GAP and C&O Canal

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and C&O Canal trails run 333 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC. The GAP is owned by a variety of public and non-profit entities. The C&O Canal is managed by the National Park Service. This difference is important, because although on paper they seem like one long connected trail, in reality they are two very different experiences.

The GAP starts with 20 miles of paved urban / suburban trail leaving Pittsburgh, and then is mostly crushed limestone all the way to Cumberland, Maryland. The GAP is very well maintained, and long sections have recently received a surface refresh as of fall 2023. There are occasional free campgrounds along the trail, and enough potable water stops to keep you hydrated if you fill up when you have the chance.

The C&O Canal surface varies between two-track, occasionally single-track, and sometimes rough gravel roads. The first 30 miles coming out of Cumberland are mostly dirt and frequent pot holes. The last 30 miles heading into Washington, DC are rough gravel. The parts in the middle are in better shape as of Fall 2023, but mostly because they were nearly destroyed by flooding last spring and had to be replaced or refurbished. There are free campsites every five miles or so, with all including a water pump and porta-potty. But, the water is NOT potable. You must bring a water filter or other treatment system with you. Also, at least one of the pumps was not functional on my trip.

I had a chance to visit the Baltimore area in early September and brought my bike along. So this trip starts with two park camping experiences not included on the GAP / C&O Canal trails.

Cowan’s Gap State Park - Fort Loudon, Pennsylvania

Cowan’s Gap State Park is a 1,000 acre park in Fulton County, PA. It’s a nice little park down in the valley  between and north of McConnellsburg and Fort Loudon, with Mercersburg a bit further south on the Fort Loudon side. What makes the park significant to me is that it is where my parents met. My mother’s family rented a cottage at Cowan’s Gap for the entire summer throughout her teens. She essentially “grew up” at the park and was one of the park’s lifeguards in the late 1940s. My father’s family lived in Mercersburg and he visited the park often enough one summer to strike up a relationship with that lifeguard.

We visited the park occasionally when we were younger and hiked across the mountain once toward Knobsville. I stop in sometimes when I’m in the area to reminisce. The park is on the Tuscarora Trail, and so would be a very nice hiking destination. I’m not sure it’s very good for biking, but I was able to drive in and car-camp this part of the adventure.

I arrived just before dark and set up my tent mostly by flashlight. The campsite itself wasn’t particularly good. The campsites in my area were dirt and rocks (muddy after a very recent rain) and there was nothing resembling level. Other parts of the park would have been better choices for tent camping.

The park itself has very limited to no cell service. For Internet and phone calls I drove about five miles back up to the top of the mountain to near the cell tower by Route 30. But while there I also visited the location of the old fire tower, which provides a wonderful overlook of the valley to the east and beyond. The views of thunderstorm lightning to the east were spectacular.

I did ride my bike around the lake the next morning and the fog on the lake was beautiful.

Patapsco Valley State Park - Ellicott City, Maryland

Patapsco Valley State Park extends for 32 miles along the Patapsco River near Ellicott City, MD. I stayed in the Hollofield campground. Campsites were nice, well separated, and completely level. But they were also surfaced with crushed limestone. Pounding tent stakes in was challenging, to say the least.

There is a rough, rocky single-track trail that leads down into Ellicott City, and from there to anywhere you would want to go. While at the campground, I met another biker who was on his way south and west, with California as his final destination.

There is a nice single-track trail along the other side of the river, but because of the train track in between, there is no convenient way to get there. Since I was visiting family, we drove and parked on the other side and then walked that part of the trail. We passed several hikers and bikers along the way.

Ellicott City to Washington, DC, and then Pittsburgh

Day 0: 40 miles, 1,600 feet of elevation gain. For me to ride the GAP requires an Amtrak trip on the Capital Limited. I decided to bike from Ellicott City to Washington, DC to board the Amtrak train there for the trip to Pittsburgh. This part of the journey was surprisingly pleasant, for the most part. The first 20 miles were wonderful, and I would ride those trails regularly if I lived in the area. The next 10 miles were less fun, road riding with minimal shoulders. It wasn’t really unsafe, but there were a couple of drivers who were less bike-friendly than I prefer.

The last 10 miles were again surprisingly pleasant. Washington, DC has wonderful bike trails and paths, to the point where I was only a couple of miles from Union Station before it was clear that I was in a major metropolitan area. More cities should be this bike-friendly.

Riding the train with a bike was a new experience for me. For those who haven’t done it before, you reserve a spot for your bike when you purchase your ticket. There are eight bike slots in the baggage car. I got the last slot for my train, so plan ahead to ensure you can bring your bike with you. When they open boarding, those with bikes get to load first with those needing extra assistance. You take your bike directly to the baggage car and lift it up to the handler. You have to remove panniers, but you can leave water bottles and frame bags on, if you like.

At the end of the train ride, you go directly to the baggage car to retrieve your bike. One important note, be sure to visit the Amtrak office to get a baggage tag for your bike, and panniers if you want them to take them. I didn’t know about this. I had no trouble putting the bike and panniers on the train, but getting them back off without tags required a bit of negotiation and blaming people in DC for doing things they weren’t supposed to do.

