BOB’s Journal from the VO 250 Bike Tour

The Prelude
This article appeared in the South Hills Pittsburgh newspaper The Almanac after I (Scott Moore) offered to write an article from an historical perspective of our journey.

Three friends aim to cycle through history
By Eleanor Bailey, Almanac Sports Editor (9/24/08, thealmanac.net)
Can a Blue Devil, a Blackhawk and a Panther get along? On a bicycle they might. Heated rivals in athletics, a Mt. Lebanon resident, Bethel Park citizen and Upper St. Clair alum will join forces as Rob Morrison, Bruce Thomas and Scott Moore participate in Venture Outdoors Bike 250 Tour.
The 335-mile cycling event beginning in Washington D.C. Saturday, Sept. 27 and finishing at Point State Park the following Saturday, Oct. 4 kicks off Pittsburgh’s two-month birthday celebration of its founding 250 years ago. The route retraces Colonel George Washington’s journey from Virginia to the forks of the Ohio.

Ranging from a recreational rider to a serious sprinter, the three friends each had their own reasons for taking the tour, which traverses the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland, Md. Simply put, Morrison said, “I love cycling. I used to race and ride a considerable amount and I always wanted to go on a long, multiple-day bike ride like this.” “I have always read and heard about the trail from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh,” added Thomas, “and have thought I would like to do this.” “This trip has always been on my “bucket list” as I enjoy biking and I love American history,” explained Moore.

After finishing reading “The Great Idea: George Washington’s Potomac” and “The Race To The West”* by Joel Achenbach, Moore committed to the fully-supported trip offered by Venture Outdoors. “Those books heightened my interest. They sealed the deal,” he said.

It did not take much for Moore to sway Morrison and Thomas on the idea. The three are friends as they attend Beverly Heights Church in Mt. Lebanon. “When Scott brought this to my attention, I was sold. It sounded like a great opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Morrison. “This gives me the opportunity to spend a week with my friends and accomplish a goal,” added Thomas, who often rode his bike as a teenager living in New Jersey until he earned a driver’s license.
While the objective came as a shock to some, the three have benefited from the support of their families. All have loving wives and two children each. Nancy and Scott Moore have a 15-year-old daughter, Lisa, and a 13-year-old son, Robert. Moore works for Marsh, an insurance brokerage firm. Rob and Kathy Morrison have two daughters, Lindsey and Sara. Morrison works in the communications department at Alcoa. Bruce and Debbie Thomas have two children who excelled in sports at Bethel Park High School. Brittany was a swimmer and David played soccer. Thomas works for Pierson and Scott Insurance.

None have ridden the trail and none have saddled up for such a long distance. “I have never ridden over 10 miles before,” Moore admitted. “That explains why some family members, not my encouraging wife and children, laughed at the idea of my going 335 miles.” Undeterred by his parents, Robert and Claire, or his siblings, Chris and Bill, Moore teamed with Thomas and Morrison on training rides. In the past two months, they have completed 80- to 100-mile weeks, mainly on the Panhandle and Montour trails in the area.

While the surface and terrain will be similar to those trails, the experience promises to be much different for the three riders as they blaze a path through a region rich in history. They will camp at Harper’s Ferry, visit Antietam, plod through the Paw Paw and Savage Tunnels, chiseled through the mountains by the railroads, and blaze a path similar to the one taken by American patriots.
The overall challenge of having never done anything like this before as well as riding across historical real estate appealed to Moore. “We are following in the footsteps of George Washington, John Brown and Robert E. Lee. We are also following the less famous who expanded our country to the west and empowered our country though coal mining,” said Moore enthusiastically.

* The correct name of the book is “The Grand Idea: George Washington’s Potomac and the Race to the West”

For the first 100 years of the nation, the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage Trails divided both east and west; north and south. The trails formed the gateway through the Appalachian Mountains to the west for frontier expansion. These trails also formed the boundary, north and south, during the Civil War, highlighted by two Confederate invasions that ended in Union victories at Antietam and Gettysburg.

