Monday July 13, 2009

LOTS OF WILDLIFE. I got on the trail early today and saw lots of interesting wildlife: A wild turkey and two young, numerous bunnies, but the most interesting was the intricate and beautiful spider webs that were built overnight across the trail. There were some really interesting structures and designs. There were lots of mosquitoes and other flying insects because of all the vegetation and the river nearby and I guess the spiders were catching food to eat as the insects get caught in their web.
I spent most of the day in East Newton figuring out how I am going to proceed to and from Pittsburgh. The Great Allegheny Passage trail has not been completed to Pittsburgh yet and ends 10 miles short. It will be finished soon. The roads from McKeesport to Pittsburgh are dangerous and not at all bicycle friendly.
In addition the bike road route that will take me from Pittsburgh to Cleveland does not start in Pittsburgh. It starts in Coraopolis which is about 10 miles north of Pittsburgh. So how do I get from McKeesport to Coraopolis? All of the map information just assumes you can drive to and from McKeesport or Coraopolis.
I bought a guide book at the visitor’s center that mentioned that the “Port Authority of Allegheny County” ran a bus between McKeesport and Pittsburgh (Route 56C) and gave a phone number. I was able to find out that I could also take another bus to Coraopolis (Route 21A). Problem solved.
There is also another trail – the Montour Trail that I could ride from McKeesport to Coraopolis but it was a 50 mile detour loop and I decided to use the bus option.
I camped at the Dravo Cemetery Campground at Milepost 122. It is the last camping spot before McKeesport which is the end of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail (GAP).
The GAP trail is far superior and easier to ride than the C&O Canal trail. It is smooth, wide and hard. The surface of the C&O canal trail is rough, rutted, and muddy with lots of roots and limbs. It is also narrow. There is lots of interesting history on both trails.
During the ride from Washington DC to McKeesport I have traveled on, crossed over and traveled close to the old “National Road” that was the first road built to get to the territories. That is the road that Joseph Smith was on when the Stage Coach he was riding in had run away horses. He stopped the coach and saved the passengers inside.