The train ride from DC to Pittsburgh was uneventful. But be aware that significant parts of the journey have no cell service. Also, be aware that you arrive in Pittsburgh around midnight. The ride from the train station to my hotel was also uneventful. But in the “be aware” category, note that the street the train station is on is paved brick rather than asphalt, and many of the bricks are loose. They rock back and forth as you ride over them. It’s a bit disconcerting as you discover that in the middle of the night and can’t really see what’s going on.

Another “be aware” that surprised me was a tent city along the river essentially right in front of my hotel. I didn’t have any issues, but I wasn’t expecting to see this part of the city experience.

Pittsburgh to Ohiopyle

Day 1: 81 miles, 1,500 feet of elevation gain. As I left the hotel and found the GAP trail, I met another biker at a stop light and asked whether it was worth going to the official beginning of the trail. He said, absolutely, yes. So I headed west for a mile to visit Point State Park and start at Mile 0. I’m glad I did. It’s a pretty park, right across the river from Three Rivers Stadium.

As noted above, the first 20 miles of the GAP are typical urban / suburban bike trail, concrete or paved. There are a couple of river crossings. If you are a fan of steel architecture bridges, this part of the GAP would interest you. Otherwise, I’m getting a bit jaded in terms of urban riding along a river. The best ride along a river I had this year in terms of views was headed north out of Rockford, Illinois along the Rock River. That was beautiful. The Mississippi River around Davenport, Iowa is expansive, and to me also nicer than Pittsburgh.

After leaving the Pittsburgh area, the GAP is mostly crushed limestone all the way to Cumberland, Maryland. There are occasional water stops, and relatively rare free campsites. There is other camping available in private campgrounds, but I didn’t try any of those.

The GAP is always mentioned as a top-ten bike adventure. From my perspective, this must be because you can ride for so long on a trail with minimal grade change. There are just a few places with a really gorgeous view. Most of it is a “green tunnel” with an appreciation that a river is over there somewhere, mostly just out of sight. Particularly this first day, there just wasn’t a lot to see.

As with other bike adventures, I’ve found you have to plan out your food stops if you want to eat something other than what you are carrying. I stopped in Connellsville and I’m really glad I did. The first two places I tried were closed, but the third was open. Marlene's Corner Bar and Grill is a typical small town bar downtown with a long history. The bartender said “back in the day” they used to open at 7 a.m. to meet the needs of the third shift workers when their shift ended at the local manufacturing plant. I presume the plant is now closed and things are slower in Connellsville. But the beer and burger were good and it was a nice stop.

I should have stopped there and made camp for the evening. But it was late afternoon and I felt refreshed and ready to go another 20 miles. So I headed off just as it started to rain. It poured. For the next three hours, it poured. The trail was fine, and with appropriate clothing, riding in the rain wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. I kept a good pace, and arrived in Ohiopyle with about 45 minutes to go before dark. Here’s where my day, and really my whole trip, turned sour.

What I didn’t realize was that Ohiopyle State Park is at the top of a 0.4 mile 10%+ grade gravel path. Pushing my bike up the hill in the rain sucked. But then it got worse. I make it to the park, only to find that you have to go up to the park entrance to check in, and that’s another quarter mile plus of asphalt climb. By the time I got to the entrance and reserved a space, it was after sundown. By the time I found my campsite, it was almost dark. None of the sites in the area were at all level, and the site I had picked wasn’t even bike accessible. It had a long set of rock stairs to get to it. So I picked another site that had a semi-flat area and set up there in the dark by flashlight.

Then I went to take a shower. No dice. The facilities in this area of the campground were sinks only. So I sponged off and headed back to my tent to listen to the rain and/or trees drip for the rest of the night.

Ohiopyle to Cumberland

Day 2: 74 miles, maybe 1,000 feet of elevation gain. There are a gorge and a tunnel on this part of the trail that really confuse map software. Ride with GPS says I did 4,700 feet of elevation gain. There was nothing of the sort. It’s a 1% climb for around 80 miles, followed by a 20 mile 3% to 4% descent into Cumberland.

There is a very pretty gorge in Ohiopyle, and beautiful views coming down into Cumberland. You also get to cross the Eastern Continental Divide and the Mason-Dixon Line. That’s about it. Otherwise, it’s a lot more green tunnel, with occasional nice views overlooking the river. Day 2 of the GAP is certainly nicer than Day 1. If I were to do this ride again, I would consider starting in Connellsville rather than Pittsburgh.

When I got to Cumberland, I stopped for dinner at Baltimore Street Grill, a very nice place. This was still on the GAP part of the trail. After dinner I headed toward the C&O Canal. Cumberland makes a really big deal out of being the canal endpoint, with a big marker and about a half-block dedicated to touristy canal things. And as I looked up from there, there was a hotel in front of me, almost right in the middle of the trail. That’s a sign.

I got a room for the night and took everything out of my packs. I washed the tent and ground cover, washed most of my biking clothes, and hung everything to dry in the bathroom. I ran the fan all night, but by morning most of the mud and camp smell was gone, and I did my best not to leave any dirt or mud for the cleaning staff. This evening of recovery was desperately needed to improve the rest of my trip.

Cumberland to North Mountain

Day 3: 75 miles, 600 feet of elevation gain. Outside of Cumberland, the C&O Canal is two-track dirt with some mud and potholes and occasional rocks and roots for 20 or 30 miles. After that, it’s still two-track, but with limestone or gravel mixed in, so it seemed to be in pretty good shape for most of my trip. There are occasional gorgeous views of the Potomac River, but, again, it’s mostly a green tunnel. You can usually tell there is water over there, with a sparkle or two here and there. But only rarely do you get to see the river itself.

