POINT STATE PARK FOUNTAIN

PITTSBURG P.A.

This was May 9 2023 at 12:40 P.M.  We were just starting out on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail, bikes fully loaded for 4 days of riding, 150 miles.  We postponed our trip one week because it was supposed to rain everyday the week before and we were rewarded with beautiful weather the whole week.  You can see my Pedego e-bike in the foreground.  

It was definitely tricky weaving our way through Pittsburg on the bike trail with all the construction detours but eventually we found the trail.  Pittsburg is a beautiful city.  This is a photo taken from the middle of the Hot Metal Bridge which connected the blast furnaces on one side of the bridge to the open hearth furnaces on the other side and carried crucibles of molten iron for the conversion to steel.  In WWII that bridge carried 15% of the total US steel making capacity.  Pretty impressive!

  Sorry, I didn't take a picture of the bridge.  I was so relieved having left Pittsburg following all those detours that I didn't think of it.  Also Dennis never tells me what's important until we've passed it.  

The next interesting image is a picture of the Red Waterfall.  The color is due to acid in the iron from all the mining which polluted the area water.  Pretty but deadly.

 

The next 2 images were really neat, called appropriately "mailbox formation".  Looks like erosion due to water run off probably from all the mining in the region.

 

 

We spent our first night at the "Bright Morning" B&B in West Newton.  Turned out to be a nice little place  with a shower down the hall for all three rooms.  A surprisingly good breakfast with maybe 12 other bikers from the two adjacent B&Bs.  Lots to talk about.  We rode 40+ miles that first day with all the detours.  But just a great day.

This is Dennis looking good on the trail to Ohiopyle.  Ohiopyle was a very scenic place.  It had some beautiful rapids to raft and lots of great hiking in the Ferncliff peninsula.  I'd like to go back sometime and spend time hiking but accommodations are scarce and places to eat almost nonexistent before Memorial Day.  One eatery had an egg sandwich that was a donut with sausage, egg and cheese.

We rode through Confluence where the Youghiogheny River meets the Castleman River.  Such a beautiful area but again food was hard to find near the trail.  We continued on to Rockwood; rode down what looked like a main street but no food.  I asked a woman coming out of her house where to eat.  She said to try the gas station on the corner.  I'm not kidding.  We did and bought a couple of salad containers which we ate at a picnic table in the parking lot. It was a very popular place.  On to Meyersdale.

  This was day 4 and what a delightful B & B.  Great front porch, lots of other bikers to talk to, wine and snacks included.  We had a wonderful dinner at the White House, apparently the best restaurant in town.  We highly recommend it.  The only negative about the place was the train passing very closely by several times during the night.  It sounded like it was coming right through the wall.  Great breakfast the next morning.  

Our last day's ride was down hill for the last 10 miles and we made it back to Cumberland in record time.  Another couple whom we got to know on regular bikes came in a little after we did and joined us for lunch at The Crabby Pig.  It was nice to rehash the trail with them.  We exchanged e-mails but probably won't see them again.

And so ends our first sort of long distance unsupported ride.  It was great fun!!!!  We actually hope to do it again but in the other direction.