M³: McKeesport - Meyersdale - McKeesport PA May 2003 Bike Trip Report

Trip Report from McKeesport PA to Meyersdale, Overnight at the Hostel, and back to McKeesport in May 2003: 210 Miles in 2 Days

July 2005: Although Linking Up remains the premier gotta-have guide to planning a trip along the Pgh-Cumberland route, there's a new addition. TrailBook 2005 : Linking Trail Users and Businesses Along the Great Allegheny Passage is a new guide book available at the ATA website (I got mine at a bike shop). Includes detailed info on businesses along the trail: eating, lodging, etc. If you're a first time traveller you'll really find the info useful. If you're a veteran trail user, you'll still want this book for the Tyvek map folded inside the rear cover. The Tyvek map itself is worth the small cost of the book.

This is a report of a bike ride from McKeesport, PA east to Meyersdale, PA, an overnight hostel stay in Meyersdale, and a return trip from Meyersdale to McKeesport on May 22-23, 2003. 210 Miles in 2 Days. On our trip we saw bluebirds, cardinals, orioles, finches, a grouse, rabbits, deer, a dead snake, waterfalls, white water, rivers, and some breathtaking views.

As we planned and prepared for the trip we relied on http://www.atatrail.org as a primary resource. It's a great website, frequently updated, and I rely upon it as authoritative. Another invaluable resource we relied upon and carried with us was a small book, Linking Up: Your Traffic Free Bike Trip Between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC by Mary Shaw, Roy Weil
.

Our party consisted of three- Mark, Mike, and Ed- who've been riding for a little while, Mark more than the rest of us. We've ridden the C&O Canal trail from Cumberland to DC before. After the opening of the Big Savage tunnel this August we hope to ride the entire trail. So it seemed a reasonable interim step to go from Pittsburgh to Cumberland in the spring as a warm-up and an introduction to the unfamiliar half of the trip.

Planning. The tortuous process of our plans.
We each blocked 3 days off from our schedules, Thursday-Friday-Saturday, and resolved to wait until the eve of the trip to look at the weather forecast and pick two days to ride.

As we initially planned our spring trip from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, we were faced with a few issues. The Pittsburgh side of the trail actually begins in McKeesport. Although there are published on-road alternatives from the 'Burgh proper to McKeesport, and while we've all ridden on roads before, it seemed prudent to start where the trail starts, so we downsized our vision to McKeesport-Cumberland, 135 miles.

Then the issue is the logistics of the trip: 135 miles isn't really quite enough distance for a two-day trip, and getting home from Cumberland is a trick. An outfitter proposed to shuttle the three of us and our bikes home for around $280. Then one of the guys suggested: instead of going McKeesport-Cumberland, let's ride McKeesport-Rockwood (90 miles), stay overnight, and return the next day. The advantage would be two full days of exercise, no return logistics, and no riding on roads. We also found that there's a B&B right on the trail at Rockwood.

As we planned the trip further we considered going McKeesport-Meyersdale, advertised as 103 miles. Mike and I had never ridden 100 miles before, and the thought of doing a 100-mile day was attractive. The excellent ATA trail website offered a list of hotels in Meyersdale, http://www.atatrail.org/amenities/aht12.htm, but no rooms were available as our timeframe coincided with the 50th high school reunion of the Class of '53. So we wanted to do Meyersdale but could only find lodging at Rockwood. And Mark was really in favor of staying at a place with a hot tub, hoping to soak out the day's strains; I could not find a place with a hot tub anywhere. This is not an Embassy Suites environment.

Then we found out about the Meyersdale Trail Hostel, http://www.meyersdale.org/trail/hostel.html , offering a place to stay overnight for $15 a person. None of us had stayed at a hostel so it was an intriguing thought, it's always seemed like a cool thing that I've never done. The hostel is supported by local volunteers interested in advocating their town's trail presence.

We planned to ride McKeesport - Meyersdale, 103 miles in one day, overnight in Meyersdale at the Hostel, and return the next day. The weather forecast for our Thursday-Friday-Saturday window indicated cloudy Thursday, rain Friday, rain Saturday, so we selected Thursday-Friday.

A few days before the ride I went to McKeesport to locate the trailhead. I went to Kennywood, followed 837 South, then a left at the fork onto 148 South to McKeesport. Go all the way through town on Lisle Blvd, the main drag. At the far end of town, (all on the right) there's a newspaper building, then the municipal building, then an eggshell war memorial, then the police parking lot. If you go past the police parking lot and cross the next bridge you've gone too far-- don't cross that bridge when you come to it, take the last right just before the bridge and you'll curve down to the parking lot.

