Watershed moment

July 8, 2016

Although the C&O canal tow path is likely to be our most memorable day of riding, we looked forward to a change of pace when we switched over in Cumberland to the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail. The national park service deliberately avoids maintaining the C&O, claiming it should be left in its original condition. The GAP is very well maintained. Whereas the C&O had clay and mud, the GAP has crushed limestone and gravel.

As soon as we left Cumberland we started climbing at an easy but relentless 1 to 1 1/2 percent grade. We saw a black bear and some turkeys, all faster than us. We did manage to pass an actual human cyclist - she was smoking a cigarette as she methodically ground her way up the trail.

We had 2 landmarks on the agenda - the Mason Dixon line and the Eastern continental divide. I always thought the reason for the Mason Dixon line was to separate slave states from free states. In fact it predates the Civil War by almost a century and was used to settle a border dispute between the Penns of Pennsylvania and the Calverts of Maryland. It seems a bit petty to argue about where the exact border should lie when you have been given a charter granting you an entire state.

The area where we crossed the Mason Dixon line was rugged terrain with thick woods. It's hard to imagine not getting completely lost let alone conducting an accurate survey in the 1760s. They did manage to perform an accurate survey and place marker stones every mile with a crown stone every 5th mile. The crown stone has the Calvert coat of arms on the Maryland side and the Penn coat of arms on the Pennsylvania side.

Team S has made it to the Pennsylvania side, team A is still stuck in Maryland.

Our second landmark on tap for the day was the Eastern continental divide. Although no one could call the GAP a hilly ride, at 2392 feet the divide is by far the highest elevation we will reach on our ride. This stands as a testament to Jeanna's ability to chart a tandem friendly course with as little climbing as possible. The one exception on this day was a rather steep detour into the town of Frostburg in search of snacks.

Negotiating the switchback trail from Frostburg

If you enjoy riding a nearly flat trail through very hilly country, thank a railroad engineer for putting in all those tunnels and bridges.

The divide separates the Atlantic watershed from the Gulf of Mexico watershed. Since our route is North up the Atlantic coast and back home via the Gulf, crossing the divide certainly sounds like making progress. Plus once we located a river on the Gulf side of the divide, we could put a message in a bottle, toss it into the river, let it float down to the Gulf and then let the Gulf Stream carry it out of the Gulf and up the East coast of Florida where it would reach our friend Cindy diving in the waters off of Ft Lauderdale.

Casselman River. First river we met after crossing the eastern continental divide. That's a lie, Flaugherty Creek is the first, but we didn't take a picture of it. Don't worry, Flaugherty Creek flows into Casselman River, so it all works out.

But wait! Was this real progress? In a week or two we plan to be on the shores of Lake Erie. Surely the Great Lakes flow out via the St Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean, not the Gulf of Mexico.

Wikipedia informs us that crossing the Eastern Continental Divide is progress, of a sort, but that we must look forward to crossing the far less glamorous St Lawrence divide (twice) before entering the Gulf of Mexico watershed for good somewhere in Northern Ohio. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Continental_DivideOne divide crossing down, two to go for team S (they will end up on the Gulf side of Florida), and three to go for team A (they will end up on the Atlantic side of Florida).

We spent out first night West of the divide in a B&B in Rockwood PA. The tourists riding the GAP must be a tremendous help in keeping the Rockwood economy going. Every town along the GAP, no matter how small, seems to have a bike shop and a convenience store kept afloat by GAP riders.

Our second night was at a B&B in the much larger town of Connellsville. By then the Casselman River had merged with the Youghiogheny River. A local resident told us that Youghiogheny is pronounced "yock-a-hainy" or just "yock" (rhymes with sock).

The GAP is well shaded. The last two days have been hot for folks out in the sun, but we have enjoyed comfortable temperatures on the trail.

We think the fact that they are in bloom in July proves they are Rhododendrons, not Mt. Laurels. We have been wrong before. Frequently.

Lots of small waterfalls along the GAP. See the previous journal entry for an exiting documentary on the making of this photograph.

Mushrooms enjoy the cool moist conditions under the tree canopy shading the GAP. We feel the same way.

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	0
Comment on this entry	Comment	0