“So I find this to be all very interesting,” said Moore, who had four direct ancestors and 21 uncles participate in the Civil War. Moore, whose father and uncle were stationed in the Pacific during World War II, also had relatives involved in the American Revolution as well as the French & Indian Wars.
A good deal of the Great Allegheny Passage affords historical points of interest regarding Pittsburgh’s founding and Washington’s involvement in the city’s creation from his days as a surveyor and colonel in the militia through his years as president. In fact, in 1758, young George and a force led by British General John Forbes captured Fort Duquesne from the French and named the site Pittsburgh. “I think this is just a wonderful opportunity as Pittsburghers for us to experience our country’s rich history so close to home,” Moore said.

Because he is relatively new to the region, having lived in Bristol, VA before moving to Pittsburgh four years ago, Morrison agreed. “Slowing down and exploring the region is something that I’m looking forward to. What better way to see some of the country between D.C. and Pittsburgh than from the saddle of a bike.” To get daily updates of the bike trip, visit http://the3bobs.blogspot.com.

The Journey
(Mileage is from campsite to campsite)

9/ 27 Georgetown to Rockwood (C&O 12 MP) Day Mileage 12.7 (12.7 total)

We were really pumped for this trip. I trained for three months. At my wife’s (Nancy) suggestion, we called ourselves the BOBs, as in Bikers of Beverly Heights Church. So Rob Bob, Bruce Bob and Scott Bob left Station Square at 9 a.m. with 87 other bikers in two buses followed by two trucks carrying our bikes. D.C. here we come! Our only stop along the way was in Breezewood because one of the trucks had a flat.

We started biking around 3:30 p.m. at the Georgetown entrance of the towpath off Rock Creek Parkway. After a short ride, we stayed overnight in bunkhouses at Rockwood Manor Park, an old Girl Scout camp.

9/ 28 Rockwood to Harper’s Ferry (C&O 62 MP) Day Mileage 51.3 (64.0 total)

An overnight rain stopped soon as we hit the trail. Our first stop was to check out the awesome and powerful Great Falls, where the river drops 76 feet over a distance of less than a mile. The rest of the Potomac River was surprising peaceful and shallow. The current would pick up in a few locations (e.g. Harper’s Ferry) where the river was very shallow.

The trail surroundings are beautiful. We were right next to the canal on the right and about ten yards from the Potomac on the left with full-grown trees towering above us. The engineering and the manpower needed to build the canal with 11 aqueducts and 74 locks are incredible. President John Quincy Adams broke ground on the C&O canal in 1828 and it was completed all the way to Cumberland in 1850. By then it was rendered obsolete by the railroads, the canal closed for good after a devastating flood in 1924.

The canal locks are 14 feet wide, often with a little canal home nearby, to house families who managed the lock. The towpath itself was made of dirt and some red clay. It was in horrible shape from the rain the previous night. The National Park Service has not updated the towpath because they want to keep it in the same condition as when it was active. This was one tough ride with mud caked all over our bikes and us.

During our ride, we were struck how you could see the history of transportation in the United States on the towpath. The river, the towpath and canal, a railroad track and the highway ran parallel for some distance. For good measure, planes would occasionally fly over us.

To get across the Potomac River and into Harpers Ferry, we had to cross a footbridge that required us carrying our bikes up a twisting metal staircase. Harpers Ferry is a cool little town. The whole city is a national park. Harpers Ferry’s geography can be compared to Pittsburgh, except Harper’s Ferry has a smaller river-outlined triangle and Mt Washington-sized mountains on all three sides. John Brown’s fort is at the point and was the size of a very small house. In 1859, John Brown seized this fort and the arms inside in the hope of starting a slave revolt that would wipe out slavery for good.

George Washington envisioned Harpers Ferry as a perfect location for an arsenal. It had two rivers (the Potomac and the Shenandoah) for power to run the machinery. The local mountains were full of iron ore and hardwood for guns. Lastly, manufactured rifles could be transported in three directions (D.C., the Shenandoah Valley and the then western frontier) with the use of the rivers. Despite being a great arsenal, it was virtually impossible to defend. Once an invader gained control of an overlooking mountain, it was only a matter of time before the city would fall. Harpers Ferry changed hands eight times during the Civil War.