In the marina area you'll see a flagpole and a marker for the USS McKeesport, which I take is the start of the trail. From the flagpole and looking at the river, the trail begins to your left. There's a two-lane road which parallels the river that has signs with the trail logo (see YRT logo); as you follow the road behind Kane Hospital there's a traffic circle and the dirt/limestone trail begins.

I visited the municipal building and asked about parking two cars for a few days, they told me it would be Ok if we parked in the extreme lower part of the municipal lot and told them what days we would be there. They were very nice.

Stuff: What I packed.

Clothing is equipment. I carried a cold-weather neoprene jacket that I use in the winter down to 25F, a bright yellow nylon jacket, nylon pants, running tights, shorts, long-sleeve T, long-sleeve mock turtle, and lots of socks. I carried both full-fingered gauntlet gloves (Pearl Izumi) and normal padded half-finger gloves.

I carried trail maps and printouts, along with the amenities page for each segment, and a PA AAA tour-book. I kept everything in my panniers in large Ziploc bags since nothing is worse than wet gear.

I carried a cell phone, my Palm Pilot, bug repellent, a compass, spare inner tubes, patches, pump, WD-40, chain links and chain tool, spoke wrench, CO₂ inflator, allen wrenches, and a Leatherman tool. Toiletries, toilet paper, wet wipes, sunglasses, 800-mg Motrin's, and Breath-Right strips.

The Breathe-Right strips were problematic. I tried getting them to adhere at McKeesport, the first few wouldn't, then one stayed on for about 15 miles. Then at Ohiopyle (60 miles) I managed to get one to stay on, and it lasted for 20 miles. I love the increased airflow, it's like getting another nostril, but I think I must not be applying them correctly. Mark said they sell a Sports version with a stronger glue, I'm going to look for that.

Every time we stopped near a store, I continued with four full water bottles (two on the frame, two in the front panniers) and a larger bottle in a rear pannier. We drank a 50/50 Gatorade/Water mix. I carried PowerBars and PowerGel.

I used two smallish rear panniers, a rack bag, and two low-center-of-gravity front panniers. Mike carried two big rear panniers with a big rack bag. Mark used a rear rack bag that was expanded like a Dagwood sandwich and also carried a Camelback; Mark carried the most extensive tool kit among the three of us.

Next time I will also pack: neosporin, padded shorts, a flashlight, dental floss, wire wraps, sun block, Vaseline, easy-glide, a ballcap, my Tevas, and more clothing. And my camera.

Starting
The night before the trip we all packed up our gear; the weather forecast was cloudy/cold on Thursday, rainy-cold Friday. We'd agreed to start off as close to sunrise as we could manage to minimize the risk of riding at night at the destination. We anticipated making an average speed of 12 mph on the trail, for 8 hours of pedaling, and figured we'd use 10 or 11 hours of clock time from start to finish.

We met at the McDonald's by Kennywood, then drove together to McKeesport, and left signs in our car dashboards explaining that we were riding the trail (we'd called the office the day before to confirm our dates). We were each carrying a lot of water, bars and gels.

I should perhaps mention our bikes. We each rode mountain bikes with quasi-hybrid tires in the 26x1.5 to 26x1.9 range, with tread on them (they're not slick) but certainly not knobby tires. All three of our bikes came from the wonderful Ambridge Bike Shop. I should mention that just before the ride Mike had a major bike problem that threatened the trip and the good folks at Snitger's in Beaver took care of him in a pinch.

The division of supplies and roles among us was quite informal. Mark carries an extensive tool kit, Mike brought a bounty of drinks and Gatorade, and I had an anal-retentive package of info, maps, and printouts of each trail segment.

First Day
I made us late by leaving my house 30 minutes late, which cascaded through me picking up Mike and then rendezvousing with Mark at the Kennywood McDonalds.

We pushed off on our bikes at 0650 and it was cold (45F). We started at the Marina, followed the road signs to Kane and joined the trail, which worked through McKeesport. Signs said that the trail ahead was closed due to a landslide the previous day between McKeesport and Boston (which left me concerned that our planning had only been effective for about a mile). At one point we were on a dirt trail with three forks and spent a little time probing each to figure out where the path was. We ended up finding our way through and we transitioned back to the trail in Boston PA.