In terms of food planning, be aware that many trailside or trail town restaurants are only open in the summer, or only on weekends, etc. My plan for a nice breakfast fell through when the restaurant was closed. The next option was another 30 miles down the trail. So I was able to stop for lunch. But it was a late lunch and that meant my plan for dinner in Hancock was now unnecessary. So, I kept riding.

This time, I was rewarded. I picked out a really nice campsite along the Potomac River. I got to clean up sitting on a rock in the river, and made a small campfire to enjoy as the sun set. In terms of camping, it was my best night on the trip, and I slept without the rain fly and enjoyed the view of the stars whenever I woke up.

North Mountain to Chisel Branch

Day 4: 80 miles, 700 feet of elevation gain. In terms of river views, this part of the journey is the best. I think this is what they refer to as the lower Potomac. The river is much rockier, with a series of dams and small hydroelectric power generating stations.

When I got up in the morning, I noticed some moths clumped together on the back side of a tree. My phone was still in the tent so I didn't take a picture of them. When I looked them up online later, I realized they were Spotted Lanternfly and I should have crushed them. I did try to report them after that, but the website wouldn't accept a report without a picture. So those got away. But they're pretty creepy looking, and definitely memorable. I'm sure I'll recognize them the next time I see them.

After the moths, I packed up and hit the trail. For some reason, I assumed Harper's Ferry was much closer than it actually was. I thought I would stop there for an early lunch. As it turned out, it was more like a very late lunch. And getting to Harper's Ferry from the C&O Canal trail isn't bike friendly. There's a two-story stairway you need to climb with bike racks at the bottom. So you leave your bike and all your gear (or carry your gear, which I didn't) and climb up and across the bridge. Once on the other side, it's about two blocks to Harper's Ferry shops and restaurants.

I stopped for lunch in several places. The first one didn't have any service. The second one didn't have anything low sodium. But I went up the hill and found The Rabbit Hole GastroPub with a nice view, good staff, and good food. After enjoying a burger and fries, I crossed back over the bridge. My gear was untouched and I started off again.

80 miles on dirt and gravel makes for a long day. I got into camp just before sunset. I didn't really experience mosquitos on the trip except for this location. Here they were really bad. I hurried and set up my tent as fast as I could, crawled in, and called it a night.

Chisel Branch to Ellicott City

Day 5: 76 miles, 2,300 feet of elevation gain. The last 30 miles of the C&O Canal were the most poorly maintained of the whole journey. Dirt turns to gravel and then gravel turns to large gravel. Not a very fun ride. But a few miles out from DC you look up and notice the Washington Monument on the horizon.

At the end of the canal trail is a marker indicating Mile 0. It's hidden behind a boat rental storage facility. I wouldn't have been able to find it without GPS. While I was in front of the marker taking a picture, a group of three young people came up and asked what I was doing. I explained the significance of the marker to my journey and they interviewed me for their blog.

After that, I went a block or so back up the canal and enjoyed an all-you-can-eat brunch in Georgetown. Very fancy. After brunch I headed further down the Potomac. About a mile down river, I looked left and saw the back of the Lincoln Memorial. It's just right there next to the river. I rode over and around the Memorial. The area in front of Lincoln's statue was closed for maintenance, but I stood in front of the Reflecting Pool where Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech.

There's something about being able to stand in a place where significant history was made that really encourages one to reflect on the experience.

Afterwards, I rode along the Reflecting Pool and over to the Washington Monument. Then I went past the Monument and about half way down to the Capital building before turning and heading to Union Station and up along the bike trail back to Ellicott City.

The return trip was mostly uneventful, however the worst traffic experience I had the entire journey occurred just a couple of miles from my brother's house. Riding down a slow four-lane city road, a city bus passed me without moving over at all. There was no traffic in the left lane. The driver just didn't care.

So I really learned my lesson about "own your lane". It is safer to ride in the middle of the lane and force traffic to go around than it is to give them space and have them take all of it. I now take the lane and only move right after I see them move left. Either that, or bail out completely and head for the sidewalk. You can share the road but you can't share a lane.

Epilogue

Six days and 429 miles. I really wish I had taken an extra day for this ride. An 80-mile day on RAGBRAI where you're on paved roads riding with and behind dozens of other riders is very different from riding gravel by yourself. Seven days with 60 miles a day would have been much more enjoyable.

I was also surprised by the lack of food service on this trip, particularly the GAP and early C&O Canal portions. I think doing these trails between Memorial Day and Labor Day would be easier to manage. I can understand why this trip is rated as a top-10 adventure, but certainly not at the pace I did it, or not when I did it, or both. Of all the trips I did this year, this one was my least favorite.

I might come back and try it again sometime, particularly the portions east/south of Connellsville and west/north of Chisel Branch. On the other hand, there are a lot of other states and places I want to try first.

Bicycling Around Minnesota 2023

Bicycling Around Minnesota (BAM) is a four-day tour of Minnesota first started in 2006. This year's ride is in the Driftless region, southeast of Rochester. We start in Lanesboro and ride two days toward the Mississippi, and then two days back along a different route. Compared to other rides I've been on recently, this is a smaller ride with approximately 300 participants. The rider age range is from 26 to 82, and they say it's an even mix of men and women riding.

