GAP / C&O Adventure Day 8: Fort Fredrick to Shepherdstown

We woke up to no rain, had a quick breakfast and packed up our gear...the rain started almost immediately.

We had put on our rain jackets, but it didn't seem like it was that bad, so did not put on rain pants. That was a big mistake.

Lockhouse and dam

Two hours later, we found ourselves in Williamsport, Maryland — very wet and pretty cold. So we grabbed some snacks from a nearby Sheetz convenience store and made our way to the local park where are we took over one of the picnic shelters. We pulled a Flash Dance and changed from our wet biking clothes into our dry street clothes, hung out all of our wet items, made ourselves some hot drinks, and waited for the rain to stop.

In the meantime we realized that we were situated right behind the public library, so took advantage of their Wi-Fi and restrooms. You can always count on public libraries to meet your basic needs. They are wonderful places.

Fun in Williamsport

We eventually came upon the part of the towpath known as the "Big Slackwater." The path has been reconstructed and there was a bit of smooth pavement riding for a bit as well as some wonderful views along the river.

By this time, we had decided that we would not be camping that night, as all of the little campgrounds were pretty wet. This meant that we had to ride quite a bit farther than we had planned. But as we rode up to the hotel in Shepherdstown, it all made it worthwhile! Hot showers, a load of laundry and camp dinner in our room. Ahhhhh.

Lodging: Clarion

Total mileage for the day: 44.6 miles



Tip: The Clarion was about a mile and a half off the trail, but fairly easy to get to, and had a washer/dryer.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 7: Devil's Alley to Ft Frederick

There are so many good things about today's ride. Let's start with the fact that the paved Western Maryland rail trail runs parallel to the C&O for 25 miles and there are geocaches along the way! Plus, we can now say that we have ridden the Wester Marilyn Rail Trail!

We stopped in Hancock at the bicycle shop pick up a spare tube and ice cream for T. We were really impressed with the prices, I am sure there are bicycle shops that take advantage. After making a run to the Save-A-Lot for more Gatorade and some fresh fruit, we headed for
Ft Frederick.

We arrived around 1:30 and found interpreters in costume at the old fort. The place is absolutely stunning, both from the perspective of the natural surroundings as well as the historical story of those being told. We spent a couple hours looking around talking with the interpreters, and just taking interview before making our way to the visitor center to get our campground pass for the evening. Fort Frederick was definitely a highlight. Note that the costumed interpreters are generally there on the weekends; you might call ahead to see what's happening when you are passing through.

Fort Fredrick barracks.

Road from the trail up to the fort.

The best part of the night though, was after we had pitched our tent and eaten dinner. Up near the fort, was an outdoor shower that was available for people to rinse off after being in the Big Pool (canal pond). The signs clearly indicated one must wear a bathing suit while rinsing off. We were thrilled to be there in our "bathing suits" washing our hair and scrubbing off all of the salt, sweat, grease, dirt, bugs, etc from our bodies. Glorious!

Rinse off stations. 

Camping permit hangtag for my bike.

Campground: Ft Fredrick State Park; $22.25

Wildlife: lots of deer!

Total mileage for the day: 36.6



Tip: The outdoor shower...and the water is warm!

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 6: Cumberland to Devil's Alley Hiker Biker Camp (MP 144)

Woke up this morning to some great tasting coffee and homemade bread at our Airbnb. T went out to get our bikes from the garage and found that I had a flat tire. So we changed the tire, got some groceries, had to detour around a train that was stopped on the tracks in order to get back to the trail. By the time we finally got going it was after 11:00am.

It was a hot ride today, somewhere in the high 80s. Fortunately the trees provided a nice amount of shade as we rode the trail. Cyclists on the GAP had warned us about how bumpy the trail would be. However, having ridden the Weiser River trail in Idaho, we thought the C&O was pretty decent.

The canal and locks are very interesting. We stopped to look at various structures along the way. At one point after saying hello to a couple of other cyclists, T noticed that she had a flat tire. No worries, I had just learned how to change a flat that very morning! In about 5 minutes we were ready to go.

Turtle watching.

The Paw Paw Tunnel was a little disconcerting. In this tunnel, the canal was still intact and you were on the path up above the water. Personally, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Paw Paw Tunnel

Bring your light!

