October 9, 2020
Gravity is the devil. Gravity is a saint.
Cycling up Big Savage Mountain and on to Confluence
I was awakened from a full night's sleep by my alarm, a pleasant wake-up with the day's weather and news and a peaceful melody. I had overnighted at the Ramada Inn in Cumberland with my cycling pal Kevin. I hurriedly packed the panniers and grabbed a quick Roy Roger's breakfast sandwich before heading 3 short blocks to the trail.
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Number 1 on the agenda was to tackle Big Savage Mountain. It's a 23 mile sustained climb to the Eastern Continental Divide, a wonderful start to a 62 mile day on the bike. It was a slow and steady climb averaging 7 mph with plenty of breaks. Damn, I am too old for this.
I had contemplated taking a shuttle yesterday to Frostburg 16 miles up the mountain where the other 4 members of my cycling friends were overnighting. I decided I wanted to ride and conquer that mountain fresh in the morning. I was willing to go it solo. Kevin insisted that he stay and join me. It was an excellent idea. The strenuous miles passed fast with us engaged in conversation.
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Slow and steady is my motto for tackling hills. That is exactly what I did. 4 hours later we crested the Eastern Continental Divide after passing through the Big Savage Tunnel. The ride was spectacular. The fall colors were in peak. They sky pure blue. The temp started in the high 30s and peaked at the high 60s. I was overjoyed accomplishing that feat.
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I pedaled a very fast downhill to Meyersdale like a Tour de France peloton cyclist. It was really because I was hungry and Sheetz was calling my name. The scenery was stellar. Fall was in its glory on those remaining 30 miles. It is hard to schedule a tour at the peak of fall color. I certainly did that today.
Kevin and I never caught up with our other tour members. It would have ben nice if we did, but we were enjoying our longer 62 mile ride with that 23 mile sustained climb. It was a long day. I rewarded myself with a steak dinner at the Rivers Edge Café in Confluence.
Tomorrow is the next to last day of the tour. I am cycling to West Newton. This is another spectacular section of trail that passes through Ohiopyle State Park. The weather forecast looks perfect.
Today's Route
Today's C&O and GAP Trivia
The Big Savage Tunnel. In the early 1900s coal and steel were king, and seeking to connect Cumberland, Maryland (and ultimately Baltimore, MD) to Connellsville, PA (and ultimately Pittsburgh, PA and Lake Erie) the Western Maryland Railway sought a piece of that lucrative pie.
In April of 1910 the 87 mile long “Connellsville Extension” construction project was begun, and 4 tunnels would be needed to make the rail line connection possible. The longest of these 4 tunnels would be the Big Savage Tunnel (the other 3 tunnels were the Borden, Brush, and Pinkerton tunnels). Source: pabucketlist.com
Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 265 miles (426 km)
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