The trail became much more scenic in Boston. I wore a cold weather jacket, gauntlet gloves, and nylon pants over running tights and it felt brisk. Mike wore bib shorts, a shirt and a jacket, and his teeth were chattering.

There was one tree down across the path which we had to work around, but generally the trail condition was excellent. We were out quite early and we had the trail to ourselves, but as the morning developed we began to see some people on the trail. It's a nice area, pretty scenery and small towns, not in any way monotonous to travel through.

We stopped at 10 miles when Mark prompted us to remember to hydrate, which means: drink. He has a lot of experience, among the three of us he's the guru, and he did a really good job through the trip of reminding us "Are you eating? Are you drinking?" I attribute our enjoyable success to his gentle reminders.

At Boston I was pleased to see a bike shop and a drug store at the trailhead; they weren't open yet but it's always nice to know where a shop is. (The ATATrail.org site lists shops and amenities along the trail).

We saw our first cyclist between Boston and Connellsville who was stopping at a trail bench to have what looked like a breakfast yogurt. We continued on to Connellsville, which has a nicely developed trailhead with really nice bathrooms. Where the trail cuts through the town they've blocked off a portion of some streets to serve as a dedicated bike boulevard -- instead of painted bike lanes, this was a bike lane protected by concrete, it's one of the nicest bike accommodations I've ever seen, so "kudos to Connellsville". There's also a bike shop along the trail in town.

As we took a break at the Connellsville rest stop the cyclist we'd passed earlier rode in and said good morning; she's Mary Pezze, and has a B&B in Boston PA that focuses on trail users. http://www.brightmornbb.com/ It was really cool to see somebody involved in the trail who's also a serious trail user- she told us what she knew about trail conditions ahead. She's really looking forward to the trail going all the way into Pittsburgh because she thinks that will bring more people out to Boston.

As we rode through a lot of small towns that have done a very nice job of accommodating and marking the trail I puzzled over how these smaller communities were able to do such a good job, while a place with the resources and regional focus of Pittsburgh hasn't done it's part yet. What's up with a DC-to-Pittsburgh trail that ends in McKeesport? Hello, Regional Asset District?

Connellsville to Ohiopyle was a more challenging segment than we expected because of the uphill grade; we'd assumed it would be a fairly level transition but there's a noticeable gradient on this segment. Just before Ohiopyle is a high bridge in a remarkable scene, a definite "wow" moment.

At Ohiopyle we stopped at the visitor's center and found some brand-new trail maps which were very informative; they included the elevation info (table) that I hadn't seen anywhere else. If you're planning a trip you want to get one of these.

We ate lunch and met a member of the ATA board who talked to us about the Big Savage tunnel project (probably open in late August, she said) and the progress in Maryland along the Pa/Md border to Cumberland segment. I should include a link to a safety notice: the tunnel is closed and dangerous. When we told her about our itinerary she said, "Oh you're doing the M&M" (Meyersdale-McKeesport). We didn't know it had an acronym. (Although I think our round trip M-M-M qualifies as M³).

Along the trail we were generally alone, but within a short distance of each trailhead we encountered local trail users- people walking, folks on bikes. Approaching Ohiopyle there's more people on the trail, including some groups who may not be as familiar with bike trails as the average rider, so passing can be an adventure.

Cell phone coverage was available in Ohiopyle. We stocked up on water and Gatorade at the general store. Mike had decided that Snickers bars were working better for him than power bars, so we all bought a few candy bars. We also decided that it was more effective to drink a 50-50 Gatorade-water mix.

Ohiopyle to Confluence was a nice ride, and Confluence is very attractive. It's another "wow" moment. There's an excellent restaurant with a wrap-around porch on the other side of the river. We took a half-hour break on the second Confluence bridge.

As we entered the trail on the east side of Confluence we saw a sign advising there was no cell phone coverage for the next 30 miles. In truth, cell phone coverage is unreliable over most of the trail. We each tried to call home with mixed results.

The last 30 miles of the trip were hard. We went from stopping every 10-12 miles to stopping every 8 miles, and in the last hours we found ourselves stopping every 6 miles to rest, drink and eat.

This is a climbing portion of the trip (it's a steady grade; you don't go up and down, just continually up) , and we encountered some wet trail and chilly conditions.