We got to where we thought we would camp, only to find a couple was already there and the water pump was not working. They didn't seem too friendly so we continued on to the Devil's Alley at Milepost 144. There was already somebody camping there, but there was room for us.

It was almost six o'clock and it was VERY hot and muggy. We cleaned up in the Potomac River and filtered some drinking water (the water pump was treated with iodine, and that was all you could smell, so we opted for river water), and made our dinner.

It was a long hot night.

View from our campsite the next morning.

Campground: Devil's Alley Hiker/Biker Camp at Milepost 144 (free)

Total mileage for the day: 44.5

Terrain / Trail Conditions: lightly graveled with some roots and rocks.



Tip: A lot of the camps along the trail were pretty deep in the trees. But this camp was a little more open and had a nice view of the river.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 5: Meyersdale to Cumberland

We went through the Big Savage tunnel today, it even had lights! 

The ride up to the Eastern Continental divide was a gradual slope. Once we arrived we celebrated with all of the rest of the bicyclist who were there, took lots of photos, and enjoyed the murals. From there it was all downhill to Cumberland!

Eastern Continental Divide

One of the most interesting historic sites along the way was when we got to cross the Mason Dixon line at the Pennsylvania/Maryland border.

Mason-Dixon. Take the time to read the historical info.

Where am I?

We stopped in Frostburg, and took the short bicycle trail up to get lunch with the ladies from Kentucky. The switchback trail was a pretty easy ride and had some amazing artwork to look at along the way. Our little lunch stand was across from the train that people take between Cumberland and Frostburg for sightseeing or to get their bicycle up to the top of the hill so they can ride back down to Cumberland.

We rolled into Cumberland around 4:00, checked out sites downtown, said goodbye to our new friends, and headed for our Airbnb (our hosts were great and their place was immaculate). Only downside is that it was up such a steep hill that we actually had to walk our bikes part of the way. Enjoyed an amazing shower, did some laundry, and then walked into town for dinner at The Manhattan Social.

All and all, it was a great day.

Total mileage for the day: 34.4



Tip: I'm sure a lot of people look at the elevation maps and are a little concerned about writing their bicycle to the eastern continental divide. The segment from Meyersdale to the divide was a nice ride and less steep than what we had already ridden.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 4: Confluence to Meyersdale

It was a beautiful fall day and one of the things that was a little bit different was that we went through a bit of farmland. We also went over the Salisbury Viaduct which is 1,908' long and 101' high and goes right over the Mason-Dixon highway. This was probably the single most amazing sight on the GAP.

Farm with a friendly farmer.

Salisbury Viaduct

We pulled into the campground around 3:00 or 3:30 and called the phone number that was listed. A really nice lady named Susie is in charge of collecting fees. She has thought of everything! There are boxes of games, a bucket of rags to clean your bike, clothesline with clothespins, and even a can opener! And, would you believe, Wi-Fi? Yes, this place has at all.

One of the things that we have come to realize along the trail is that the most popular store we have found is the Dollar General. No fresh fruits or vegetables, but generally there is milk, Gatorade, lots of junk food, and a variety of canned vegetables. We grabbed a can of tomato, corn and okra to toss in with our freeze dried chicken and chickpea pasta and made our way back to camp.

We were fortunate to be able to squeeze our small tent up on the stage next to a giant tent that had four other people staying in it. We also met two really nice ladies from Kentucky who were riding the trail. We exchanged stories and the next day ended up leapfrogging with them.

Can you see our tiny tent in the far left corner?

Get there early if you want the stage!

New friends from Kentucky

Campground: Maple Festival Park, $15

Total mileage for the day: 33.9



Tip: Get there a little early, so that you can camp up on the stage. There are showers and flush toilets, but they are a number of steps away from the camping area. If you do camp on the grass, you might want to look up and identify where the street lights are located.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 3: Connellsville to Confluence

Had a pretty good night in the Adirondack hut in Connellsville, but there certainly were a number of trains to be heard! After we left camp, we went up to the Connellsville Canteen which also serves as a museum. There was a fantastic diorama of the railroad yards and the area. At one point there were 48 engines that rotated on a circular platform so that the trans could go in and out efficiently. thank goodness that there are no longer that many trains in the area!

Connellsville — The Adirondack huts are off to the right of the arch.

Easy riding.

A gorgeous September day.

