Pittsburgh-Cumberland 2009

Our original plans were to make this trip during the summer, but that fell through. It seemed that there would be no long ride for ‘09, but then it became apparent that there would be no school during the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, so we scrambled to get a trip together! The ride was made to support the Pittsburgh Campus Ministry of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod, and was planned to take place over four days, September 24-27. Our two top stokers were slated to join me on the triplet. On our final practice ride September 19, a record was set climbing from Connellsvile to Ohiopyle.

It was difficult to shoehorn the ride in between school days, and we were pleased as the last bits of supplies were purchased. But before we could unload and begin to pack, our tail gunner complained of a headache, and began to groan loudly. He proved to have a fever of 102.2 degrees, so that was the end of his hopes–he has not yet completed a big ride.

We set out from the Buena Vista trailhead on the 24th with only two riders on the triplet. After the successful experience of running the triplet straight through to Washington, DC last year, regardless of the number of riders aboard, it was decided to take it to Cumberland this year. The two riders on the first day set a record to Connellsville; after that, the first stoker went home, and I finished the original four-day trip by myself. When the time came to drive to Cumberland and pick up the triplet, it was decided to take the tail gunner along so he could have his first ride on the C&O Canal towpath. This turned into a 20-mile extension of the trip, turning Cumberland to Lock 73, giving a total of 150 miles. Two pictures are below; for the complete set of pictures, with the story, you may go to the Mileposters site. For a continued verbal description of the ride, read on below the pictures.

The second day, after a restful night at the Melody Motor Lodge, rooming next to a tandem couple who were also riding to Cumberland, I set out for Confluence. The weather was a bit cool, but it was not raining. Even though I was riding the triplet alone and with a load, I broke the record set on the 19th, and paused for lunch in Ohiopyle.

The night was spent at the beautiful Stepping Stone Farm outside of Confluence, with Larry and Vicki Rempel, where five kittens were born three weeks ago. This time the farm was reached directly, via Hogback Road and the bottom of the lane.

The forecast said there would be rain the third day, and it was correct. Morning arrived to the sound of water gurgling down the gutter. It was just a mist going down the lane, but before starting up the grade toward Big Savage Mountain, it had increased, and there were long intervals of downpour. Although the rain never stopped all day long, there are at least a few shelters now, and one of them provided a bit of respite for a soggy lunch. At least there were no tire problems in 2009, like those that cut up our ride to Cumberland in 2007–it had to be made in three sections.

Despite fears that riding the triplet alone up the big hill would be too much, the distance flew by at a crisp nine miles per hour, past the high and low trestles at Pinkerton’s Neck, granny gear remaining untouched, without visiting the store at Rockwood, and a record was set for the ascent, with an early arrival in Meyersdale.

Unfortunately, the washers in the laundromat were only giant ones, taking eight quarters apiece, but a helpful gentleman who was using them pointed out that the change machine would take $20 bills, and even donated some of his detergent to the cause!

The triplet had to have a lot of attention because of getting so wet and muddy–the car wash next to the laundromat came in very handy–and later the chains received a much-needed cleaning and lubrication.

There were three other people staying at the hostel that night, all with interesting stories to tell. One had started in Savannah, Georgia, on his way to Pittsburgh, but was hit by a car along a road, blacking out for four hours, and had to spend some in a hospital before resuming his trip. The other two brought the welcome news that Little Orleans Lodge was still open.

The next morning there was again only a mist starting out, which became heavier during the final few miles to the Eastern Continental Divide, but never so bad as the third day, although the short tunnel beneath a road at the Divide was a nice place to take a break.

True to form, emerging from Big Savage Tunnel into the rain shadow on the east slope of the mountains brought relief from the rain. There was a brief shower around Frostburg, but that was it. A quick trip down the steep grade and through Borden and Brush Tunnels brought the triplet into the Western Maryland station in Cumberland, the end of the original four days, once again arriving early, as on each of the last three days. With going back and forth to overnight lodging, the total was 130 miles. But the campaign wasn’t over!

