery was well worth it.

Day 45

Day 46 7/30 Thu
Confluence, PA to Flintstone, Maryland

Today was a great day. I got off to a late start. The morning was a bit fogged in and it threatened rain all day. However, that meant it was cool and the cloud cover kept the sun off of us. The ride started off with some steep hills. It felt like all we did was climb most of the day. Even so, we had a gorgeous route. After about 10 miles we hopped onto a rails-to-trails bike route. This took us through the woods for almost 15 miles. While a steady climb, the river below us and the hills around us, made it seem like we were floating through the woods. At one point along this woodland route we came through an area that appeared devastated by a tornado. Trees were toppled and broken in half. Quite a swath had been cut. As we passed through the town of Salisbury - later in the day - we were told that a tornado, possibly from the same storm, had struck the town back in May. Cleanup and rebuilding were still under way.

In the afternoon we started a long descent - the longest of the ride. We came down through the Cumberland Gap, almost 15 miles of downhill. It was welcome relief from all of the hills of the past several days. However, it also means that we will have plenty of uphill tomorrow. The town of Cumberland looked very interesting. It had quite a few buildings that have been in place for some time. The style of the buildings is very mixed. I wish I had spent some time there. I pushed on for Flintstone. I must have missed the town. We are at a large state camp ground, and there is no town in sight. Oh well, we're told to rest up for tomorrow.

Time to go eat.

Day 46

Day 47 7/31 Fri
One more day to go! All day long people have been very anxious.

Day 47

Day 48 8/1 Sat
The last day. It was a very short day -- one of our shortest rides so far. The first 30 miles felt like a training ride. We were going through an area of Maryland that I know well and have ridden before. All we faced were mild rolling hills, with lots of farmland.

We were rousted from camp early today. In order for all of the support vehicles to make it into DC in time everyone had to be packed and out of camp by 8am. Most were so excited, this wasn't a problem. As if to help, the guy driving "Taxi #5" -- a Hummvee -- drove through the campsite playing "Flight of the Valykries" at full volume.

The object of the ride today was to get to Pit 3 before 2:30. There we would be held until closing ceremonies. I knew I would be in early, so I made arrangements with the remainder of the NSF crew to meet me in Georgetown on the banks of the Potomac. We'd have drinks and lunch and lounge around until time for the ceremonies.

I knew I was done when I crossed the Beltway. I was back in Washington where I had started long ago. I was also very early -- but that problem was solved by stopping at the first coffee house that I saw. As well, it was a welcome relief from the urban traffic. When I made it to downtown, I dragged two other bikers with me to thw White House. There I was able to get a picture of me and my bike in front of the White House. On to the Sequoia in Georgetown! I was warmly welcomed by quite the group from NSF! We spent a lot of time talking, drinking and eating. I wasn't late for the ceremonies, but I wasn't early either.

The ceremonies involved a lot of standing around waiting. However, once they let us ride, we came from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument and down across the grass. The weather couldn't have been better -- cool, dry and plenty of sun. The most poignant moment was when the crew was asked to come down the center path, where they were surrounded by cheering bicyclists. The backdrop, too, was very stirring. I was able to get someone to snap a picture of me with the Washington Monument in the background.

The ride was a magnificent experience. I have many, many memories and tons of stories. Right now, both me and my bike need some rest. We'll do it again someday.

Final Day!

Day 43 7/27 Mon	*Canfield, OH to Washington, Pennsylvania* What a pretty ride! When I woke up the Polo ground was shrouded in fog. The fog remained even as I left and only slowly burned off. Almost 10 miles from camp I cam through a dense patch of fog - so dense that it completely coated my glasses and I forced to stop and clean them off. We finally seemed to leave corn country. Again we are back among Amish farms and these are quite small. Part of the reason is the hilly land. The area around the Ohio River is heavily wooded and there are very few clearings. Even though we faced challenging hills, it was nice to see the woods again. We entered into our 11th state - Pennsylvania. However, I failed to see the state line (I think I was coming down a hill too fast). There was supposed to be a group welcoming us to the state line, but I think I got there too early. Today I was really making very good time. The scenic nature of the route continued as we went into Washington, PA. Washington was an interesting little town, I spent some time sightseeing, and of course I had to track down a root beer float. It had gotten very hot by the time I rolled in.