Today's big stop was Ohiopyle State Park visitor center. Of course as we were looking at the scenery, I hit a tiny little concrete sidewalk at one mile per hour and down I went. Fortunately I had my helmet on....one very sore knee and some short lived dizziness, blurred vision, and hearing loss...I was concerned that the trip was over. Some fluids, rest, and Advil, and we finished looking around town while our laundry was drying.

We camped in Confluence at the Yough Dam Outflow Campground. After an extremely hot day, the showers were amazing, and the sound of the water being released from the dam made for a pleasant evening. The train was pretty far away, so we really didn't hear that at all.

Our campsite looking over to the biker camping area.

Campground views

We also met a guy named Tim from Pittsburgh who is riding the trail. He was super nice and the next morning we ended up having breakfast with him at Mitch's Fuel and Food. The ladies in the cafe were awesome — they even had gluten free bread!

Total mileage for the day: 31.2 miles

Historic Sites: Connellsville Canteen, which served hundreds of thousands of service men during World War II.

Terrain / Trail Conditions: Excellent.

Campground: Yough Dam Outflow Campground. There is a bicycle section in the campground, which runs $8 per person. We ended up getting a regular tent site because we did not want to camp on the grass (trying to minimize condensation).



Tip: Definitely stay at the Outflow Campground. The price is right in the amenities are excellent.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 2: Dravo to Connellsville

Perfect weather and a perfect ride! Met Ron, an older gentleman who had camped in the next shelter over...I suspect lives on the trail during the summer. He gave us the heads up about places to stay and so we headed for the trailside Adirondack huts in Collinsville, formally known as "Stewart's Crossing Campground & Adirondack Shelters."

This must be a regional thing — live bait in a vending machine.

The trail was exceptionally smooth and we had a wonderful 35.5 mile ride. One of the highlights was the little patio area with a couple of refrigerators right along the trail! There was an assortment of cold drinks, fruit, ice cream, and even a few boiled eggs. So T grabbed a hard boiled egg for 25 cents and off we went.

Beautiful fall day with great trail conditions.

Hard boiled eggs for 25 cents!

Just past the egg stop, we noticed what appeared to be artwork in the old coal mine ruins along the trail and a few hundred feet beyond we found Sager Mosaics. We stopped in the studio and spoke with the artist. If you call ahead, you can schedule a tour of the Ruins Project.

Other than old coal mine ruins and a few houses along the way, most of what we saw was the Youghiogheny River. We rode upriver and will continue to do so until we reach the Eastern Continental Divide somewhere near Frostburg, Maryland.

Total mileage for the day: 35.6 miles

Campground: Stewart's Crossing Campground & Adirondack Shelters (free)



Tip: The Adirondacks are right behind Martin's grocery store! They have a fantastic chicken salad sandwich on a croissant and really nice bathrooms.

GAP / C&O Adventure: Day 1: Point Park to Dravo

We got onto the trail around 9:45am and were surprised by the number of people on the trail on a Monday morning. I'd estimate that we saw at least 30-40 people.

Point Park in Downtown Pittsburgh — Ready to Roll!

One of the first things we saw was the updated mileage sign near the Hot Metal Bridge, which said 350miles to Washington, D.C.

Points of interest today included the Dravo Cemetery/camping area and the cute little visitor center in Boston. Believe it or not, we are the first to register at the Boston visitor center from Oregon this year!

Boston visitor center with the friendly host, Ron(?)

With a start time much earlier than expected and we were a little concerned that we would arrive at Dravo (our first overnight destination) much too early to stop. Pulling in around 2pm, we weighed our options: stay here at this amazing campsite, set up camp in one of the two Adirondack huts (the other one was occupied), clean up and have an early dinner OR ride another ten miles or so, risk not having a shelter, and get stuck riding in the rain. We opted to stay. And glad we did, as around 5:30, there was a torrential downpour...and we were dry and happy!

Dravo Adirondack; notice the chairs around the fire pit.

Bike rack as wood transport.

Total mileage for the day: 28 miles.

Terrain / Trail Conditions: A good 17 miles out of Pittsburgh was paved...although I have to say that I prefer the crushed limestone...potholes and cracked pavement in Pittsburgh was something else!

Campground: Dravo (free)

Wildlife: Squirrels, a fawn, ground hog, cardinals.

Tip: Stay at Dravo. According to the guy camped with us (who rides up and down the trail all the time), this is the best campground the entire way.

