GAP and C&O?

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Anybody here ride the Great Allegheny Passage trail and/or the Chesapeake
and Ohio Towpath? Just reading about these trails in Adventure Cyclist is
making me want to figure out the logistics and just....GO! While doing the
research, though, I could use some personal views of those who have ridden
these trails.

Thanks,

Pat in TX

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:11:12 -0500, "Pat" <intex@tmail.com> wrote:

>Anybody here ride the Great Allegheny Passage trail and/or the Chesapeake
>and Ohio Towpath? Just reading about these trails in Adventure Cyclist is
>making me want to figure out the logistics and just....GO! While doing the
>research, though, I could use some personal views of those who have ridden
>these trails.
I am riding this route for the first time beginning May 11--getting
very excited! Have you seen this web site? It's very informative and
has some links to other helpful sites.

http://shaw-weil.com/linkup/index.htm

Maybe I will see you out there?

> I am riding this route for the first time beginning May 11--getting
> very excited! Have you seen this web site? It's very informative and
> has some links to other helpful sites.
>
> http://shaw-weil.com/linkup/index.htm
>
> Maybe I will see you out there?

Thanks a ton for the link. My first logistical problems concern where to
start! I can get a flight to DC from DFW, but then I'd end up in
Pittsburgh...Well, I have a Bike Friday which comes folded in its own
suitcase. Where to leave the suitcase? So, then I thought of leaving it in a
motel in DC, but I'd have to get back there to pick it up. That led me to
wondering about catching an Amtrak from Pittsburgh to DC (love riding
trains!). As you can see, I am just starting to do the homework.

Are you planning on camping along the trail?

Pat in TX

I rode this with my brothers, their kids and my two sons in 2001. We
stayed at a B&B in West Newton, PA. The innkeeper ferried us to the
beginning of the trail near Frostburg (now punched through)and we camped
one night in Ohiopyle State Park. It was a memorable trip. I'll never
forget getting back to the inn, stripping down to our shorts and diving
into the pool. The yyear prior, we dry camped in our 36ft motorhome in
the parking lot at Cumberland and cycled five days to Great Falls,
camping three and staying in Harpers Ferry one night. We did a detour
through Antietam battlefield one day. I had dropped my van in the Great
Falls parking lot, and since I had an Golden Eagle Pass, the NPS staff
accorded us preferential treatment and thus the van was untouched.
Personally, I think this is one of the premier bike trips for anybody
wanting to get a sense of America in the 19th century. The towpath is
well shaded and OK for mid-day travel in June. There are a whole bunch
of neat towns along the way, and you are never very far from "civilization"

On Wed, 16 Apr 2008 20:11:13 -0500, "Pat" <intex@tmail.com> wrote:

>Are you planning on camping along the trail?

Nope, too old to sleep on the ground..... We are doing the
motel/hotel/b & b thing. A friend in Chicago, a pro tour director, is
handling the "logistification" details, thank goodness!

Guy A
Ripley, TN
SMU, 1966
Son lives near Farmersville/Greenville

Pat:

Great to see someone so psyched to do a long trip like this. These are
always very memorable, even if they sometimes get a little tedious during
the actual ride. (You'll understand what I mean five years after you finish
the trip!)

I haven't done this particular route, but I can say from experience that,
true to your personal attitude, you should make sure to take your time and
experience all there is to see, smell, and feel along the way.

Have fun.

Tom in NY. www.geocities.com/nyrides

"Pat" <intex@tmail.com> wrote in message
news:66n4r4F2kvlcfU1@mid.individual.net...
> Anybody here ride the Great Allegheny Passage trail and/or the Chesapeake
> and Ohio Towpath? Just reading about these trails in Adventure Cyclist is
> making me want to figure out the logistics and just....GO! While doing
> the research, though, I could use some personal views of those who have
> ridden these trails.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Pat in TX
>