I chose this ride, in part, because this week is "back to school" week. This is the first time in more than 20 years that I've had this week off and I wanted to have something fun to do just in case I was missing getting ready for the school year. As it turns out, I'm not missing school at all. But I am glad I have something fun to do and I'm looking forward to seeing new vistas along the way.

Lanesboro Arrival

Day 0: 31 miles, 700 feet of elevation gain. I drove from Palatine to Lanesboro, about five hours. I arrived early so I could get a ride in along the Root River Trail before check-in. As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait to set up my tent, so I did that first and then went for a ride. We’re expecting a line of thunderstorms to move through this evening around 11, so I used extra care in staking down the tent. It should be fine.

I then went for a ride from Lanesboro to Peterson and back. The trail goes for 42 miles from Fountain to Houston. It's a rail trail and all of the parts I rode were paved and very well maintained. Several people mentioned being careful on the bridges when wet, but I didn't have any problems with the trail surface on my ride.

I was hoping to get a slice of pie in Peterson, but the shop was closed when I arrived. The same for the pie shop in Whalen on the way back. So I got an ice cream sandwich at the trail store instead. More importantly, on this ride I saw my first wild bobcat. It was on the trail just 15 yards or so in front of me. It didn’t hear me coming. When I saw it, I first thought it was a coyote, then I realized it was a cat and I looked really hard at the tail. No tail, not a mountain lion. A bobcat was okay, and it quickly ran into the brush toward the river and disappeared.

Right after that, I came upon the animal you see on the right. Just stretched out in the middle of the trail, fortunately with its head toward the side of the path. If you look closely, you can see eight rattles sticking up at the end of the tail. I was able to ride past without disturbing it, and then stopped to take a picture. It never moved and never rattled. It was just enjoying the afternoon sun, as was I.

I had both lunch and dinner at Pedal Pushers Cafe in Lanesboro. It was very good. Camp tonight is in Sylvan Park, near water. I get to hear frogs tonight before starting a ride rather than trains, no thanks to Columbus, NE, and Davenport, IA. Hopefully, that’s a good sign. Also, everyone seems to be turning in early, so here’s hoping for a good night’s sleep.

Lanesboro to Rushford

Day 1: 66 miles, 2,600 feet of elevation gain. I didn't really notice the storm last night. It rained, but I slept through most of it.

Today was absolutely beautiful. We started west along the Root River Trail to Fountain, then headed south along roads for a 60 mile loop back up to Peterson, and then east to Rushford on the trail again. This trail is one of the best maintained rail trails I’ve been on. Highly recommended.

The Minnesota countryside is amazing. The hills here are steeper than the hills in Nebraska and Iowa (at least the ones I've ridden), so you get better views of the landscape as you ride. Every few miles you're on a ridge where you can see five miles in all directions. It reminded me of the scene in Forest Gump where he's running through the prairie and amber waves of grain. The grain in Minnesota is mostly corn, but seeing miles and miles of rolling fields on both sides is quite breathtaking.

One of the other things that is striking about this region is the churches. Most of the buildings in the area are typical wood frame you could find anywhere. But the churches and the grain mills are impressive brick structures. Most of the grain mills appeared to be four-story buildings, and the churches often had steeples reaching 40 to 50 feet in the air. The church on the right was the most impressive I saw in terms of building relative to landscape, but the church steeple in downtown Lanesboro was equally impressive in terms of design structure above the tree line.

The BAM tour is an eclectic mix of stops. The tour planner describes it as a bus tour on two wheels. Our first stop today was a museum in Fountain. They had the standard small town collection, but also a barn area with 40 to 50 tractors, another area with a wood-burning pickup truck, a section with dolls, wedding clothing, etc. Very impressive. Another stop was a state fish hatchery where we got to see lake trout. The final stop was a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm.

Meals are included, and food today was excellent. Breakfast had a wide variety of fair. Lunch was a taco salad bowl. Dinner was chicken, beans, rice, and sweet potato. BAM is relatively expensive, but it’s also the best tour I’ve been on so far.

Rushford to La Crescent

Day 2: 65 miles, 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Today started very foggy. For the first hour we almost needed windshield wipers. Water was actually dripping off my helmet mirror. But the roads had wide shoulders and visibility was good enough for cars to see our blinking tail lights in time.

Once the fog evaporated, it was a beautiful day. I thought the views yesterday were better, but the ride today had less wind. The first 50 miles or so were good. Then we got to the Mississippi River. I was hoping for nice river views, but the route was along a high speed four-lane highway with only occasional river views and the railroad beside the river.

Then we turned and headed up to the bluffs 400 to 500 feet above. The climb was brutal. Several miles of 7% grade climb. I need a lower gear than what I have to be able to make climbs like this. Everyone passing me was spinning at about twice the RPMs I was able to generate. I slalomed back and forth for awhile, and it worked, but eventually I got off and walked for about a half-mile before the hill eased up to 6% and I was able to ride again.

Lunch was at a winery overlooking the river. The view at the winery itself was okay, but there were wonderful views before and after where you could see well into Wisconsin. Then we came back down to the river to stay in La Crescent. Camp is in a local park. The Lion’s Club had food and beer available, and dinner came later and was also good.