Transportation: To & From the Katy Trail

After reading all of the various posts on how to travel to and from the Katy Trail, we were scratching our heads on how we would make this happen. Turns out, it was pretty easy. Especially with our folding Dahon bicycles.

Combining our bike trip with a visit to family in the Chicago area, we decided that we didn't have to count the cost of the train trip from Oregon to Chicago in our trip budget. That said, we tried to minimize all other costs.

Here's what we did:

1. Amtrak's Illinois Service: Summit, Illinois to St. Louis, Missouri. We carried on our gear and folding bikes. Total: $38

One hour layover in St. Louis

We wanted to ride the entire trail from Clinton to Machens and the best option we found was to get off the train in Warrensburg.

2. Amtrak's Missouri River Runner:  St. Louis to Warrensburg, Missouri. Arrived a bit late (8:45pm or so), hopped on our bikes and rode to our hotel in the dark). Total: $44

From Warrensburg, you can either catch the Greyhound (college towns always have bus service) to Clinton or pick up a rental car.

3. Enterprise Car Rental: Believe it or not, the car rental was cheaper than the Greyhound was for the two of us. For whatever reason, we were not charged a one-way drop fee. Total: $34.64 plus $5 gas (which was more gas than we needed to put in the car).

4. I-70 Commuter Service St Charles to Hanley Metro Station: Our bikes, and our gear were quickly transported from St. Charles to the Hanley Metro Station. This service runs four times/morning. Total: $1

5. Hanley Metro Station to St Louis: Bikes are allowed on the train, you just have to hold on to them! Total: $5

We toured around on our bikes, spending the day taking in the sites in downtown St Louis: Gateway Arch National Park (including the Museum of Westward Expansion, tram ride to the top, and riverboat cruise) and the City Museum.

6. Enterprise Car Rental: Using the discount code from the insurance company (which removed the one way drop fee), we were able to rent a car in downtown St. Louis, drive it up historic Route 66, and drop it in Roselle, IL (back to visiting the family!). They upgraded us to a Ford Edge, which worked out great because we were able to sleep in the back on our sleeping pads at the campground on our way back (it rained and we just decided to scrap putting up the tent!). Total: $65.90 plus $45.11 gas (for the two day car rental).

Total transportation costs from Chicago area to the Katy Trail and back: $238.65

Katy Trail Day 7: Augusta to Machens (and back to St Charles)

This final morning, we woke up and found that there was no water at the campground! The pipe had burst and they were digging up the road to repair it. So we packed up and headed for the upper park to find water above the break.

Another Night, Another Shelter

Klondike State Park, Missouri

Found the Water: Scrambled Eggs, Ham & Potatoes and Battocletti's Pastry

Once again, we found that there was no water along the trail. From Augusta to St Charles, the only place with services was Defiance, if you ride through during business hours. We were glad that we were prepared and that the temp was about 30 degrees cooler than the day before.

Trail Crossing

The rain started somewhere around Weldon Springs and continued through to St Charles. We arrived very, very wet (glad we had our rain gear) and pulled off the trail to see if our room was ready at the St Charles Country Inn & Suites by Radisson. We chose this hotel specifically because it was right on the trail as you entered St Charles and we were happy we did. Arriving around noon, they were able to accommodate us with an early check-in, as we wanted to drop off our gear before heading out to Machens. He gave us a room on the second floor - right next to the elevator...generally this would be cause for concern, but being a newer hotel, we couldn't hear a thing. The best part was that the stairs were across from us and the laundry room was right next door. Full service!

We knew that we wanted to check out the historic sites before heading to Machens because everything would be closed after we returned. After dropping our gear, drying off, a cookie and coffee, we headed over to see the Lewis & Clark Boat House, which housed a small, but interesting museum and a replica of the boat the explorers used to travel up the Missouri to Mandan, ND. This stop kind of brought us full circle, as we had followed the trail on much of our ride. Next was a trip to the first state capitol and a quick stop at the gift shop, where we found really cool bike Jerseys...thanks Joan and John!

Is that a bike trail I see?