An extension was added on a fifth day, October 3, boosting the total to 150 miles! Since the tail gunner didn’t get to ride at all, he was invited to come along on a fifth day, and joined me on the triplet, headed down the towpath of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. Our destination was a group of locks ten miles away: Locks 75, 74, and 73. We paused for a break at the Evitts Creek hiker-biker campground. Our return to Cumberland added 20 miles, for a four-day total of 150.

Our special thanks to Pastor Eric Ruble of Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Cumberland, who arranged for us to keep the triplet there until it could be picked up. It was this fact which made the fifth day possible.

Mileposters News 9-09

The original Mileposters articulated quint (bike for five riders) was out for a ride on September 5, and was spotted by Valley Independent reporter Jim Ference, who took the picture.

Our fourth trail mom, Kathleen Sammel, is at the left, and I am at the right. The group started out with the articulated quad and an articulated tandem (the balance of the riders were accommodated on a straight 20-inch tandem), and switched configuration at the end. The technology of the Burley Piccolo trailercycle facilitates such quick changes. The sixteen-mile round trip was from Cedar Creek County Park to Douglas Run on the Youghiogheny River Trail (Great Allegheny Passage), location of the Yough Twister ice cream stand, a favorite Mileposters destination. The total rider pool is now 18, including 15 kids and 3 adult captains.

September 6 was our first ride on the Ghost Town Trail, from Dilltown to Vintondale, PA, home of the massive, historic Eliza Furnace ironmaking facility. Our third trail mom, Maribeth Szczepaniuk, who made the entire trip from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC in 2005, along with her daughter, brought a friend from Germany who is interested in becoming a trail mom as well. The ride covered 14 miles.

The season’s longest one-day ride, 40 miles, took place on September 18 as the triplet team turned Boston to Smithton Beach in preparation for their four-day trek to Cumberland, Maryland during the G-20 summit–the previous longest day was 32 miles. The Cumberland ride, to raise support for Pittsburgh Campus Ministry, will feature stops in Connellsville, Confluence, and Meyersdale. Other rides were made in support of PALM, Sonshine Community Ministries, and St. Thomas building renovations; a ride to benefit Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind is planned. We are currently over halfway to our goal of raising $6,000 for the year.

The second-longest ride, at 34 miles, was September 19, with the triplet scorching the trail to set a record of 2 hours and 20 minutes up the mountain from Connellsville to Ohiopyle, never touching granny gear. The trip back down took an hour and 55 minutes.

In August, for Movies Night, a record crowd of 13 children and two adults turned out to watch Shirley Temple’s greatest film, Heidi. And for September’s Games Night, once again held outdoors, the attendance record of 15 kids from last year was tied. We appreciate the help given by Kent and Jennifer Nelson, Wayne and Aleata Weis, Kathleen Sammel, and Katelyn Rogalsky.

Mileposters News 7-09/8-09

Kathleen Sammel has qualified as tandem captain, our fourth trail mom! She received her tandem pin in a ceremony after the morning worship service on June 28. Kathleen first rode 12 miles on a tandem by herself to get used to the bike, and on June 27 she rode 16 miles with two different stokers behind her, on the Youghiogheny River Trail. Besides being able to handle a bike, Kathleen is very good working with kids, especially the girls. She was along on our “booster” ride, following up on our three-day, 50-mile trek on April 16-17-18, returning to the Arrowhead Trail on July 30 for another seven miles.

Kathleen’s daughter Katelyn has been faithfully teaching Sunday school classes at St. Thomas Lutheran Church, our home base, and has been riding with us as well, along with her three younger sisters. Katelyn also carried out a gift-catalog fundraiser, titled “Hope for St. Thomas,” which brought in over $400, raising the total brought in for our building renovation program to $4,800. So the new Mileposters have been going great guns across the board–they have worked up to 20 miles on a trip, and have greatly raised average speeds!

The fundraising ride for Sonshine Community Ministries in McKeesport, PA took place on July 18. Four riders, including the group leader, took the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad train from Cumberland, Maryland to Frostburg, and then rode 32 miles on the articulated quadruplet on the Allegheny Highlands Trail, a part of the Great Allegheny Passage, first pedaling from Frostburg to the Eastern Continental Divide, elevation 2,392 feet, passing through 3,294-foot Big Savage Tunnel as well as Borden Tunnel.