Day 44 7/28 Tue	*Washington, PA to Confluence, PA* I cheated today. The route map looked very complicated and unnecessarily long. Consequently, I decided to take the direct route today on US 40 (I also wanted to follow the old National Pike road). I can see why they didn't route us that way. The traffic was very heavy and the shoulders were narrow. It was fine for a lone cyclist, but it would have been problematic for all of us. Although the route was direct, this did not mean that I missed any hills. The hills were steep, usually short, but relentless. Coming outside of Uniontown I had to ascend Summit Moutain. Whew - this was the longest hill I've been on during the course of the trip. I thought that once I made it to the other side I would have had a long downhill. I was wrong. All there was on the other side were more steep hills with short downhills. When I hit the spur road to Confluence I thought things were going to get better. I figured that I would be following the valley to Confluence. Unfortunately my sense of geography was wrong and I now faced even more severe hills. At least the scenery was pretty. Just before hitting the town I found myself facing a road that seemed to go straight up. In the winter I'm certain it is used as a ski jump. For the first time on this trip I had to walk the bike. I only made it half way up. Thank goodness it was very short. The ride down the mountain into Confluence was magnificent. The town sits in the middle of two rivers and is surrounded by rivers. It looks very lovely and quiet. It is just as well that I took my short cut. Apparently I saved about 20 miles on the remainder of the pack. While they were told the mileage was about 86, in truth it turned out to be about 97. There sure were a lot of tired, grumpy people. I was only tired.
Day 45 7/29 Wed	*Confluence, PA* Today was a rest day. It was very welcome after the previous day. The sign in camp said it all: "Things to do in Confluence. There is nothing to do in Confluence." Technically the sign was right. Confluence is certainly the smallest town that we stayed in on a day off. It boasts "Bar Row" and this means three bars. The primary recreation in Confluence is rafting, kayacking and bicycle riding. I had already done the latter and had little interest in the other two. Even so, the town is nestled in the hills at the confluence of two un-pronoucable rivers. I managed to find a wonderful picnic table at the point made by these rivers. I spent the afternoon eating a picnic lunch - bread, cheese, fruit, wine, etc. I had a great day off. I did nothing except enjoy the scenery and the scenery was well worth it.
Day 45
Day 46 7/30 Thu	*Confluence, PA to Flintstone, Maryland* Today was a great day. I got off to a late start. The morning was a bit fogged in and it threatened rain all day. However, that meant it was cool and the cloud cover kept the sun off of us. The ride started off with some steep hills. It felt like all we did was climb most of the day. Even so, we had a gorgeous route. After about 10 miles we hopped onto a rails-to-trails bike route. This took us through the woods for almost 15 miles. While a steady climb, the river below us and the hills around us, made it seem like we were floating through the woods. At one point along this woodland route we came through an area that appeared devastated by a tornado. Trees were toppled and broken in half. Quite a swath had been cut. As we passed through the town of Salisbury - later in the day - we were told that a tornado, possibly from the same storm, had struck the town back in May. Cleanup and rebuilding were still under way. In the afternoon we started a long descent - the longest of the ride. We came down through the Cumberland Gap, almost 15 miles of downhill. It was welcome relief from all of the hills of the past several days. However, it also means that we will have plenty of uphill tomorrow. The town of Cumberland looked very interesting. It had quite a few buildings that have been in place for some time. The style of the buildings is very mixed. I wish I had spent some time there. I pushed on for Flintstone. I must have missed the town. We are at a large state camp ground, and there is no town in sight. Oh well, we're told to rest up for tomorrow. Time to go eat.
Day 46
Day 47 7/31 Fri	One more day to go! All day long people have been very anxious.
Day 47
Day 48 8/1 Sat	The last day. It was a very short day -- one of our shortest rides so far. The first 30 miles felt like a training ride. We were going through an area of Maryland that I know well and have ridden before. All we faced were mild rolling hills, with lots of farmland. We were rousted from camp early today. In order for all of the support vehicles to make it into DC in time everyone had to be packed and out of camp by 8am. Most were so excited, this wasn't a problem. As if to help, the guy driving "Taxi #5" -- a Hummvee -- drove through the campsite playing "Flight of the Valykries" at full volume. The object of the ride today was to get to Pit 3 before 2:30. There we would be held until closing ceremonies. I knew I would be in early, so I made arrangements with the remainder of the NSF crew to meet me in Georgetown on the banks of the Potomac. We'd have drinks and lunch and lounge around until time for the ceremonies. I knew I was done when I crossed the Beltway. I was back in Washington where I had started long ago. I was also very early -- but that problem was solved by stopping at the first coffee house that I saw. As well, it was a welcome relief from the urban traffic. When I made it to downtown, I dragged two other bikers with me to thw White House. There I was able to get a picture of me and my bike in front of the White House. On to the Sequoia in Georgetown! I was warmly welcomed by quite the group from NSF! We spent a lot of time talking, drinking and eating. I wasn't late for the ceremonies, but I wasn't early either. The ceremonies involved a lot of standing around waiting. However, once they let us ride, we came from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument and down across the grass. The weather couldn't have been better -- cool, dry and plenty of sun. The most poignant moment was when the crew was asked to come down the center path, where they were surrounded by cheering bicyclists. The backdrop, too, was very stirring. I was able to get someone to snap a picture of me with the Washington Monument in the background. The ride was a magnificent experience. I have many, many memories and tons of stories. Right now, both me and my bike need some rest. We'll do it again someday.
Final Day!