Today's ride would be along the Great Allegheny Passage (or GAP), a former railroad bed that had been converted to a bike path. Before heading out of town on the GAP, I wanted to head back into downtown Pittsburgh to see more of the bridges and buildings, because the visit to the bikeshop yesterday cut that short. At 7:30am on a Saturday morning, traffic was light and riding through downtown Pittsburgh was relatively carefree. The traffic on the bridges was especially light. At times, I thought, the photographs seemed to capture what appeared to be an abandoned city. When riding out of town, another cyclist struck up a conversation with me. He gave some great input on what to expect along the GAP as I rode away from Pittsburgh. At first, the ride out of Pittsburgh was along a paved path but this eventually changed to a compact crushed limestone surface. In fact, this was likely the best crushed limestone surface that I've ever ridden on. Riding southeast away from Pittsburgh was a very gradual incline; so gradual that it was barely noticeable along this old railroad bed. On the other hand, the number of cyclists riding on the trail was noticeable. Part of me wondered how many were out and about for a weekend ride. Here and there, I passed by other cyclists that appeared to be touring given the amount of gear that they were carrying. Otherwise, the majority of all the other cyclists appeared to be people on a day trip. As I got closer to Connellsville, I found myself sharing the trail with more and more people on bicycles. Some of which were children, many of which were riding safely. Every now and then, I would see oncoming children that were zigzagging from left to right across the width of the path. This was usually followed by one or both parents attempting to correct them verbally. What else can you do in the moment if you're a parent on a bike, right? I always slowed considerably when oncoming riders were riding in a way that appeared unpredictable; especially younger kids, because they have a tendency to dart; I did, too, especially when I was younger! Before arriving in Ohiopyle, I was unable to arrange for accommodations for the evening. There was a state park, and tent sites were available on a first come first serve basis. From Connellsville, I rode to Ohiopyle hoping that I would find a campsite. A footpath from the GAP connected to the state park, and a sign indicated that it was only one quarter of a mile away. One quarter of a mile seemed like a breeze after riding 86 miles, although I found out it was anything but a breeze. It was a long walk up loose gravel on steep hill, and attempting to ride the bike up the hill was a poor choice as the gravel was too loose for the rear tire to get traction on. I tried in a few spots to pedal up the hill, but the tire usually skipped when I pedaled. Once I was at the top, I concluded that this was the most challenging part of today's ride! When I got to the campground, another cyclist was riding down the road in the opposite direction. I asked him if the office was in the direction that he had just come from, and he shared it was. He also added that according to an employee at the office, all of the campsites had been taken for the weekend. Despite this, this employee had directed him to an auxiliary campsite, and he said that I was welcome to camp at this site if I'd like. Given the scarcity of accommodations, without hesitation, I took him up on the offer. We introduced ourselves, and I learned that this gentleman's name was Jeff. He had also ridden from Pittsburgh today. In chatting about our trips, Jeff shared that he was cycling from Pittsburgh to Washington D.C. along the GAP and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (C&O). This trip was a bucket list item for him, and he had been looking forward to it for some time. At this point, it was going on 6:00pm, and we were both very hungry, so we rode into Ohiopyle in search of a place to eat. Ohiopyle is a very small town, much of which is there solely due to tourists and travelers. We found one of the few restaurants in town, and it was fairly busy. Fortunately, we were able to join a family that had two vacant spots at their table. This led to good conversation with these folks, and a good time had by all. After the family excused themselves, we met another group of four. Much like sharing a table with the family, we had a great time chatting with the group of four. Jeff and I both had a great time at dinner, but the sun had begun to set, and we had to trek back to camp. Once back, I was tremendously relieved that I wouldn't have to go up that steep hill again during this trip! Not long after getting back, I went to bed. Rain was forecasted for tomorrow afternoon at my destination, and I hoped to be there before it.