The down side of being by the river is we’re close to the highway and close enough to the train tracks that there’s going to be a bit of noise overnight. But so far, it seems like it’s only two whistles to get through town rather than the six in Columbus, NE or the eight in Davenport, IA.

La Crescent to Houston

Day 3: 55 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain. I slept well last night and I don't remember hearing any train whistles. Today included two climbs, one which peaked at 15% grade. There was an option to bypass that climb, and I took the bypass option. I just wasn’t in the mood for walking up a long hill just to ride back down again. Besides, I arrived late in La Crescent and most of the good campsites were already taken. I wanted to get to Houston sooner and have more camping options.

I'm glad I took the bypass route. It gave me more mileage along the Mississippi River and the flood plain / bottomland beside it. It was very pretty. After about 20 miles we turned west and headed up to the bluffs again. And I got to walk about a half mile of climb again. It's just not worth killing my legs in order to say I did it. But I am going to invest in more gears for next year's rides.

Once we were up on top, we again had beautiful five-mile views of the countryside. The picture on the left is typical with rolling hills and a variety of agricultural uses. Shortly after this picture was taken, I came upon a field of goats resting in the shade just beside the road.

In keeping with the eclectic nature of BAM rest stops, our next stop was at the county fair in Caledonia. It was a big 4-H event with kids showing off their prized animals. There was a rabbits and chickens building with a variety of exotic breeds and a couple of jackrabbits at least two feet long. At another building they were lining up to show their cows when I walked by. And one of my favorite memories was a corn pit they had set up for the youngest community members. It was about 20 feet across and had sides about 30 inches high. They put a foot of shelled corn in the pit and the kids were playing in it like they would with a sandbox, toys and everything. Very cute.

This turned out to be another good animal day. Not so much on the route this time as with the route. Houston is home to the International Owl Center. We got to see a presentation by an owl expert who (whoo whoo!) was able to imitate at least a dozen different owl calls. I asked her what she thought might have made the noise I heard back on the Hennepin Canal in July and her best guess was a young Great Horned Owl telling mom it was hungry.

Camp this evening is interesting. It's the first campground / park I've been in on a ride where there were different distinct sections with tree-line separations. Human nature to me is fascinating. I'd say there were at least 50 tents set up in the first quite-small section, some of which were pitched on an angle I'm sure I wouldn't get any sleep on. The second section had tents more spread out along the shade lines. There was a third section even further back, and that section only had four or five tents very well distanced. I prefer having space and quiet and I'm willing to walk or even ride further to get it.

Houston to Lanesboro

Day 4: 56 miles, 2,400 feet of elevation gain. It was very warm and foggy overnight. I didn't use the rain fly and it was interesting waking up in a fog bank. But it wasn't as foggy as it was Thursday morning and it had started to clear by the time we hit the road. I particularly liked this view of the fog in the valley as we were heading up out of Houston.

Because we were heading back over familiar territory, the views today were pretty much the same as Thursday's ride. But it was all still very pretty. And I found a good spot where I was able to take a picture from the same place left, ahead, and right to give a good sense of the views we were enjoying.

Today felt stronger. I was able to ride the whole way up the bluff climb today, almost a mile of 7% grade. Today was also a much quieter day on the road. At least a third of the ride participants opted to take the Root River Trail back to Lanesboro rather than the road route, so there were long stretches today where I didn't see any other riders. And, being a Sunday morning, there were fewer cars on the road as well which made it even better.

We had an interesting stop today in Spring Grove, home of the Spring Grove Soda Pop company. This allowed us to have root beer floats for our rest stop. While I was at the stop I noticed a woman wearing a Free Hugs t-shirt with a rainbow flag on it. If you aren't familiar with this, please read The Free Mom Hugs Story. I got a free hug. And, surprisingly at least to me, the woman said I was the only person she had seen all day who asked for one.

After returning to Lanesboro, I ended my ride by walking down to the Root River and sitting in the river for awhile. There were showers available back at the park, but being able to sit in the river seemed more appropriate on a hot day, particularly since I had been back and forth along the river for five days now. 

After I cooled off, I headed for Sparta, WI. There is a nice bike trail there and I was considering spending the night. However, for some reason the two streets leading to the area where I wanted to camp were both blocked off. So I drove home instead.

Epilogue

Five days and 273 miles, with just over 9,000 feet of elevation gain. Maximum grades for me were +11.6% and -14.5%. Those who didn't skip the first climb on Saturday "enjoyed" a +14.9% maximum climb.

The elevation gain every day was similar to Nebraska and Iowa, but the hills are definitely steeper and the bluff climbs and descents are longer. The ride down into Lanesboro was almost three miles of descent. We were frequently hitting 30 MPH and some people were approaching 40 MPH on the steeper descents. I think 35 MPH was about as fast as I was willing to go.

I didn't mention it before, but I met a variety of great people on this ride. There was a woman who was between seven and eight months pregnant, and only looked to be about five months pregnant, riding with her mom. There was a couple on their honeymoon. There was a group of three retired engineers from Cargill. There was a young professional couple on their first tour and really enjoying the experience. At the other end of the spectrum there was a couple who had been married for nine years. She was the best friend of the husband's first wife. He had been married for 40 years before the first wife passed away from cancer, and it was the first wife's wish for her friend to marry her husband if she didn't survive. And there was a couple who camped near me twice that had the largest tent I've ever seen on a bike trip. It looked like it had three rooms inside. But they were very nice and we had a long visit Saturday evening talking about different tours and bikes.