Then they turned around and rode the trail all the way back to Cumberland (629 feet) through the previous two tunnels and also through Brush Tunnel, experiencing a change in elevation of 1,763 feet. On the way back, they paused for a break at Milepost B170. The route configuration at this point is “rail with trail.”

Our next fundraiser will be for Pittsburgh Campus Ministry, and is planned to be on the Kokosing Gap Trail in Ohio. Other fundraisers before the end of the season will be for Deaf Mission in Western Pennsylvania and the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind.

A promising new junior tail gunner joined us on August 1, starting out with five miles on the Riverfront Trail. He is a candidate for the tail gunner position on the articulated quint.

For Movies Night in July we viewed ‘The Black Stallion.’ Upcoming films include ‘Heidi’ and other Shirley Temple titles. Movies Nights are held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month. Second Sundays, at the same time, are Games Nights. For July, the event was held outdoors for the first time, on the St. Thomas lawn, and we will be outdoors again in August.

Mileposters News 5-09/6-09

Ice cream is a great incentive for tandem bike riders, so the Yough Twister, across the river from Sutersville, is a popular destination, as can be seen in the picture. On May 31, a somewhat different group, behind the group leader on the original articulated quad, set a Mileposters 10-mile speed record of 59 minutes, all stops included. The 20-mile speed record is two hours.

Fundraising rides for Sonshine Community Ministries, Deaf Mission in Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Campus Ministry (Lutheran Student Fellowship and International Student Ministry), and the Pittsburgh Lutheran Center for the Blind are planned for the summer, including the Great Allegheny Passage, from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, and the Little Miami Scenic Trail, from Springfield, Ohio to Milford, near Cincinnati. Our riders were greatly inspired to meet the three Lutheran pastors from West Virginia who are doing the Tour de Revs, riding a bamboo triplet (pictured) some 5,000 miles in 100 days in support of Lutheran World Hunger. Their goal is to raise $25 million. The tour came to Wexford, PA on May 18. The average age of the three pastors is 60. See: http://www.tourderevs.org. The Mileposters have also been very encouraged to see the response from their Three Trails in Three Days ride in May, for St. Thomas building renovations, which to date has brought in over $2,400.00.

The 20-inch convertible tandem is continuing to be a great success, combined at will with the 26-inch tandem to make an articulated quad (for four riders) as well as with the triplet to make an articulated quint (for five). Younger riders enjoy being joined with the whole group after making half the trip by themselves, and other trail users are delighted to see the “impossible” combination–the most recent trip garnered 30 compliments from people we met! The other 20-incher, a regular tandem, greatly pleased its intended captain on June 6 when she took it out for the first time, with two different stokers. If you’ve never seen two kids riding a small tandem, you’re missing a poignant living definition of “cute”!

We are very happy that St. Thomas member Katelyn Rogalsky has chosen to work with us for her senior class project this year. She will teach Sunday school classes and will be joined by her mother and sisters on Mileposters rides, as well as assisting at Games Nights and Movies Nights. Katelyn, with the help of family members, is also organizing a gift-catalog fundraiser to continue seeking support for building repairs, which totaled over $8,000.00.

For Movies Nights, held at 6:30 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of each month, the series of animated Tolkien features continued in May with The Lord of the Rings and will wrap up in June with The Return of the King. Other planned films include Heidi and The Black Stallion. Games Nights, held on second Sundays at the same time, will also continue all summer.

More Tandem Cat

Tandem Cat made his first ride with human stokers today–three of them, on the articulated quad.

Perhaps we could now call the bike a feline articulated quint! At any rate, Derry did just as well as he did by himself last week–and no, he did not bite anybody!

Tandem Cat

Tandem Cat enjoyed a successful initiation into the ranks of the Mileposters today. His name is Derry, and he rode two miles on the Waterfront section of the Great Allegheny Passage. The bike shop didn’t have a helmet small enough for him, so we had to make do with a little wire cage-like thing similar to a hockey-style catcher’s mask. Actually, since my favorite bike is the triplet, I spread-eagled him over the second and third seats, tying his front paws to the middle set of pedals, and his hind paws to the tail gunner’s set. His rib cage was stretched a bit thin, and I had to install lengtheners on the cranks instead of shorteners, but it did work. He wasn’t the least bit happy about the arrangement, though, and when I went back to offer him a Gatorade, he bit my left hand, neatly severing the little finger at the first joint…..