I encountered my first mechanical problem as I rode over a wet stick that stuck to my front tire and rotated up into my fender brackets and pannier supports, knocking the pannier support out of the dropout and breaking the rivets that connect the dropout arms to the trailing edge of the fender. Which led me to reflect: everything you put on your bike is something that can break, and I wished I'd put some dental floss in my kit. I used to carry it to tie things up but I stopped carrying it a while ago, but today I needed it. We resorted to a trailside kludge that got me back on the trail, which is a good thing because we were in the middle of NoWhere and cell phones weren't working.

Here's my ache-mantra in three words: Motrin, Motrin, Motrin. I took one at the start, one at Ohiopyle, and one just before the end of the ride. I also think that crucial factors in completing the ride successfully were frequent eat/drink mini-stops and the company I was with. I suspect that by myself I would have knocked off.

Confluence to Rockwood was a challenging ride, probably because of the distance we'd already done as well as the incremental altitude. At Rockwood we saw the trailside B&B which looked very nice. Interestingly they're also an authorized Trek dealer and rent bikes on the weekend.

The last ten miles were hard, hard, hard. Conditions were cold, wet and dusky. (I have a three-fold criteria: Cold, Wet, Dark-- I can do any 2 out of 3, but all three is my definition of "this is what sucks".)

Before you get to the Salisbury Viaduct you'll see some way cool windmills and today they were sort of ghost-like in the fog.

Then another major "wow" is the Salisbury Viaduct, a dramatic span converted to trail use.

After exiting the east end of the Salisbury Viaduct, the quality of the trail deteriorates significantly. The trail from the Viaduct into Meyersdale is very rough, primitive, and unimproved. When you come off the viaduct you're presented with an unmarked fork; we went straight and it worked.

The Viaduct-Meyersdale leg was a difficult ride. Although we knew we were on the verge of arriving, the trail was unmarked so we were uncertain of our progress, the trail was primitive, and it was dark, cold, and wet. But we eventually came to the old train station at the Meyersdale trailhead, which looks wonderfully restored.

We arrived at 8:20 pm, way off our sanguine estimate of 6-ish. So for the A-R among us: we pedaled 9:15, start to finish was 13:30, our average speed was 11.5, and our actual distance was 105 (some brief detours). I do think that our emphasis on getting on the trails early was appropriate. We arrived Thursday night on the brink of darkness. We had needed that early start (which I delayed).

Overnight
At 8:30 pm we were at risk of not finding an open place to eat. We were uncertain of how to locate the hostel from the trailhead, so we called the hostel number and they gave us great directions: down hill into town, straight ahead till a dead-end, it's the last building on the right.

A local volunteer came out and opened the hostel for us. I cannot say enough positive things about the hospitality we were shown in Meyersdale. She came out on a lousy night for three strangers and set us up in the hostel, gave us keys, and recommended restaurants that might still be open.

We put our bikes into the building and went out in search of dinner. The first place was closed, the second place had closed their kitchen (although they gave us good friendly advice on where to turn next) and then Mark stopped in the drug store to buy some full-fingered cotton gloves for the next day. A resident saw us shuffling around town and gave us a lift to Fox's Pizza, where we ate a huge volume of pizza and were awfully glad to have it.

Although the food was basic and not the repast we'd fantasized over on the bike ride, when we each described our perfect meal at the end of the day (mine was lemon water, salad, lasagna, cheescake with either blueberries or strawberries, cafe latte) it was a wonderful meal. When you're cold, wet, tired, and hungry, good hot food is a feast. It reminded me quite viscerally of the lines from Gunga Din:

Though it was crawling and it stunk
Of all the drinks I've drunk
I'm most grateful for the one from Gunga Din.

At the restaurant Mike suggested that given our "lesson learned" about the climbs from Connellsville to Meyersdale, perhaps instead of riding east from Pittsburgh to DC in September, we might ride from DC west to Pittsburgh, which we thought was an excellent idea. Analyzing the day and the difference between our 13.5 hour experience and our 10 hour plan, we though that some of our stops had been too long (we probably stopped 15 times). Mike suggested that if we rode a bit slower, we might stop less frequently and actually make better time. We returned to the Hostel for the night during a break in the rain.

I would like to say a few words about the Hostel: I highly recommend it. The people in Meyersdale have set up a space in the basement of the local Community Center, which is a former high school. So when we were let in, we left our bikes in the gym. The hostel is in the basement, and consists of two shower rooms, a large common space with rows of new bunk beds, and a table and some chairs, and a rest room.