Bicycling Around Minnesota is certainly the best organized tour I've been on so far. And we were well-fed. It's the first tour I've done where I didn't lose weight during the trip. I really enjoyed the eclectic nature of the different stops along the tour. It was a fascinating visit to southeast Minnesota and I look forward to seeing where BAM goes next year.

East Moline to Palatine

 

Heading Home

This trip is the third in this group. I rode out to Davenport two weeks ago and rode RAGBRAI 2023 last week. For my trip home, I wanted to try something different. I have done the Grand Illinois Trail, both north and south, across Illinois. I had not yet tried the western edge, which includes the Great River Trail up toward Savanna. Also, my previous trips were planned using Ride with GPS. This time, I let Google Maps pick the route. Google's plan was 60 miles shorter than Ride with GPS, and I was tired of riding and just wanted to get home quickly and safely.

East Moline to Dixon

Day 1: 67 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. I started from Fisherman's Corner National Recreation Area in Hampton, Illinois, just north of East Moline. They had good campsites which could be reserved in advance.

The ride north on the Great River Trail is a mixture of bike path and side roads. Some of it is right along the Mississippi. Other parts are more inland. The river parts are very pretty. The inland parts are more just another Illinois country road.

There's very little in the way of services in this section. I stopped at a convenience store near Rapids City and that was the last stop I saw. I think there were other services not too far away, but I've found when you let either Ride with GPS or Google plan your route, by default they take you away from traffic, which also means away from services. You need to actively plan your own stops and go off-route to get food, water, or a rest stop.

There are a lot of rollers in the western part of the state. This section isn't nearly so bad as up toward Galena, but there are still a lot of ups and downs. In terms of traffic, there was effectively none. The route is quite remote and this was on a Sunday, so I really didn't see many cars at all. I stopped for lunch at the Double G Saloon in Morrison. That was very good and had a friendly crowd. They apparently don't get too many bikers there and everyone wanted to talk about riding across Illinois.

The ride was uneventful, but I was hot and a bit tired. I stopped along the way and asked a homeowner who was out mowing the grass if I could borrow the hose for water. As I approached Dixon, I decided I was done for the day and even willing to get a hotel room for the night. I stopped and picked up Subway for dinner, checked in, turned up the air conditioner, and sat in the tub for awhile. A good night of rest and recovery was needed.

Dixon to Palatine

Day 2: 100 miles, 2,500 feet of elevation gain. Today I had more incentive. It was 90+ miles to home, but I knew if I got to trails I was familiar with, it would be easier. I also knew that, with sleep, 90 miles was doable.

This part of Illinois is more long, flat, and cornfields. But keeping with the infrastructure theme from the ride across the I&M Canal, the Hennepin Canal, and the many bridges across the Mississippi near Davenport, I thought this view of the cornfields with nuclear reactor cooling towers in the background was a good representation of central Illinois. It's rural, but there are constant reminders of the impact other parts of the state have on this area.

My wife was kind enough to meet me in Dekalb and take my panniers and camping bag. 30 pounds lighter felt like flying for the remaining 50+ miles and I made good time. Just east of Sycamore, Google had me go north and then east to South Elgin rather than taking the Great Western Trail to St. Charles. It saved four or five miles of distance, but coming into South Elgin from the west is more road traffic than I would normally prefer. Fortunately, it was almost all downhill and I was able to avoid the cars with only a few pullovers to get them to pass safely.

Once I got to South Elgin, I followed the Fox River Trail up and then east through the forest preserves, one of my regular routes. It was nice to be home and know every curve. As I approached home, I realized I was only three miles short of a century ride, so I took a slight detour and added a three mile loop around Harper College at the end.

Epilogue

Two days and 167 miles. That's all it took to cross Illinois by the most direct route. If you're going on to Chicago or the lakefront, add another 35 miles or so to that. This was much faster than the four days I needed for either the north or south parts of the Grand Illinois Trail. In terms of sightseeing, I think the Grand Illinois Trail routes are better, certainly the southern route with the canals. But if you just want to get there, straight across the state is good.

This was a significant trip for several reasons. First, it ended my two week, 950 mile adventure riding out to Iowa, taking a bus to Sioux City, putting my feet down in South Dakota, and then riding home. I actually rode home from South Dakota. Pretty cool.

Second, I did two century rides in less than a week, with a third ride in between that everyone on it said was harder than almost any century ride they had done before. It took effort, but I did it.

And third, today is/was my last official day of "work". I am retired as of midnight tonight. It seemed only fitting that I would end my career by "riding off into the sunset", and so I did.

RAGBRAI 2023

RAGBRAI is the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. It is the oldest, largest, and longest multi-day bicycle touring event in the world. This year is the 50th anniversary ride, and the 5th longest and the 5th most challenging in terms of elevation gain. 28,000 riders are registered, and thousands more are expected to ride "bandit" (unregistered).

I normally try to blog every evening while the events of the day are fresh. However, on RAGBRAI there is effectively no Internet from the time you get to the overnight town until perhaps midnight, and often no service during the day as well. So this update is after the ride ended. It will be more highlights than some of the detail I include on other rides.