Nah… the true picture is below!

I took him out by himself to see just how he would handle being on a bike, figuring it would go well, since he is such a totally intrepid cat–he even loves water. He did magnificently, admiring the scenery all the way around, getting excited when a rabbit appeared trailside, and meowed only once the whole ride; I just caught it by a bit of eucatastrophe. The carefully-selected carrier nestled perfectly atop the panniers hanging on either side of the Moose Rack, and he was far easier to balance than a pair of squirming human stokers! Never mind that he didn’t contribute any locomotion–he enjoyed the fresh air from a closer vantage point than the bedroom windowsill, and got several comments from other users of the trail. His career is in motion, and the usual stokers are looking forward to his company on our trips!

Eating Places

Eating is something that all of us do at some time or another. Venerated New Testament scholar Merrill Tenney once observed that “most of us find it pleasant as well as necessary.” It has also been said that an army travels on its stomach. That is certainly true when you are pedaling a bicycle!

Typical one-day rides usually see us at Wendy’s or McDonald’s–the younger riders tend to favor the clown’s house so they can get into the Play Place afterwards. (I tease them and say that if they still have enough energy left for that, they weren’t pedaling hard enough!)

But the eating places that are more interesting are the ones harder to find, off the beaten path (well, really, if you’re beating the path on a tandem, on the beaten path). I’ll start out by mentioning Muck’s Lunch in Venetia, PA, on the Montour Trail. The Mileposters wound up there sort of by chance one day–we weren’t planning to–but it was a fascinating experience. It’s the sort of place where, if you want to use the rest room, you have to walk through a curtain in the back. Don’t get me wrong–the food was good, and the conversation was colorful–check it out sometime! That was a place where we sat at little tables.

In Confluence, we’ve been to Suder’s Soft Freeze numerous times–lots of stuff on the menu besides ice cream–french fried sweet potatoes being a standout. At Suder’s, you take your things from the order window to long picnic tables outdoors. One trip, though, we were staying in town instead of at the campground, and the troops wanted to eat closer in–besides, it was raining! So we went to Sister’s Cafe instead–a marvelous choice. It had in fact rained all day, draining large amounts of energy, and it was one of those times when many miles resulted in a huge appetite. I don’t remember what I had, but it was very good, and there was a lot of it! We pushed a couple of tables together and sat in the front window so we could watch the rain come down. We had chained the bikes to a fence a few feet away, and a heavy downpour washed away most of the mud from the day’s ride.

There’s also a sort of ice cream place, with lots of other things to eat, about halfway down the hill from the Western Maryland station, on the right, in Meyersdale–I had a huge platter of creamy strawberry shortcake there. We sat at the counter. And a marvelous sandwich shop right up from the train station in Brunswick, Maryland. Tables there.

I’m making myself hungry just writing this, but I’ll wrap it up by mentioning the Country Trail store in Rockwood. We arrived there one day after struggling up the long grade from Confluence in a cold rain. The menu selection is not wide, but I kept going back for more of their hot sausage! It also didn’t hurt that we were able to buy Gatorade, paper towels, and other things that we needed. There is a tiny picnic table on the porch, but some of us stood at empty shelves in the back of the store.

If you’ve dined at any of these places, your comments are welcome, and feel free to add your own favorites. They don’t have to be locations you went to by bike, but you do get an extra 500 points for that!

Convertible News

Instead of another comment on the ‘Convertible’ thread, here’s a new post on the subject. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, so henceforth two thousand:

It’s a quad this time instead of a quint, but the ride was full-length. We went from Boston, PA, Milepost 19 on the Youghiogheny River Trail, to Douglas Run, Milepost 29 (there is an ice cream stand there). All four seats of the bike(s) were occupied (the captain took the pictures). It’s 10 miles each way. Outbound, headed for cold refreshment (it was a very hot day for April), we rode the convertible articulated quad, stopping at Milepost 23 for a picture. After filling up on ice cream (the tail gunner chose a hot pretzel–I’ll let him explain that!) at the Yough Twister, we split the quad into two tandems, and rode back to Boston, with our first junior captain at the helm of the 20-incher, and made another pause at 23. It was a successful 20 miles, thank God!

