5:30 Am - Up and broke camp. Slept along the side of a funeral parlor. Started to drizzle around 2:30 AM so I had to scurry to get the rain fly on. Was a crystal clear night when I went to sleep. Drizzle lasted about 5 minutes and clear skies when I woke up.
Breakfast at a place called Shirley’s. Nice folks to chat with. Shirley had me sign her guest book. Big breakfast for a big ride today over the Allegheny Front. 3000 ft. mountain, 5 miles up, I hear. By the way, I had a fairly restless sleep last night thinking about a strategy to get over this Allegheny Front. It is now 8:45 AM and I’ve gone 16 miles on Shirley’s breakfast. Incredibly pleasant ride so far. Cool, Saturday morning - early so hardly any traffic and the shoulder of the road is narrow, but smooth for the most part.
Allegheny Front: 20 minutes of steady switchbacks up to go 2 miles of 5. My ears were popping from the altitude change. Sweat is pouring out of my body even though it is still cool. 10 minute rest and on I go. OK, this is unreal. I decide I’m gonna need a little “Nancy” to get me through the next 3 miles to the top. So I turn on the radio and the first song I hear is John Denver’s “Country Road” or is Roads? Anyway, you know West Virginia, Mountain Mama, etc. Maybe the station was just signing on and that’s the states “anthem”. I haven’t turned on “Nancy” since a little before Gettysburg, so this is just an amazing coincidence.
10:28 - 4.2 miles up. Stop #2. The chinstrap for my helmet needs to be wrung out from the sweat. Whew. This is tough but I’m gonna make it. Hope there’s 5 miles of downhill on the other side. :) There’s a scenic overlook in less than a mile. Scenery details then. Made it to the top. Land spreadin’ out so far and wide - Faaaaarm livin’ is the life for me - sweeping view of mountains. At least 5 ridges in the distance with sprawling farms below.
Stopped at first restaurant I found and ordered 2 giant bowls of cereal and a big glass of milk. The bowls were gigantic and the guy gave me a big pitcher of milk. Cost $2.65. Let’s see... a quart of milk and 1/2 a box of Raisin Bran... how did he make any money off that? Anyway, the owner was very nice and helpful with information about the kinds of hills I’m gonna be experiencing in the next few days. Lots of good advice, especially one spot where trucks struggle with a hair-pin turn and have to use the better part of the oncoming lane to make it around the curve.
Stopped about an hour later after a long climb, at a roadhouse and got a ginger ale to wash down the rest of Shirley’s breakfast that I put in my little Tupperware snack container. I forgot to mention that I am convinced that Shirley’s breakfast got me over Allegheny Front. Thanks Shirley!
Back to the roadhouse. The bartender and one local were very helpful with information on hills and mountains to come over the next few days. Everybody seems to be helpful that way. As I ask the questions about hills, I like to watch their eyes as they mentally drive the route and replay all the ups and downs to try and provide me with a look at what's in store for me.
My last challenge of the day - Backbone Mountain. Maybe 2.5 miles uphill. I get to the top and there is a sign: “This is Backbone Mountain - Elevation 3095 ft. Another marker says it is the highest point on the Maryland Road System.” US 50 crosses back into Maryland from West Virginia for about 10 miles and then back into West Virginia again.
I reach Peg and the Garritys in Pittsburgh by cell phone and tell them I found a motel. It’s the Maryland Motel right behind the sign for Backbone Mountain. They should be here in 3 hours. I still have about 10 more miles to ride west for the day so we arranged to meet at a point west, Cathedral State Park. I’ll throw the bike in the CRV and back track to the motel and tomorrow morning get deposited back where I left off today. Keep this goin across “honest”.
It’s now 3:00 - 46.3 miles so far. Off to Cathedral State Park. Arrived there at 4:30. Made one more stop for snacks and called Jessica at home.
Totals for day: 54.03 miles - 5 hours 28 min. riding time - 379.3 total miles.
Waiting at Cathedral State Park for Peg and the Garritys. Site of the 500+ year old hemlock tree. Growing during the time of Christopher Columbus. 121 ft. tall, 21 ft. circumference. Reminded me of Sequoias.