It was clean, safe, dry, and heated. There were packages of sheets, towels, and blankets for our use. Just to be clear: this is not a two-star hotel, this is a bare-bones basic hostel, and it is a most excellent facility. I recommend it and I will stay there again in the future. Staying in the hostel was another great aspect of our adventure. It was much better than the Embassy Suites, and there isn't any Embassy Suites there anyway.

The hot showers were a wonderful thing after a day on the trail. I think we were all surprised at how good we felt physically after riding 105 miles; we were not as tapped out as I would have expected. We were in our beds by ten pm with our wet clothing hanging out to dry, having agreed to set alarms for 0530 in hopes of hitting the trail at 0700.

As I fell asleep I was very concerned about the next day's weather. The forecast promised rain, and I was really disinclined to go ride 105 miles on muddy trails in the rain. We all were riding fairly narrow tires (1.5 to 1.9 inches) and I did not think we would do well with them in the rain. I did not want to let Mike and Mark down, but I was considering that if we got on the trail and conditions were very wet and muddy, it might be time to use the plastic and rent a car.

We were up at 0520 and I think we'd all had a good night's sleep. We began our ablutions and preparations, cleaning out the wrappers and bottles that accumulated in our bags during the previous day and packing up our stuff for the ride. Everything I'd taken off the previous night was still wet, and I was glad to have a dry shirt to put on. I think next time I'll pack more clothing. It would have been wonderful to have access to a dryer, and given enough time I'm sure I could have scrounged one, but we got in late and woke up early, and there's no concierge service that I saw.

We left the hostel as clean as we found it, put the keys in their place and let ourselves out, the doors locking behind us. For breakfast we went to a place the hostel recommended, the "GI Dayroom" and it was excellent. We had coffee, pancakes, eggs, and hash browns. The service was top-notch, the quality and quantity of the food was great, and the prices were reasonable. I highly recommend this as a breakfast or lunch stop; I believe they're not open for dinner. All the locals in the place were nice and interested in what we were doing. On the television the Channel 6 weather indicated we might avoid the major rain which was tracking north-east, away from the trail.

Then we went to the local Sheetz convenience store for water, drinks, and (following Mike's initiative) king-sized candy bars, mostly Snickers and Three Musketeers. They had bananas and muffins and they were also interested in what we were doing on the trail and very nice to us.

Second Day
To give you an idea of the conditions that morning, check out the Pittsburgh Post Gazette or the Washington Post about a highway pileup in the fog.

Fed and supplied, we were facing our destiny and went uphill to the train station. We entered the trail at 0720, a bit later then we'd planned but we had a good start to the day. Again, the train from the Meyersdale station to the Cumberland viaduct is primitive and rough. We began in cold foggy conditions. The trail condition improves miraculously on the west side of the Cumberland viaduct, and before long the weather conditions were also improving. The trail was not wet and muddy; it was moist but certainly usable. I think we didn't say anything about our luck with the weather for fear of tempting fate.

We stopped at Rockwood beside the B&B for a break, and then we stopped at the half-way point to Confluence. This was a much nicer ride westbound than eastbound. When we stopped in Confluence we calculated that we'd taken 4 hours to cover the Confluence-Meyersdale 30 miles eastbound, and used 3 hours to do it westbound (although a mitigating factor may be that the four hours were at the end of our day, and the three hours were when we were fresh).

I took a major spill in Confluence where the path descends and turns to go under a bridge. It was wet and I was too fast, and when I braked I locked up the rear wheel, it slid, and physics asserted itself. No damage and just a bit of road rash.

Between Confluence and Ohiopyle we began to hope that our fears about the weather might not come to pass. There was actually some breaks in the overcast and a little blue sky could be glimpsed.

Approaching Ohiopyle at noon on Friday we encountered heavy trail traffic, lots of little kids who are risk factors in that you don't know what they're going to do as you approach them (they will stop five abreast on the path in front of you, etc).

Stopped in Ohiopyle for lunch at the River's Edge Cafe. Mike and I ordered the spaghetti (carbs) and they said "Sorry it's lunchtime", but we said please and they kindly accommodated us. After a great meal I managed to get a Breathe-Right to stick (and it stayed for another 63 miles).

