September 24: Hendersonville to Dawson via Montour, Steel Valley and Great Allegheny Passage trails; 63.5 miles

What? Only 336 miles left??

 Another seemingly important milestone.  The end is in sight. What then.  Pete and I have spent several rides along the trails discussing what life might be like after BEBA?  Will it be like postpartum depression?  Will we have to revisit retirement?  What will we do with ourselves when we don't have to plan a route, reserve lodging and repack the car.....again?  

Today the three of us set off together on the Montour trail heading toward the connector with the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) trail.  Pete wanted to go through the tunnels (boy stuff).  He turned around prior to the finish of the Montour.  Lisa and I forged ahead.  Pete moved the car to Dawson, our end destination.

At the end of the Montour we hooked in with yet a new trail, the Steel Valley trail.  It wound us through the towns of Clairton, Glassport and McKeesport.  These towns are similar to so many small towns we have driven through.  Empty storefronts, boarded up windows, homes with roofs sagging.  Are they the result of Covid? or some deeper systemic problems of our nation?  Have our politicians traveled through these towns?  Do they truly have the pulse of the nation?

Bridge to McKeesport

We searched for food.  We passed a marginal diner in Clairton but passed it by, it was more marginal than other marginal diners we had chosen to eat in (although certainly way above the one in Jeffrey City!! 🤢).  I was convinced that we would find an excellent cafe in McKeesport as it is right on the GAP, hundreds of cyclists pass through yearly.  No restaurants were open.  We rode to several listed online but they were closed.  A friendly couple on a fancy tandem stopped to ask us whether we had been able to find a lunch spot.  They too were discouraged.

After a quick energy bar at the riverside, we rode on to the next town where there were not one, but TWO restaurants.  Our tandem friends were there inquiring about them and we decided to dine together.  A dark bar without windows but with awesome hamburgers was the choice.  Would we have thought the burgers excellent had we not already cycled 27 miles?  I think so.

Burger at Rich's Parkside Den

We enjoyed dining with Rob and Evelyn who have ridden their tandem bicycle all over the US.  They have done the entire west coast route, much of the Northwest including Vancouver Island, and the Blue ridge parkway.  They called the GAP/C&O their "flat ride".   Comaraderie on the trail is half the fun!  We parted ways hoping to meet sometime between here and D.C.  

We traveled onward through small town, wooded areas, along a beautiful creek.  The cold air never really warmed up.  Low to mid 60s all day........brrr.  The sun was glorious and warm when there was a break in the trees overhead.

Afternoon light on the Youghiogheny 

Pete met up with us around mile 37.  We had taken so long to find and order food, that he was able to get more miles in than we rode!  Lisa got flat tire #6.  She is now able to fix a flat and be back on the saddle within 12 minutes.  Even on a rear tire.  I remember Sue B and I took about 30 minutes to get the tire off the rim and then probably 15 minutes to figure out how the wheel fit back in with the chain etc.  🤪

Eventually we made it to Dawson.  A very full day of riding.  Probably 8 hours on the road.  Pete made beef stroganoff ! Yum!  Perfect meal after a cold day of riding.  Our airbnb for the evening is probably one of the weirder ones.  No dish soap, laundry in both the dryer and the washer!  Light switches in odd places and a chair made out of old skis.  Not sure when the rugs were vacuumed last.  But hey, we have these salt and pepper shakers:

Tomorrow we are expecting rain most of the day.  Perhaps a forced rest day.  Perhaps we will dodge the rain and get our scheduled 34 miles in........ never know what tomorrow will bring!  That's what makes it all epic.