Davenport to Sioux City

Day 0: 17 miles, 300 feet of elevation gain. We got up early, waited in line 45 minutes for a bus to take us up the hill, then waited another 45 minutes for the bus to Sioux City. Our bus driver was a former rock and roll band driver from the 80s. He had amazing stories of the different groups he had transported. He then did investment banking. Driving now is his retirement fun. He clearly doesn't need the money, he just likes the open road more than sitting at home.

Once in Sioux City, I got set up and then went up river to South Dakota. It was only a couple of miles and I wanted to start my adventure there and be able to say, "I rode home from South Dakota!"

After South Dakota, I went back about five miles in the opposite direction to the RAGBRAI expo. It was extremely disappointing. Lines 50 people long for food and hundreds long for merchandise. I went to Burger King instead, then went back to camp. The bike traffic along the trail was intense, sometimes tire to tire. The good news is that this experience convinced me to take an alternate route tomorrow morning and bypass the pending mayhem.

I showered and spent the evening talking with Tom and Dave from Montana and Michigan. They met on RAGBRAI last year. We turned in early but were woken up by people returning from entertainment talking and laughing. There wasn't much sleep, but I did find that the Internet works at 3 a.m.

Sioux City to Storm Lake

Day 1: 74 miles, 3,400 feet of elevation gain. I left before sunrise and followed an alternate route into town. There were maybe a few dozen riders who followed this path. We heard later about the traffic jam and accidents on the main route. Two people were carried off on stretchers only five miles into their 500-mile ride.

Because I was ahead of the crowd, I was able to make my way along pretty well. We heard later that the railroad crossing coming out of Sioux City became so dangerous that the police made everyone get off and walk their bikes, causing a half-mile backup.

Storm Lake was beautiful. We set up camp in a park and then went into town to the United Methodist Church for spaghetti dinner. Everyone was very welcoming and pasta hit the spot. We then returned to camp and I spent the evening talking with Tom and Dave again. Their tents were beside a concrete soccer court and the local boys and young men played a pickup game. All ages were welcome, and they went out of their way to encourage even the youngest players. Everyone got a chance to score and everyone who was a teen or older took a turn as goalie.

Unfortunately, camping space was at a premium, and when I went back to my tent, I found out someone else had set up almost on top of my tent, nearly touching one of the corners. So I packed up everything and Tom and Dave helped me move over to their area and I spent the night there beside the soccer court.

Storm Lake to Carroll

Day 2: 57 miles, 1,600 feet of elevation gain. We were up early again and on the road before sunrise.

I saw someone go down today. Apparently a bike crossed in front of him and hit his front tire. Down he went. It looked like he was okay, just a bit stunned sitting in the middle of the road.

There are several well-known regular vendors on RAGBRAI. Chris Cakes has pancakes at the first breakfast town and Mr. Pork Chop sets up somewhere either just before or just after the lunch town. I didn't try Chris Cakes, but I stopped for Mr. Pork Chop today.

On the one hand, it's a well-made grilled pork chop, juicy and tasty. On the other hand, there was so much salt on it I had to actually wash it off before I could eat it. Once washed, it was pretty good. But a bit more solid protein than one should probably have before biking another 30 miles. I'm glad I selected a short day for this experience. Half a pork chop would probably be a good choice in the future.

Carroll to Ames

Day 3: 103 miles, 2,000 feet of elevation gain. Because of the distance, everyone started early, again before sunrise.

I saw someone down again today. This time it was due to the heat. About a quarter of the way around the Karras Loop (100-mile path), someone went down due to heat exhaustion. I'll admit I was also very hot. But I have found that, if I find a homeowner out in their yard, I can usually get them to let me use their garden hose. On the loop, I stopped and used a hose until I was almost chilled. That was enough to get me on my way again and finish the loop.

In Ames we got to ride the whole way around the inside mezzanine level of the Iowa State football stadium. All of the teams' cheerleaders where there rooting us on. And, as an added bonus, I hit 100 miles for the day on my way back down and out of the stadium.

Just after that, in terms of near misses, I was passing another rider and someone came up from the other direction. I didn't have time to complete my pass, so I just tucked in right beside her, handlebars offset just a bit. The other rider passed within an inch or so coming the other way. In any other environment I would have been totally freaked out. But as other riders confirmed later, it's just another day on RAGBRAI. There are so many close calls, but with skilled riders who handle the situations as they come. We regularly ride just inches from disaster. As long as everyone holds their line, it works fine. If someone won't hold their line, you move away as quickly as possible.

Ames to Ankeny, Ankeny to Newton

Day 4: 74 miles, 2,100 feet of elevation gain. The scheduled RAGBRAI ride was Ames to Des Moines for 50 miles. I followed the main path for 34 miles to Ankeny, then turned off on my own and headed for Newton. I had no interest in dealing with 50,000 bikers in Des Moines. Instead, I had some of the most memorable experiences of the entire week.

Riding alone out of Ankeny after riding with thousands of people was such a pleasant shock. I really prefer solo riding. I can enjoy the scenery, focus on the local people and places, and just get a good feeling for the area without worrying about getting run over or knocked down.

I followed a bike trail out of Ankeny, went by the (very large) Facebook Data Center in Altoona, and stopped in Mitchellville for lunch. While I was there, I met a couple who lived in Newton and owned a bar somewhere east of there. They visited with other bar owners during the day and then ran their own bar in the evening.

