Monday, August 4, 2008 – Day 43

Start: Washington, Pennsylvania
End: Confluence, Pennsylvania
Miles: 91.59 Total Miles: 3,219.19 BRAA Total Miles: 3,041.20
Time: 6 hours 9 minutes (avg 14.9 MPH)
Flat tire count today: 0 Total flat tires for the ride: 10

This morning was a cold start. The temperature was in the mid 50s when we got going. It took several miles to get warmed up. Then the hills started. We had quite a few hills during the first half of the ride. There were two really good size climbs mixed in as well.

We rode through the Mingo Creek Park in the morning. It was beautiful. It reminded me so much of my time riding in the national park in Ohio. It was so peaceful to just ride casually and look at the trees and river along the way.

We were tracking along the Monogahela River for part of the morning. The river is the result of the Ohio River and the Alegheny River meeting. They combine to form the Monogahela River. It is quite a large river.

A little less than half way through the ride, we reached the Youghiogheny River. There is a trail that runs along the river and that was our route for the last 52 miles of the ride. The trail is made of crushed limestone and my mountain bike just loved it. There was basically no grade for the entire 52 miles. It was enjoyable and the scenery was nice as well. The trail is part of the rails to trails project where old railroad routes are converted into biking and walking trails. The trail stretches from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland where it meets up with the C&O Canal trail that can be ridden all the way into Washington, DC. We will not be following the trail that way, but it is wonderful to see a trail that runs for so many miles. Here is what the Youghiogheny River Trail looks like.

Here is a short video of us riding on the trail.

While on the trail, we reached the official 3,000 mile mark for the ride. I say official because I have bonus and other miles that took me over 3,000 several days ago. It is exciting to finally reach the 3,000 mile mark. That means we now have less than 300 miles to go before entering DC.

We know that we have less than 300 miles to go now since while at a rest stop, we saw this sign.

This rest stop was provided by a Big Ride Alum from 2000 named Fred Husak. He provided sandwiches, chips, fruit, and drinks for the riders. To top it all off, there was an ice cream shop in the park where the stop was and we were treated to unlimited ice cream. Thank you very much Mr. Husak. I know we all appreciated it very much.

Finally, we crossed the Youghiogheny River toward the end of the ride. There were a lot of river rafters riding down the river and enjoying the small rapids. We are spending the night in the Outflow Campground. Its name comes from the fact that it is at the point where there is a dam that holds back the river waters. We are staying right across from the point where the water from the dam flows out. It is pretty loud, but I don’t think I will have any trouble sleeping through it.