Day 7: I go to heaven

June 21, 2024

Keep in mind I didn't say I died and went to heaven, just that I went to heaven. Or as Belinda Carlisle stated at just about every high school prom in the late 80's "ooooo, baby, do you know what that's worth? ooooo, heaven is a place on earth" and it totally is. I made the first planned highlight of the day at Bicycle Heaven, a treasure-trove of parts for just about anything you would need to restore a bike, and a museum of all sorts of bikes, shapes, rides, everything. But Bicycle Heaven doesn't open until 10:00 and I have 15 miles to get there, and then another 65 or so to my destination.

So out of the room from last night and onto the Montour Trail. I complete that section in 5 miles and then I'm up and over a bridge onto Neville Island, a mostly industrial location in the middle of the Ohio River. Keep in mind this is just navigating to the actual start point of the GAP, so technically I'm still connecting the two trails.

Had to cross some bridges in the early morning, but at least there was some seriously good bicycle infrastructure.

I arrive 9:40 at Bicycle Heaven and there's no cycling St Peter to meet me at the gate, er, warehouse door.

Here I am outside heaven waiting for the cycling St Peter to open the gates at 10:00

If you're ever in Pittsburgh, and you want an interesting side trip - plan some time at this place. Bikes from all sorts of eras that time has seemingly forgotten but which on in our memories from our childhood, unique bicycles produced at one time but never again, movie props - you'll find them all here. You wander through a labyrinth of all things bicycle assembled to maximize the available warehouse space. You climb an old wooden staircase to the second floor and squeeze your way past buckets and buckets of shifters, derailleurs, calipers; past walls lined with hanging bicycle rims. Once past all that, you pass through the gate into the museum on the second floor. To say this place has hundreds of bikes is an understatement. I'm not going to try and describe it - it needs to be seen to be believed. A few pics just to give you a sense of the vast collection, but man oh man was this place incredible.

Bins filled with old parts. If you're restoring an old bike you would probably not have to look past this place to find the part you were looking for

This is the view as soon as you enter the second floor museum part.

There are several movie props this place has rescued - this is one of them.

I could have spent more time there, but was hitting the road after 20 minutes because I had a long day ahead of me and wanted to hit the trail.

I don't think they are cycle tourists camping on the GAP

I make it to the official start point and my mood is so good! I was able to stop at a place I had an interest in, and now I'm starting one of my favorite trails. This is the beginning of my fourth thru-ride that's how much I like this trail. It will probably be some time before I come back and ride it again as there are a lot of other places I want to explore. But to be back here at the fountain starting the ride again? Priceless!

The feeling you get when you're starting off on a journey you're familiar with and one you love. It's like returning home

I'm looking at this picture and the one above it and think "it doesn't look like I'm carrying enough gear for an 11-day trip" but then I realize I had everything I needed.

32 miles into the ride it's 12:15 and hot. I stop to get a Clif bar and to refill my water bottles. I also decide to continue my recently created tradition of dousing my head with cold water.

If you're saying to yourself, "my, that looks refreshing" you can rest assured it certainly was.

I think it was about this time I looked at the weather forecast and saw the temps at 8:00 in the evening were going to be 98. So I looked to see if I could find any last-minute deals on a room at the Comfort Inn in Connellsville. The prices were basically the same as yesterday, but I decided it was a far bit better to pay them to stay overnight than to try and sleep in temps too high on an inflatable plastic mattress.

At 55 miles I stop in the Trailside bar & grill and get my dinner. It's around 3:00 but with my plan to not pack any cooking equipment or food, I stop for food when necessary. Fueled up, I continue the remaining 25 miles to my hotel stop.

Mile marker 100. That means 50 miles of the 150 are complete, and there are 100 remaining.

I pass by the shelters at the camping area in Connellsville at 5:25. There is 100% vacancy. By this time on a normal weekend night, they are completely full, and in the summer, usually taken at this point as they're a great resource at a great trail town. But tonight, all four are open - and the camping grassy knoll right next to them has not one tent. It's just too bloody hot.

Plenty of room in the shelters tonight. The big advantage is they are in a great location and FREE, but trying to sleep when it's 98 degrees at 8:00p just didn't overweigh the A/C in the hotel.

It's 5:30 when I roll into the Comfort Inn - never has an A/C lobby felt so good. It's 97 degrees outside the lobby and probably 75 inside. They have my room ready and apologize the elevator is out of service. Oh, and my room is on the third floor. Even that doesn't put a damper on my day, as I carry the bike up to the room and then immediately make a bee-line for the pool.

Check it out - basically my own private pool at the hotel; felt so go after a day in the heat.

After cooling off in the pool, doing "laundry" in the shower, I went for a walk in Connellsville to get some ice cream. It was pretty dead on a Friday night until I made my way to the park by the river. There, the locals (assume they were local as who would travel hundreds of miles to swim in a river?) were congregated around the river, swimming out to the old bridge piers and leaping into the water to cool off. After watching them for a bit I sauntered off to my room to rest up and tackle the long, slow-grade climb to the Eastern Continental divide the next day.

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Today's ride: 81 miles (130 km)
Total: 495 miles (797 km)

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