Feeling refortified, we headed out on the trail sometime after 2pm. We rode out of St Charles and made a quick stop at Jean Baptist Point DuSable Park, which was just two miles from our hotel. The next 11 miles were brutal due to the depth of the loose sandy limestone on the trail and the headwinds. We fishtailed and came to dead stops in the sand so many times, I lost count. We rode in silence, just trying to make forward progress. As it turned out (we learned the next day), we were both too busy muttering a string of expletives as we rode. At no time did either of us ever consider turning around; we both knew that we wanted to finish the entire trail. This is why we are perfectly suited adventurers.

St Charles to Machens: Truck and Bike Tracks in the Sandy Limestone

We did come to a very hardpacked an unmaintained portion of the trail...we were very thankful, although it was what I would say was the creepiest part of the trail. We road fast and hard through here, happy to make forward progress.

The closer and closer we got to Machens, the more we both worried about riding back. In my mind, I already knew we would be jumping back and forth between farm roads and the trail. At the Black Walnut trailhead we talked to one of the park maintenance guys. Turns out they dumped new limestone on the trail several weeks back. Lucky us.

Here we are...riding in to the Machens trailhead!

We Made It!

Looking Back at the Trailhead from the Final and Easternmost Gate

Cyclist TIP: From Augusta to St Charles, the only place with services was Defiance, if you ride through during business hours.

Cyclist TIP: Country Inn & Suites in St Charles - great location, great service. Bikes allowed in the room!

Katy Trail Day 6: Hermann to Augusta

What a day! Much to our surprise when we walked over to the bathroom to retrieve our clothes that we had left hanging to dry the previous evening, we found our bicycle clothes, but both of our bras were gone! The only thing we could figure was that the little old (homeless?) lady who was camped nearby must have needed them way more than we did.

Good Morning!

Had a great morning exploring the town of Hermann: bakery delights, visitor center, a historic tour, wine tasting, and lunch. The lady at the visitor center was in her mid 70s and very nice. We told her our bra story and she just said "what a great reason to go braless." We assured her that we had spares and I commented that I thought Missourians were a bit more proper. She laughed and said, "There's a reason they call it the "Show Me" state!"

Battocletti Bake Shoppe

The tour was of two of the original homes built by the Germans. One of the homes was lived in until 1968 by a woman who lived to be 98 years old. She knew that she wanted to donate the home to the historical society, and would not have any upgrades. She lived in it the same way her entire life and when she passed away the house perfectly reflected how one would have lived in it during the 1800s, complete with the original furnishings. In the basement was a printing press where there had been a newspaper printed and shipped to various cities and even Germany. They also included chapters from the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in their paper; the Germans living in this area were adamantly opposed to slavery. Had anyone found out they were doing this, they would have been arrested. The house was also adjacent to one of the original wineries in town. This particular winery won the top wine award in the 1890s in Europe. Norton grapes.

We finally left around 2pm and started our 40 mile ride east to Augusta. Today was extremely hot and windy, and in the direct sun the air was so thick it felt like you could chew it. The wind just whirled around and around, sometimes ahead wind and sometimes that tail wind. 

Standing Rock

Wildlife

We had become accustomed to finding water at almost all of the trailheads, but this was not the case today. We found a vending machine in front of a little tiny Katy Trail store in Peers, Missouri and bought cold drinks. We were very thankful for the vending machine.

Peers, MO

We exited off the trail at about 6:30pm and pushed our bikes up a steep incline to the Klondike State Park only to find about 46 sixth graders staying in the cabins for science camp. They were all very nice kids, but we had at least a dozen of them in front of us in the shower line...and there were only two showers. With no adult chaperone in the bathroom, I just tried to do what I'd imagine my friend Elly (a 6th grade teacher) would do to move them along. We got a system worked out so that the kids would shower and go get changed in the bathroom stalls around the corner. The last few girls in line were quite appreciative and policed this process pretty well. I think they thought they were never going to get their turn.

After looking at all the campsites and with the chance of rain showers this evening we decided that we would go for our "shelter camping" strategy. So we found a great big shelter, pushed a couple of tables aside, set up our tent, had dinner, said goodnight and went to sleep with a gentle breeze (80 degrees at 11pm) and the roar of the coal burning power plant in the background.

Cyclist TIP: You will be exposed during this part of the ride, and most of the places catering to bikes close up by 4 (if they are even open on the weekdays). So, make sure to take advantage of the water at the Hermann Visitor Center and Marthasville. There is no water at Treolar. Peers had a vending machine, but that could be sold out.