Maryland's Great Allegheny Passage

     The Great Allegheny Passage is 150 miles, a bike trail, from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The first 15 miles of the bike trail out of Cumberland parallels the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which offers train excursions on weekends.

 I biked 18 miles from Cumberland to the Borden Tunnel; the trail surface was very good fine gravel. When I reached the Borden Tunnel, I was relieved because I was returning home. I had climbed 1,552 feet in third gear with gusty headwinds for about three hours. My battery was running low and I was hot and tired. I was really looking forward to a swim back at the YMCA in a 78-degree pool!

How gusty is it there? Gusty enough to put a few wind farms on top of these Western Maryland mountains. Here is the little town of Mount Savage sitting below a wind farm.

I took a break at Frostburg where I met Bryan and his pet rat Minuette. She's two and one-half years old and was saved from being on a menu for pet snakes.

     And when I saw a very pregnant rider pass me while eating my lunch, I figured she was due to have that baby tomorrow. Later, when they were stopped along the trail and I was passing them, I was concerned. Maybe her water broke? Maybe she was having contractions? But, no they assured me all was fine, and the baby wasn't due for another two weeks. It's their first baby! and they were practicing towing a baby carriage.

On the way back home, I turned off the electricity and coasted almost the entire 18 miles back to the campground. The scenery coming home looked much better!