We camped that night on a Civil War battlefield at Harper’s Ferry KOA. We climbed a long steep hill to get to this campsite, the start of an annoying trend of high campsites along the towpath. The full service camp was very nice except for the vicious biting gnats that chewed up our lower legs. Rob legs had to cut his biking socks open at the top to make room for the swelling.

9/ 29 Harper’s Ferry to Ft Frederick (C&O 112 MP) Day Mileage 50.3 (114.3 total)

The trail had some mud and roots but it was a big improvement over yesterday. The canal is now mainly dry, home to grasses and trees. This trail also has huge limestone outcroppings forming great cliffs on our right.

We had a roadside trip off the trail to the Antietam Battlefield. Our guide summarized the September 1862 battle as:
• Brutal- 23,000 dead in one day, the worst loss of life of any day in US history.
• Confusing- nobody could see because of the rolling topography and battlefield smoke.
• Critical- the combination of a Confederate retreat (Why support a potential loser?) and the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation (Why support slavery, an immoral institution which we banned?) ended the South’s best chance for European recognition and military intervention.

It was this area of the towpath that the Confederates crossed back and forth during their two invasions of the north ending in the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg. We camped at Ft. Frederick, showering in a dark field behind a curtain with two small buckets of boiled water.

9/ 30 Ft. Frederick to Little Orleans (C&O 141 MP) Day Mileage 29.1 (143.4 total)

We toured Ft. Frederick first thing. It was impressive, big enough to house 400 soldiers/settlers. The Fort was the site of Maryland’s frontier defense during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). It was also used to house British prisoners during the American Revolution.

Some odds and ends:

• Animals on the trail were few, but included turtles, groundhogs, heron, deer, black squirrels, ducks and geese.
• The other bikers are very friendly and the average age is 53, the oldest being 76.
• About two-thirds of the bikers were from Pittsburgh, in all 13 states were represented.
• Out of the 87 riders, many came alone, two couples rode tandem bikes and a sizeable number were retired.
• The average biking speed is about 10 mph, which is where we hovered.
• The caterer is very good with plenty of food options for breakfast and dinner. We packed our lunch.
• While we camped in tents the entire time, about 10% of our group stayed in bed and breakfasts.
• Campsite bugs, sore butts and a muddy trail are our biggest problems. The C&O is a mud bath waiting to happen.
• Cotton is not your friend on these wet trips. Bruce brought so much cotton; he called himself King Cotton.
• We typically went to bed between 9 and 10 p.m. and woke up to heavy dew on our tent at 5:30 a.m.
• Family and friends love Rob’s blog and we love reading their comments.
It was an easy biking day mostly on the Western MD rail trail, which is flat, paved and wide enough to ride three across. We enjoyed the change from the mostly single file C&O trail. Along the ride, we stopped at a great pie shop called Weavers, in Hancock, MD.

10/ 1 Little Orleans to Cumberland (C&O 185 MP) Day Mileage 46.0 (189.4 total)

We had rain for about half the day and mud and cold throughout. These were the worst conditions we would face on the entire trip. We walked through the narrow and dark path of the Paw Paw Tunnel completed in 1850. While we had a good tour of the tunnel, we cooled off. This enhanced our misery for the second half of the day’s journey. The trail was so rough you had to keep your head down to watch where you were going, missing some beautiful surroundings. It was amazing our bikes kept working, as mud was everywhere.

Canal boats worked with a captain steering the boat with a rudder. A rope was tied to a mule and to the boat a third of the way back so that the boat would not fish tail into the sides of the canal. Usually a family member would walk with the mule in case of any problems. They would go 40 miles a day with or against a 1 or 2 mph current.