After talking with them for awhile, they invited me to stay in their yard in Newton that evening. They even turned on the hose and put a cooler of beer on the porch for me. It was the best tent night of sleep I had the entire trip, and I am so thankful for their hospitality.

Newton to Toledo

Day 5: 54 miles, 2,600 feet of elevation gain. This was a tough ride for me, and I had it far easier than everyone else. The regular ride was 88 miles and 4,000 feet of elevation gain. By heading toward Newton a day early, I made my ride a third easier.

I went out of my way to support non-profits and local lemonade stands today. I managed to avoid traditional vendors the entire day, and felt I got much more value and my money was much better invested in the local community. I appreciate that RAGBRAI has to include the large vendors, but almost exclusively I found the local non-profits to be a better experience.

While having breakfast lunch (lunch at 9 a.m.), I met a fellow teacher from Iowa City. We spent quite a while talking before I headed off down the road again. This meeting was very important for tomorrow.

Toledo to Coralville

Day 6: 84 miles, 2,900 feet of elevation gain. This ended up being the worst ride of the week. We could tell from the haze at sunrise how hot it was going to be. We had 15+ MPH headwinds for most of the day with an eventual heat index of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretty much everyone who had done century rides in the past said this ride was worse than a century ride. We got to the point where we were looking for hoses in back yards every five miles or so. Thankfully, there were homeowners willing to do this, or many of us (me included) wouldn't have been able to finish the ride.

One of the stops along the way was a lemonade stand. Mom was handing out lemonade and her five-year-old daughter, Hazel, was drawing pictures. Several of us commissioned Hazel to draw for us at $1 a picture. She drew a bicycle for me and signed it. The image is correct. She wrote her name backwards.

Along the way, I saw the teacher I met for breakfast lunch the day before. He was wearing an Iowa City shirt and I commented on how he was going to get to sleep in his own bed tonight. He immediately asked me if I wanted to sleep at his house rather than tent camping for the evening. We exchanged phone numbers, and I contacted him to confirm once I got to Coralville.

He came and picked me up (it was 2 miles and 700 feet of elevation to get to his house from the campground) and he and his wife made a wonderful dinner for us. We talked until 9 p.m. and I got to do laundry, charge my devices, and sleep in the guest room. Another amazing experience of Iowa hospitality.

And it was fortunate that I was able to do this. Thunderstorms came through around 9 p.m. Any tents that weren't staked down blew away, and some people had to sleep in the high school gym for the evening.

Coralville to Davenport

Day 7: 88 miles, 1,800 feet of elevation gain. I left before sunrise again. While I did get a ride the night before, it was two miles in the wrong direction. So I did bike the full Iowa experience and can honestly say I rode home from South Dakota.

Shortly after starting our ride, we went through Iowa City and the Iowa Hawkeyes football stadium. It was nice, but only about half the experience of Iowa State. In terms of rivalry, Iowa State did a much better job of welcoming RAGBRAI riders. But the effort was appreciated.

The official ride today ended in Davenport. I added an extra 14 miles to have a reserved campsite at Fisherman's Corner National Recreation Area on the Illinois side of the Mississippi, far away from the bikers and trains in downtown Davenport. And it was definitely worth the extra effort. I had a quiet campsite and was able to get ice cream at the nearby Illiniwek Forest Preserve. I also got a free Spotted Cow beer from a neighbor camper who had done RAGBRAI in the past. Again, Iowa hospitality, this time on the Illinois side of the river.

Epilogue

Eight days and 551 miles, including more than 3 miles of elevation gain. This was rough. It's really too much riding and too little sleep to be enjoyable. I'd prefer 60-65 mile days (at least with this much elevation gain) and quiet campgrounds or perhaps even stay in hotels. The only thing that kept me going was knowing that the other 20,000 people out there with me were enduring the same thing and we were all in it together. That and I really wanted to ride home from South Dakota.

Riding with this many other people is a very different experience. There are male pace lines going by on the left doing 25 MPH+. There are female pace lines going by one line over doing 21 MPH+. Even just regular riding in the middle is in the 17 MPH+ range for extended distances.

The people you meet on RAGBRAI are amazing. I had wonderful conversations with Tom and Dave every evening and treasured their welcoming me and making space for me every night. I had conversations for miles with people along the way as we were riding. There was a veterinarian listening to AC/DC who had just finished her residency as an internal medicine specialist and was about to start her first job. There was a telecom expert and we talked about infrastructure issues and how the last mile wasn't a problem anywhere we had been. It was the backbone that couldn't support the traffic. There were newlyweds who chose RAGBRAI for their honeymoon, etc.

There were also the crazies. Mostly in a good way. There was an apparent hippie well into his upper 60s or maybe older who pulled a trailer with a large stereo system playing oldies as loud as he could. There was a guy riding an old-time big-wheel bike with a single gear. He had to take his feet off the pedals to go downhill and stand up to go up hill. There was a guy who rode the whole trip backwards, sitting on the handlebar. He didn't have a seat on the bike so he couldn't change his mind. Wild stuff.

There were literally dozens of other people I met along the way, both riders and locals. I really enjoyed their time and their conversation. If I had to do it over again, I would spend more time talking with people, and make a better effort to support the non-profits and lemonade stands. But as of now, I don't think I will do it again unless RAGBRAI limits the number of people and shortens the distance, and I can find a way to get more sleep.