Day 5: I connect with the Great Allegheny Passage

September 19, 2023

What a difference a good night's sleep makes. I'm up and out this morning around 7:30a with a decent hotel breakfast, cup of coffee running through my veins, and the desire to hit my Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) start point. But first I have to weave through the outer suburbs which is mostly city-ish streets hugging the lowlands next to the river.

Cawasuta square - one of surprise highlights of riding through an urban environment this Tuesday morning.

I follow the blue line of the GPS as it tells me to make a turn into industrial areas, avoiding potholes and asphalt cracks, and then I'm surprised when I hit a river-bordering park. 30 seconds after the park, I'm routed onto a rocky gravel path bordering what I believe to be an active rail line. That leads me into the northern terminus of the Three Rivers Heritage trail, which I follow all the way into the center of Pittsburgh.

I can neither confirm nor deny the railroad was an active route, but stayed clear of the rails out of caution.

Navigating along the Three Rivers Heritage trail past Herr's Island

The cycling infrastructure (once I get past the rocky rail line) is really good. It leads me along the river, and I share the path with cycling commuters on their way to work this September weekday. I forget that I'm on vacation as I'm just pedaling my way through life. Ride, eat, sleep, repeat. It's a daily pattern I get into when I'm exploring my world from the seat of my bike.

Pittsburgh Skyline. From here I hit the Point State Park Fountain and begin the journey on the GAP

Point State Park fountain is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers and it forms the Ohio. There is a badge at the point where these rivers converge and it's considered the start point of the GAP.

So today I get to ride on the newly-opened section of the GAP which doesn't go through the center of downtown. Oh, wait - construction! Detour! Men at work! Guess I'm back through the park again and onto the downtown streets. I'm not complaining as they have really good cycling infrastructure through downtown. I make my way through the center of the city, incorrectly roll down a ramp into a huge homeless encampment; promptly ride correctly back up the ramp to get on to the proper trail, and then make my way along the designated route.

You may know Pittsburgh as a former HUGE steel-town, and they celebrate that heritage with artifacts all along the route.

Navigating from Pittsburgh through former industrial areas, the trail makes good use of expired rail infrastructure, now repurposed for pedestrian/cycle use.

Much of what goes through Pittsburgh and the outlying former industrial areas is asphalt and very smooth rolling. Once you get south of Boston (no, the OTHER Boston - much smaller than the MA one), it turns into crushed limestone. But, oh, the path. By that point in the ride it's rural, and you spend your time spinning the circular rhythm of the pedals and listening to the wind in the trees, the tires rolling over the gravel, and singing some pop song from the 80's that you cannot get out of your head.

Rolling through crushed limestone on the GAP is the best way to spend an afternoon.

In West Newton I stop in the visitor center/merchandise store and buy GAP socks. I mean, who doesn't love a good pair of branded socks? I also chat with a group of riders who are going southbound but staying at a hotel tonight. I choose to sit down and eat a cheesesteak and fries at 2:30 rather than taking food out and eating at the campsite. This way, I have no trash at the campsite. When the food gets delivered to my table, I think the sandwich is too large. But one cyclist-appetite later, it's completely consumed, along with all the fries.

I decide to roll past the Roundbottom campground which was my original overnight spot in favor of ~10 more miles to Connellsville and their camping area so I could get cell-service and connect with my family tonight. When I pass by Roundbottom it's completely void of campers at 4:00 in the afternoon. I'm feeling good so I keep rolling, all the way past the 100 mile marker, indicating I'm 33% done with the trail already.

I thought the 100 mile marker was better framed in the GoPro, but alas, not so much

Roll into the Connellsville camping area just prior to 5:00 and snag a lean-to. Not many people here tonight, but another group rolls in 5:30 taking the last lean-to. Two more will come in later and chatting with some north bounders I find I missed a day of rain on Sunday on the C&O, which is nice.

Can you feel the pride? Proud of the 78-mile day, getting a lean-to, and completing 56 miles of the GAP.

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Today's ride: 78 miles (126 km)
Total: 328 miles (528 km)

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