We finished the C&O Towpath. Good riddance. While beautiful and historic, the trail was a mess and we were ready to move on from the rain, mud and cold. Despite the trail, we were never discouraged. Our continual enthusiasm lasted in large part because the three of us laughed easily together.

10/ 2 Cumberland to Confluence (GAP 62 MP) Day Mileage 64.5 (253.9 total)

Sleep last night did not come easy. We camped closely positioned between a train track and a busy road. The ground shook when then train went by and car drivers wanted to be “friendly” so they honked throughout the night.

Bruce called this day “the longest day,” using a D-day analogy. We would cover more miles on the trail than any other day, the first 24 miles uphill. Rob, the experienced biker of our threesome, made it clear that if the sag (as in sag behind) van was approaching that he was going to “ditch” Bruce and me in fear of being picked up and humiliated. We hit the road at 7:30 a.m. as the sun rose over the mountains.

The Great Allegheny Passage Trail is crushed limestone, not dirt like the C& O towpath. The weather was cool (high 40s), overcast and, most importantly, dry. The hill has an elevation increase of 1800 feet over 24 miles. This long slow climb with a train track on our left turned out to be easy compared to the day before. We passed the Mason Dixon Line on the way up. No sag van for the three BOBs.

Near the top of the mountain, just prior to the Big Savage Tunnel, we had the best vistas on the trip. Big Savage Tunnel is over a half mile long and just reopened last year after an expensive update. It was extremely cold in the tunnel with a temperature drop into the 30s. We were surprised coming out of the tunnel with a strong head wind creating a wind chill in the mid 30s. We felt like it was going to snow and we were in our bike shorts. Within two miles, we crossed the Continental Divide and saw recent signs of bear activity on the trail (i.e. bear scat).

The trees turned beautiful fall colors on our downhill trek as we went past a park of 20 windmills in Meyersdale. Meyersdale to Rockwood was very cold but gorgeous as we went along the shallow Casselman River through farmland. We stopped at the Rockwood Opera House for much needed hot chocolate.

If pressed, Rockwood to Ohiopyle was my favorite part of our trip for its beauty (water, bridges, foliage, mountain laurel and limestone boulders) and solitude (our only experience with no cell service). The longest day ended at 5 p.m. in Confluence with Rob, who steamed ahead, graciously setting up camp for Bruce and me. While it was the longest day it was not the toughest day. Yesterday took that honor.

10/ 3 Confluence to West Newton (GAP 113 MP) Day Mileage 55.4 (309.3 total)

It was in the mid 40s when we started to ride, but we knew what to expect so we dressed appropriately. The real issue now and for the rest of the trip was soreness, not in our legs, but on our backsides from time in the bike saddle.
It is here that the Casselman River flowed into the more powerful Youghiogheny River, or the Yough for short. We saw more great bridges, limestone cliffs and mountain laurel. At the end of the trail today we went thru some old company built coal towns. In Connellsville, we stopped for lunch at the Hometown Diner.

At dinner, we got an award (free tee shirts) for having the best group name, the BOBs. We then proceeded to a dessert party at the local West Newton Moose Lodge. They brought in a bluegrass band for us. This was the site of my most embarrassing moment of the trip as I put my headlight in my front pocket. I was talking to a female rider and she pointed out, in front of my buddies, that my light was on and showing through my pants. Laughter resulted and no appropriate comeback was possible on my part.

10/ 4 West Newton to Pittsburgh (GAP 150 MP) Day Mileage 35.5 (344.8 total)

We woke to the sound of rain hitting our tent at 5 a.m. At 5:30, the rain briefly turned to sleet. At 6, it was off and on rain. Fortunately, the rained stopped after the first hour of riding. The trail was bumpier and had more street crossings as we went through small neighborhoods.

Being excited, we made great time riding to the gathering area at the McKeesport Marina. We were only slowed by a flat to Rob’s front tire, our only flat on the trip. After an early lunch, we had a police escort the rest of the way to Point State Park via the Riverton Bridge, Route 837, The Waterfront, Kennywood and Sandcastle. We went past the plaques for the 1755 Battle of the Monongahela and the deadly Homestead Steel Strike of 1892.

