Day 2 - Rockwood to Williamsport, MD

Day 2 was planned to be our long day, as we needed to ride about 130 miles to reach our destination.  Although we knew we had a long downhill into Cumberland, MD, we knew it would still be long hard day in the saddle.  We woke up at 5:00 and rode to a convenience store in the early dawn.  There no eating options in town that were open this early, so we got some breakfast sandwiches at the store.  the morning was damp and foggy.

Meyersdale Station

The first part of the day we still had to climb as we continued toward the high point on the trail.  The grade was a little steeper, maybe 2 %, so even though it wasn't hard it did cut into our average speed a bit.  As the trail continued to climb we had a few glimpses of the Casselman on our left, but it was a much smaller stream as were approaching it's headwaters.

Eastern Divide,  trail elevation 2392.

The Salisbury Viaduct was high enough that the remaining fog almost obscured the ground at the highest point, which was a little unsettling as couldn't see the other end of the bridge, so it looked like were riding into the middle of a cloud.

Entrance to Big Savage

It was still foggy when we took a brief stop at Meyersdale, which had another nicely restored railroad station.  As the sun began to rise a little higher it burned off the morning fog.  We were no longer following a river, but saw a few small streams as we approached the Eastern Divide.  This divide is the high point of the trail at 2392 feet, and marks the place were water flows either to the west which ends up in the Gulf of Mexico or to the east and ends up in the Atlantic.  It is not a continental divide, but it is still a significant watershed boundary.  this is also the ridge of the Allegheny Plateau which dips very gently to the west toward Lake Erie, but drops much more sharply toward the east and the Appalachian ridge and valley province.

Overlook at top Big Savage Mountain

Next we encounter the Big Savage Tunnel, which is 3,294.6 feet long.  It is well lit, so we are able to pass through at normal speed.  Just beyond the eastern exit is a beautiful vista of the valley to our east, and we stop to enjoy the view, take some pictures.  We also are able to make phone calls home, send text messages as we have cell service again.  We did not have service most of the afternoon yesterday, including at our stop in Rockwood.

Overlook continued

The trail now drops off for a very steady 2 - 3 %, so we are able to make good time.  As we descended, we crossed the Mason Dixon line into Maryland.  The line was marked by an obelisk along the trail.

As we approached Frostburg, Md. the trail began paralleling railroad tracks which are and the surface was paved.  These tracks are used by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad which operates between Frostburg and Cumberland.  Some people ride the train to Frostburg with their bikes and then ride the 8 miles downhill to Cumberland.  We passed a group Of about 25 runners spread out along the trail, possibly the cross country team from Frostburg State University which is in town.  The trail does not go very close to the town, so we were only able to see it from a distance.  Further down the trail we encountered Helmstetter’s Curve, a 1/2 mile arc that sweeps across Cash Valley.

A nice view of Frostburg, MD with Big Savage Ridge in
 the background

When we reached Cumberland, it was still a little overcast as the fog/clouds were still burning off.  Cumberland is significant as it has always been a major transportation hub with the National Road (US 40), many railroads and the C&O Canal passing through.  This marks the spot where we transition from the GAP trial and the C&O trail, starting at mile marker 184.  We stopped at the Crabby Pig for brunch, since the trail heading east would not have many food options along the trail.  We loaded up on home fries and other good carbohydrate filled calories and pushed off.  

Mile 184 (start for us) on the C&O Trail in
Cumberland, MD

As we headed east the sun appeared and we were still in the open for some time, so it became very hot and muggy.  The trail surface also became very unpredictable as we headed east, filled with mud puddles, exposed rocks and roots and loose surface.  I had been concerned about the mud and soft trail before the ride, and those did not cause the problems I expected.  The rough surface however, did take it's toll on me.  My road frame is a stiff, aluminum racing frame, with a compact wheel base.  Consequently it didn't absorb as much of the trail shock as steel touring frame with a longer wheel base would.

Paw Paw tunnel

The section of trail we now were on, was very rural and remote as we followed the Potomac as it wound through the Appalachian ridges and valleys of western Maryland.  There were few towns and trail heads, so we did not see many people much of the way.  We did see some wildlife along the trail, at least 3 flocks of turkeys, many deer, squirrels and a few herons (not sure if they were grey or blue).

Mile-maker 167, mid-point of our entire trip.

The next major feature on the trail was the, Paw Paw Tunnel which is 3,118' long and unlighted.  The tunnel was built to avoid a section of the river with 5 very tight bends.  We had headlights on our bikes, but I also brought a headlamp to add more light.  We walked it through the tunnel since the canal parallels the trail through the tunnel with a railing to keep people from slipping on the wet trail and falling into the water.  The cool temps were refreshing and, the walk was a good break from the saddle.

As we continued on the remote section of the trail, we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the river with a mountainous backdrop.  Besides the water pumps along the trail, we had a couple places we could refuel and re-hydrate.  We stopped at Bill's Place, in Little Orleans, MD.  It was a short steep climb off the trail, but was worth the effort.  We also stopped at a Sheetz in Hancock, MD also a short distance off the trail.

As the afternoon wore on and the miles piled up, we both started to suffer the cumulative fatigue of the effort and the trail.  Dale and I both were developing saddle sores that made it hard to sit in the seat, especially when the trail was bumpy.  My Achilles tendons on both legs were starting to get very sore, sometimes the pain was dull and other times it was sharper.  During the end of the ride we had the chance to ride on the Western Maryland Rail Trail, a parallel trail that was paved.  Being purists we decided to stay on the C&O for the whole ride.

As we approached our evening destination of Williamsport, MD, my Achilles pain was causing me to have doubts about being able to finish.  The hotel was less than a mile from the trail, but it was all uphill, which made it even harder.  For dinner we found a pizza restaurant within walking distance of the hotel, I hobbled along.  Despite the fact that we were so hungry, I was not able to finish the very large serving of eggplant Parmesan that I ordered.  It is rare that I can't finish what is on my plate.  Our bikes were caked with mud from the trail, so we found a small car wash at a convenience store so we could wash our bikes.

Daily Stats
Total time: ~ 11:10:00 

Trail time: ~ 10:58

Total miles: 131.94

Trail miles: ~ 130

Average Speed: 11.8 mph