Alas, we must sing our swan song, The Party’s Over. With much regret, we decided not to wait out the rain any longer. The forecast for the next week shows continuing storms and showers; the poor condition of the C&O trail makes it unusable to us. Tomorrow our friends will drive us to BWI Airport to rent an SUV; from there we’ll head to South Carolina to visit Bill’s cousin and wife, who had planned to join us when we reached Williamsburg. Our target to arrive back in Denver is next Wednesday, the 14th.

This journey began long ago as a dream, and even if we stopped short of our goal, in my opinion we accomplished a great thing. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped us along the way, from offering an encouraging word to a ride across a river. We hope our many new friends keep in contact and that we may meet again; you are always welcome to our home. And we are excited to return to Denver and reunite with our friends there!

This morning we toured Harpers Ferry, and learned that in addition to its role in the Civil War, it was a key provisioning town for Meriwether Lewis before he set out on his expedition. He and William Clark provided inspiration to our two-person Corps of Discovery, so it is fitting that we end here. Happy trails!

After the best breakfast buffet we’ve had yet (thank you Fairfield Inn) we loaded the van and took off for Shepherdstown. The rain rarely let up, instead varying between drizzling, pouring, and wind-blown sheets. We persevered and made it to Antietam We took the caravan tour, starting with an overview of the battlefield and campaign at the visitor center, then followed the ranger in our cars to 3 stops where he described in detail the events of the 12-hour battle, during which 23,000 men were killed or injured.

Now a rant and a request to spread the word about an unscrupulous businessman. We had made reservations at the Little Orleans Lodge, our first stay on the C&O trail. Due to the rain and flash flood warnings, I called in the morning to cancel. Today Bill reviewed our credit card transactions online and found we’d been charged $50 by this place. He called the owner who was uncooperative and would not reverse the charge. There is no mention of a cancellation fee on the web site or in the trail ” bible” where we found the ad. He never said a word about it either time I spoke with him, and told Bill, “I can’t tell her everything”. Please post warnings about this on any forum possible.

We are checked in for two nights at the elegant Bavarian Inn, Shepherdstown, WV.

The best laid plans….Rain in the forecast for the next 4 to 5 days sent me into a tizzy. We have heard very mixed reviews of the towpath, especially in wet weather. With no good paved alternatives if we got mired down in mud, we spent last night going through our options. The best was to call our dear friends John and Libby Strahorn to bail us out. We had planned to meet up with them on Wednesday for a 3-day reunion in the Antietam area as they live just a few hours northeast. Fortunately they were able to juggle schedules and come to Cumberland in “Gram’s Taxi”, a van usually used to do fun things with their grandkids. We spent the afternoon and evening catching up and dodging raindrops when we ventured out for meals and a driving tour of town. Always well prepared, the Strahorns served us nightcaps in their room before we hit the hay for a serene night of sleep.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) we plan to load our bikes and stuff in the van and we will head to Shepherdstown for two nights at the Bavarian Inn. Hopefully we can explore the Civil War battlefield and related sites and museums there and in Harpers Ferry without being too hampered by rain. Beyond that our plans are still up in the air.

Eastern Continental Divide, check. One hundred year-old, 3,300 foot long Big Savage Tunnel, check. Mason-Dixon line, check. State #9, check. Complete the Great Allegheny Passage, check. For such a short ride, the agenda was full. Usually the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad steam-powered train would have passed us on its daily run to Frostburg, but it was running late. After the Divide we actually coasted some of the way down, a sensation we hadn’t felt since day 46.

The ride ended by noon, giving us lots of time to clean up, research and reserve lodging for later this week, soak in the hot tub, and give the bikes a checkup. We had a taste of what’s in store culinarily at The Crabby Pig. We resisted a trayful of blue crabs but had two different crab soups with our ribs. To match the spicy food, James Brown is rockin’ us with I Feel Good.

Tomorrow begins our journey along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, which parallels the Potomac River. John Quincy Adams broke ground for it in 1828, it was completed in 1850, closed in 1924, and rescued in 1971 thanks to Chief Justice William Douglas. We will travel the path used by mules who pulled the canal boats, and occasionally a bike buggy.

11 miles uphill and 22 miles down, 1,927 overall. Fairfield Inn, Cumberland, MD.