Our Venture Outdoors group was the first to cross the newly renovated Hot Metal Bridge then down the bike path onto the Boulevard of the Allies. I slipped on my biking rain hat (a women’s blue and white shower cap) over my helmet so my family could spot me. What a rush or borrowing a popular movie phrase, it “was totally wicked! “ riding through the city. We arrived at Point State Park to a band playing and families waving at 1:30 p.m.

By George, we did it! 344.8 miles! Just like, well almost like, how George did it.

The Post Script

Rob Morrison

What A Horribly Messy Wonderful Time! So why exactly did I do this ride? Mainly the challenge. I knew I had it in my heart, but did I have it in my legs after a four year “pause” from biking? Desire took over and even before the riding started I knew I had it licked. It was hot, freezing cold, humid, wet, muddy (like 4 inch deep cold oatmeal muddy), windy, sunny, and even a touch of sleet. In short, it was fabulous! And I’d do it all again in a skinny minute.

Did I learn anything from this experience? I learned that a man’s strength is not dictated by his age. I learned the importance of being prepared for every kind of weather imaginable. And I learned just how important it is to sit around at the end of a hard day and share stories - and a few good belly laughs - with your friends. Without my friends - both new and old - this would have been just another ride. Romans 12:10

Bruce Thomas

For the last 25 years I have been a spectator, watching sports on TV or at my children’s sporting events. I had wanted to do this trip for quite some time but only thought about it. Finally I got off the couch, bench etc. and did it! Man was it fun, it exceeded my imagination. I got to see things and experience things you can’t going 65 mph on the highway. Lot’s of great sights, some mud, rain, and sleet, but it was all worth it. Lastly, I got to spend time with some good men, the BOBs. They were encouraging (I was often behind them) and there they would be waiting for me, no man left behind (thanks Scott) or giving me a push from behind (thanks Rob). We got to share a lot and had great fellowship, thank you BOBs. So how do I sum it up, get off the couch and live your dream. Philippians 4:13

Scott Moore

This was one of the best things I have ever done. I loved the challenge, the beauty, the history and the fellowship. Being out of my element, I am hoping that it has taught me to be more vulnerable and more trusting of God in other areas of my life. Proverbs 1:33

Venture Outdoors 250 Bike Tour Met the Challenge

Robert Zoppetti made history during the 250 Bike Tour from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh for the city’s birthday celebration. Not only was he part of the first large group to ride over the new Riverton Bridge in McKeesport, but he was the oldest in the Venture Outdoors Bike 250 group to do so. At 76 years old, Zoppetti biked the 335 mile-long journey in 8 days, meeting up with the PNC Legacy Relay Riders in McKeesport.

He was one of 87 riders who share his story of determination along the trail. The Venture Outdoors 250 Bike Tour, in conjunction with the PNC Legacy Trail Ride, the PNC Legacy Relay, and the Trail Town Celebrations along the Great Allegheny Passage, made for a hugely successful commemoration of Pittsburgh’s 250th birthday. Read more

Kayak Pittsburgh Election Tees Just $5

With just a few weeks until Election Day, make sure you are ready with one of the new Kayak Pittsburgh Political Tees. Get yours for just $5 until November 4 at the Venture Outdoors Gear Store.

VO Members Receive $5 Off All Paddling Trips throughout October

October is your last chance to get out on the water this season, so grab a jacket and come check out the beautiful fall foliage. Venture Outdoors members receive $5 off all paddling trips throughout October. Simply use the promotion code 10PdDsc08 when registering. Click here to go straight to the Activities Calendar.

AutumnFest this Sunday October 12

Looking for a way to fill your BYE WEEK afternoon this Sunday?
Join us for the first-ever Members’ Day AutumnFest at the newly-renovated Chapel Shelter in Riverview Park. Our friends at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts will be there with another great art activity all day long, and our friends from REI will be there to get the autumnal spirit going with marshmallow-toasting over a small campfire and a prize give-away.
Read more

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