Ohiopyle to Connellsville, which was a hard segment eastbound, was a nice ride westbound. We began to see more blue sky and sunshine. Connellsville is a nice town which seems to have done a lot for bicycles and in case I failed to mention it: great bathrooms. There's a mileage sign at the building that seemed like a great photo opportunity. At Connellsville the weather had improved to the point that we packed up our jackets for the rest of the ride.

Connellsville to West Newton was a nice run, we stopped in the middle and then just short of West Newton I got a flat, which Mark was most helpful with. It struck me that if I'd had the flat last night with 6 miles to go (wet/cold/dark), it would have been a heart-breaker.

As we'd done the day before, our desire for breaks became more frequent as the day progressed, usually every 8 miles or so for the second half of the trip. The breaks were a mixed blessing; it was great to get off the bike but the interface with the bike seat was a painful reunion when it was time to saddle-up again.

At West Newton we saw the Bright Morning B&B which looked very nice. Then we discussed our progress and I talked about how we were tired and we should guard against getting hurt during the last segments of the ride, and so of course I later fell again.

West Newton to Boston was a great ride, pretty scenery, nice small towns. At Boston we encountered the signs for the landslide closure, but in the interval somebody had painted bike trail detour signs in the streets of McKeesport (bless them!) and I was really impressed at their responsiveness.

The ride from Boston to McKeesport was fast, and within a half-mile of the finish we approached a traffic circle behind the Kane Hospital (we were moving quickly) and I lost it when I hit a patch of sand and gravel and went down hard. No permanent damage to the bike, I had a little bit of blood and some scrapes, I think it startled Mark and Mike because I was behind them and they said it sounded bad. I am chagrined that after giving the "let's be careful on the last leg" pitch that I went down within sight of the finish. Doh!

We got back on our bikes and rode to the finish and then to the parking lot, where (joy) the cars were still there, no tickets or flats. The skies were turning dark and it was beginning to sprinkle; we'd arrived just before a major storm approached. It was exhilarating to accomplish the ride, 210 miles over 2 days.

Here's what we looked like at the finish (click on thumbnails for full-size):

Summary:
The numbers from Meyersdale to McKeesport: 105 miles, average speed 12.6 mph, pedal time 8:19, start-to-finish clock time 12:30. We took some pictures, called our wives and told them we were alive, and packed up our stuff in increasing rain. The cars started (always good) and we drove home in a deluge.

This was an excellent adventure. It was a pleasure to go with Mark and Mike, and I am not sure that I would have completed the trip solo. The distance was a bit arduous but the company was excellent.
The quality of companions was a definite factor. If these had been two guys I met at the trailhead it would not have been effective. But these were two people I've known for ten-plus years, who I've ridden with before, good senses of humor, guys you'd like to have with you in a pinch. So they were a real plus.

The psychology of the trip is interesting to me. On the first trip into the unknown, the last hours were uncertain and difficult. On the second day proceeding into known conditions, we felt much better when we should have been more fatigued, although the grade does favor the westbound (return) trip.

The trail was generally in excellent condition and well marked. The maps were sufficient for the trip. The people in Meyersdale and the hostel were very kind. I can't say enough about the hospitality in Meyersdale or the gracious parking accommodation in McKeesport.

The three bikes performed very well for us. Equipment was never an issue. I think that Mark and Mike suffered Thursday for lack of full-fingered gloves. We each spent around $75 for meals, drinks, snacks, and lodging for our two-day trip, which is a remarkable value.

It astounds me that Pittsburgh isn't moving on the Pittsburgh to DC trail, although perhaps they are and I'm just uninformed (which is often the case). I gained five pounds, which doesn't seem fair. And in September we think we're going to ride DC to Pittsburgh.

Lessons Learned:

• If you have a mechanical or medical crisis you're left to yourself. There is often no cellphone coverage.
• Start as early as possible.
• Carry your fluids with you; you'll need a lot. We drank a water/Gatorade mix.
• Frequent Breaks. Eat a lot enroute. Motrin. Padded shorts.
• The route enjoys great weather variations. The mountains are cold and wet. Toss some cotton gloves in the bag.
• It's hard to ride sunrise-sunset, get lunch and dinner, deal with housekeeping, get a good night's sleep and an early start.
• Next time I will also pack a flashlight, dental floss, wire wraps, sun block, Vaseline, easy-glide, and more clothing. And probably my camera.
• Westbound is nicer on this segment.