Another day of almost perfect cycling. After a scrumptious dinner last night at the cafe right next to our inn, and good conversation with our cottage mates, we slept well and awoke to a cool misty morning. The first half of the ride was quite similar to yesterday’s, with thick trees and giant rhododendrons enveloping us, and glimpses of the Casselman River far below (the “Yock” left us in Confluence). We encountered very few people along the way which surprised us but allowed us to ride side by side. Further on the forest thinned out, the sun warmed us up, and we came to open farmland by the end.

This section of the old rail line crosses the river 4 or 5 times, and the converted trestles were as high as 100 feet above the riverbed. The Salisbury Viaduct is almost 2,000 feet long and took us over cornfields, the Casselman, the CSX railroad, and a 4-lane highway! It took some effort to get our nerve up for this last one, inspiring our song for the day, I’ve Been Working On The Railroad.

Over the past 3 days we have gradually gone up in elevation by 1,400 feet, and we are ten miles shy of the highest point in the state. Although there are no hills, pedaling is steady and we get our dose of exercise.

32 miles, 1,894 in all. Yoder’s Motel, Meyersdale, PA.

We will let the photos tell the story today. This ranks in the top three rides and definitely the best place to stay so far. The final picture shows the view from our room. The soothing sound of the moving water, the setting sun shining on the water, the birds and insects and ducks serenading us, what could be better? Louis Armstrong immortalized our song of the day, What A Wonderful World.

28 blissful miles for a total of 1,862. The River’s Edge B&B, Confluence, PA.

As we have discovered, each day differs from any other because there are so many variables. Today was the first on the Great Allegheny Passage, a long-anticipated segment of the trip. Within minutes of departing the skies opened up and we spent the first 15 miles in and out of the rain. The unpaved trail performed amazingly well, just the opposite of the Katy Trail in Missouri, so we were able to keep rolling. Needless to say, we had the place all to ourselves.

Because of the delays we missed our second breakfast and dove right into lunch at the Chuck Wagon restaurant and bakery, so Bill had a second dessert instead. There were so many yummy looking choices! From that point on everything was wonderful. (Nonetheless, our theme song today, sung by the great lady Lena Horne, is Stormy Weather.) We saw 3 deer with long bushy white tails, a flock of wild turkeys, lots of cardinals darting across our path, a great gray heron, and a few fat groundhogs.

The trail follows the old rail bed along the Youghiogheny (pronounced yockahainy) River, with towering tree-covered hillsides to our right and a steep drop to the water on the left. Coal mining was a huge industry until 50 years ago. The photo of a gigantic cement cylinder is all that remains of the Banning #1 Mine; a trailside marker showed a picture of the complex that probably encompassed several square miles. Don’t forget to go the blog website to see Where We Are.

In a nearby patch (coal workers’ town) called Whitset, Percy approached us to chat. Right after his high school graduation, his dad asked Percy if he wanted to come work the mine with him. He replied, “only if I can wash windows in there!” and joined the Air Force instead. He then became a D.C. cop and FBI agent before returning to his roots.

We discovered yesterday that the weight we carry makes it very difficult to navigate the roads here. The motel we booked was too far to comfortably reach, but luckily we spotted a B&B a block from the trail and a room was available. The owners found this stray just a few weeks after their last dog died, and within minutes Odie was in my lap as I tried to get her photo.

42 miles and 1,834 so far. Connellsville B&B in, you guessed it, Connellsville, PA.

As we move east we it becomes more apparent that we are now “westerners.” We have underestimated the congestion and the topography of the areas we are traveling through. Today’s case in point, getting over the Ohio river. US 22 is a four lane high speed highway without a shoulder. We asked Linda at the Super 8 front desk if she knew of anyone with a pick-up, enter angel #1, Cody, the motel’s maintenance man. He showed up at 7:45 and loaded our gear into the back of his truck. Not only did he get us across the river into West Virginia, but took us the extra mile to the trail head of the Panhandle Trail ( http://www.panhandletrail.org/ ). This trail will take us to the Montour Trail ( http://www.montourtrail.org/ ) and ultimately to our destination the Great Allegheny Passage( http://www.atatrail.org/ ). We offered to pay Cody for the great cab ride, but be he refused the offer. Wow, how does something like this happen?

