We had breakfast again at G.I. Dayroom, which was clearly the place to be. We were served eggs and pancakes with a happy face. Maybe they were happy because the whole town was preparing to receive the 300+ sojourners that were riding behind us. We found at the restaurant the lady with the broken tire who had been able to fix the problem because a local gave her a ride to the nearest bike shop.
We went up steep Main St to the railroad station turned museum. We met a few people that were on the trail and the many volunteers at the station, who were also very excited while waiting for the 300+ sojourners. Bars and restaurants were planning to open early to give meals during the USA vs. Germany game.
If we could, we would give Meyersdale a gold medal in friendliness; everybody was amazingly nice. We decide to invest in their economy a bit more and bought the official trail jerseys. We had to go, today was another short ride but with a lot to see!
We left town and continued climbing for a few miles, went over a few bridges and a viaduct and reached the Eastern Continental Divide. From now on, the water will no longer flow towards the Gulf of Mexico but towards the Chesapeake Bay. Chesapeake is a familiar word. Feels like home!
We started descending to the Big Savage Tunnel. It was nice to be able to coast for the first time during the trip! The Big Savage Tunnel is the longest tunnel on the GAP. Built in 1912, it cuts through 3,330 feet through the mountain and was reconstructed for trail use in 2003. The tunnel is lit, but you need some more light to make it through. And it is cold, too!
Less than 2 miles later, we reached the Mason-Dixon line. Due to boundary disputes between Maryland and Pennsylvania, prospectors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were commissioned to survey the boundaries between the colonies. They created a line of remarkably accuracy. There we chatted with a few people who were going the opposite way.
Three miles later we went through the Borden Tunnel, which is not lit, but shorter than the previous one (975 feet). It was dark but feasible.
We were enjoying the descent that took us to Frostburg. There the downtown is an uptown, meaning you have to climb. A sign said: "Cold beer 300 yards up the road." We had to have a cold beer, then. You can go up a steep hill or use the switchbacks that will take you to the train station. We decided to take the switchbacks, which were OK, but the gravel was very loose. We would leave the steep hill for the descent. |
There is a tourist train that goes from Cumberland to Frostburg and brings people into town. The train had just arrived when we reached the station so we were lucky enough to see one of the main attractions: the turntable that turns the train engine around.
After the break we kept coasting down towards Cumberland. In this portion of the trail, you ride next to the railroad tracks. Then Kiko had a flat! He grabbed one the extra tubes from the tool's bag and found out that it wasn't right for the bike. He then started to patch the punched tube when a couple of women who were also riding the trail stopped to help. They gave us some extra self adhesive patches that were very helpful since the tube had 5 holes. The women continued their trip while Kiko was putting the wheel back on the bike. When he pumped the tire he realized that there were more holes on it. At this point another cyclist stopped to help us. His name was Bob, he gave us a new tube, Kiko replaced it and we were ready to go. After putting the wheel back on the bike the back brake was hitting the rim. At this point Kiko was so tired of dealing with the puncture that he decided to detach the back brake and go down using only the front one. The incline of the hill was not too much so it was safe to do that.
We finally arrived to Cumberland and stopped in the local bike shop/home brewing supplies store to buy some extra tubes and have Kiko's brakes fixed. Then we checked into the hotel, had a couple of craft beers at the local pub and had dinner. We had completed the Great Allegheny Passage.
Beer of the day: Left Hand 400 Pound Monkey, Longmont, CO
Dinner: Baltimore St. Grill, Cajun-inspired food
Bird of the day: American Robin, because there were millions of them!