Biking the Great Alleghany Passage - Day 3 Morning

Day 3 Morning - Final Day Capped A Fun And Memorable Ride

Our final day of our monumental journey is two blog stories for the sake of brevity yet still detailing the captivating conclusion to our bike ride.

A quick note on last night's cottage. Carl Roberts found us an awesome cottage fifty feet from the river. The house was made from restored timbers.

---

Our Route on Day 3

The last day encompassed the steepest uphill and downhill grades of our journey

Today we left from Confluence biking to our final destination: Cumberland, MD. Both C Hirst and I did not sleep exceedingly well in anticipation of our sixty plus mile ride up and over the Eastern continental divide.

It was a cool and crip Spring day so we started with long sleeve shirts for the first time on our trip. We started early and hit the trail before 8AM </span></center>

---

Today started with a long arduous climb of thirty seven miles straight uphill and nonstop! There was no flatness or downhill for the entire stretch. It was long stretches through the hills as our legs pumped our bikes carrying our gear.

Crossing the Cassellman River bridge at Mile Marker 54

We were rewarded with a bike ride across massive train bridges and biking through tunnels bored through the hillsides.

The 100 Foot drop below down to the Cassellman River For a majority of our trip you could hear the rushing rapids nearby.

Placards along the trail tell the story that the Cassellman River has so many sharp bends at the Pinkerton Horn that the only solution for the railroad engineers was to dig the Pinkerton tunnel.

Along the trail at Mile 56 we ran into Ben who is walking the GAP! He was pushing what looked like a tricycle cart. He, like so many others on the trail was kind and giving. Rob was out of water and Ben reached into his bag and shared a bottle.

During our final day we experienced that The spirit of America is alive and well. Across the fabric of America and out of the concrete cities we are kind and caring people that help each other.

Mile 55 and pumping uphill. The vibrant green Spring forests created a mood of sereneness and tranquility

---

One of Carl Roberts’ many profound proverbs during our trip:

Life is short, take on the adventure

We reached the Pinkerton Horn after ten miles of biking. Most of our trip the rail trail hugs the edge of fast flowing rivers which are famous for their white water rafting adventures.

At mile 44 - Just before Meyersdale we left the dense forest and rode onto the Salisbury viaduct for spectacular views across the valley. The viaduct is over 1,900 feet long and over 100 feet high. Built in 1912. Stopped train usage in 1975. Changed to bike trail in 1998.

---

Thirty bridges and trestles, and four tunnels, line the GAP

130-year-old Pinkerton Tunnel spanning 849 feet in Markleton;

Reached milestone 50. We now had a hundred miles behind us!

Dark rusty metal bridges on huge concrete pillars have been remodeled and modernized to accommodate bikers and hikers.

Near Meyersdale, this expanse of the railroad and its bridges were built in the early 1900s.

With the old Meyersdale train station in the background we arrive in Meyersdale ready for lunch

---