The Panhandle took us through four miles of WV and into PA. We were helped through the roughest parts of the trail by a gentleman taking a ride with his daughter-in-law. He had been riding the trail since his retirement in 1990! We had lunch at a local spot in McDonald PA. at the junction of the Montour Trail. The Montour is in excellent shape, except for several detours, which became more complex as we approached the end of the trail. Enter Angel #2, Brian. As Brian passed us on the trail, we struck up a conversation with him, his first words when hearing of our adventure were, ” I’m envious.” Always nice to hear. He volunteered to take us thru the second to last detour that was made up quite a few turns, twists, and hills. If it hadn’t been for him we might not have been able to get through it, and we would have missed Angel #3, Lloyd! Wow, how does something like this happen??

As we came to the end of what we thought was the last detour, a motorcyclist passed us, turned around to meet us to offer a suggestion on how to complete the trail. We assured him that we were fine, and looking for the Econo Lodge a mile and a half up the road. He came back with, “that’s a death wish!”. The road was full of four lanes of 5 o’clock traffic with no shoulder. He said wait here and I’ll go get my truck and give you a ride. We quickly accepted after a 52 mile day. When he arrived, and we loaded our gear and bikes. We got in and he said “Let me show you what you are going to have to do tomorrow morning.” The connection to the GAP was not complete. He made several references to our wish to end our lives 20 miles south of Pittsburgh. We saw his point. Lloyd spent a total of one hour at the end of his day taking us to the Boston Trail Head of the GAP cutting out 12 miles and several hours from tomorrow’s day. We got a room and collapsed from physical fatigue and the mental strain of escaping potential death three times over! We offered to buy Lloyd dinner, but he politely declined, got into his truck and drove off into the sunset. Wow, how does something like that happen???

Today’s anthem is the Beatles’ Help! 52 miles, 1,792 total. Trailside Treasures Rooms, Little Boston, PA. Thanks to my trusty scrivener for taking on writing duties today.

Last evening we wrestled (verbally) over whether to ride or rest today, and it could have gone either way. Our original plan was to ride 6 days then take one off, but since we lost so much time in the Kansas heat wave, we want to keep up our momentum. At 5:30 this morning Bill rolled over and announced he was ready for a day off. As it turns out, my back tire was flat so it was the right decision.

We spent most of the morning on our plan for the upcoming trails, checking mileages and making lodging reservations. We had a few things to buy and a haircut appointment for me, so we climbed on the bikes and headed up the hill towards the mall. The road was in awful shape but I noticed a consistent thumping that I couldn’t pin on the pavement and quickly realized what was wrong. So we walked the bikes the rest of the way, did our thing and walked back. My trusty bike mechanic changed the flat and cleaned our chains, so we’re ready to roll in the morning!

Another stroke of good luck came our way. We’ve got to cross the Ohio River and the bridge we hoped to take is closed. The desk clerk offered to call the motel’s maintenance man, who has a pickup, and he agreed to drive us over in the morning. This will allow us to avoid the unfriendly bridge, the heavy morning fog, and the climb up that first hill.

We had two entirely different experiences between the first and second 25-mile segments of today’s journey. The day began on a two lane county road with a power plant on the west end supplied by coal trucks and a Walmart distribution center to the east supplied by semis, so we had lots of company. On the plus side, we were in a valley and along Tappan Lake (with big swaths of waterlilies) so we didn’t have to contend with terrain changes.

Every once in awhile we heard this pooch barking as we had breakfast #2 right across from the lake. Further on we discovered Rock City, a yard filled with rock carvings and wooden statues and totem poles and other oddities. We could see the owner working on a project but his driveway was gated with a private property sign, enough to dampen our curiosity.

The landscape after Cadiz quickly changed. The 4-lane state highway, with a wide side lane for us, leveled out the worst ups and downs, but we still made major changes in elevation. Thick woods covered the hillsides, wildflowers lined the edges, and at least half a dozen deer met a sad fate along the way.

The trek ended with a long descent into the Ohio River Valley, then a steep walk up the last mile to our motel. It must be treacherous here when there’s ice or snow because the inclines are so sharp. At dinner we had a great conversation with Rebecca and KerriAnn, a mother and daughter at the next table. They kindly offered to take us shopping and gave us their phone number in case we needed any help. They are our guardian angels for the day! Too bad my phone photo was too dark to use.

We are in Steubenville, OH, the town where Dean Martin was born, so in his memory we clink our imaginary martini glasses and sing Everybody Loves Somebody. We came 51 miles for a grand total of 1,740. Super 8 Motel, where the desk clerk Jeanne gave us a discount on our room be because Bill was “sweating butter” when we checked in.