Cats and Tandems

What do cats have to do with tandems? If your username is ‘tandemcat,’ as mine sometimes is, that’s easy. I like cats, and I like tandems.

Actually, the plan is to have an actual tandem cat in a few weeks. My new kitten, now a cat, if not quite full grown, is totally intrepid. Nothing fazes him–he loves water, and when I try to discipline him, he sometimes fights back. Don’t get me wrong–he does know there are limits, and he is generally affectionate and responsive. So I have gotten a carrier which I hope will fit on the back of one of our tandems, and he will be going on a ride with us before the end of May. (I was a bit jealous when I saw other people out on the trail with their dogs!)

I do have a series of stories about my past cats on StoryWrite, but I thought it might be fun to hear something about cats belonging to the readers of this blog. So here’s my invitation! I look forward to reading your responses.

Daily Bread

In an earlier post, titled “The Little Things,” I called attention to Matthew 10:29,30, where we are told that the hairs of our head are numbered, and that our heavenly Father even knows if a sparrow should perish. This time I am going back to an earlier verse in the same book, Matthew 6:11, where we are taught by our Lord Himself to ask for our daily bread.

In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther poses this question: “What is meant by daily bread?” Here is his answer: “Daily bread includes everything that has to do with the support and needs of the body, such as food, drink, clothing, shoes, house, home, land, animals, money, goods, a devout husband or wife, devout children, devout workers, devout and faithful rulers, good government, good weather, peace, health, self control, good reputation, good friends, faithful neighbors, and the like.”

I’ve thought about this definition for a long time, and taught it to a generation of children, but our Father always has surprises up His sleeve. When I heard that the new owner of our school bus company was going to be bringing in different buses, I became anxious–I very much prefer rear-engine buses. The information I heard was not accurate, and when I got the real scoop from the shop foreman, it was a moment worthy of writing a poem, titled “Undisappointment”; http://allpoetry.com/poem/5114915
will take you to the poem.

But this surprise was more amazing than my “new” bus (it has 35,000 fewer miles on it than the bus it replaced!). We don’t live in a perfect world–we have not arrived in heaven yet, as we are reminded by Jesus at the end of that sixth chapter of Matthew: “Each day has enough evil of its own.”

I was delighted with the bus, but with 130,000 miles on it, there were problems. One of the first things that I noticed was that the driver’s seat rocked back and forth–more than just “rocked”; it hammered at my back as we went over bumps, despite the great comfort of a big air cushion underneath. Over the first couple of days, as I enjoyed the quietness of the bus, its smooth-shifting transmission, and that incredible airborne smoothness, I pondered ways to stop the hammering. Little did I know! At the end of the second day, actively puzzling, I was finishing up my first afternoon run and checking the bus for sleeping children (if one is found on your bus after your run, you are fired). At the back of the bus I discovered a box of fundraising candy, left there by my last passenger. I returned to the front and absentmindedly put it behind my seat–between the seat back and the divider panel behind it. When I took off again, the rocking had stopped! The box of candy was exactly what was needed to steady the seat and keep it from moving! I thought about offering to buy the whole box of candy, since it was just the right size, but settled for an empty box which I brought from home. The bus now rides perfectly! (Well, almost perfectly–Pittsburgh streets are known for their potholes! ).

There is a sort of postscript to this story. After two lovely weeks with the bus, I was leaving my second school this morning when I heard an awful howl from the back, and the transmission slip-juddered horribly. It kept getting worse as I approached the garage, and I parked with the grim expectation that I would not be driving it again for many weeks, since the parent company would rather keep giving us “new” buses instead of budgeting funds to repair the ones we already have. I braced myself for the worst in the afternoon: a conventional front-engine bus with a big hood sticking out in my field of vision. My big boss was dispatching, and when she offered me my key, I had to tell her the bad news (the mechanics do not always communicate with the office). She looked puzzled, but went back into the garage to check. A few minutes later she came out with a big grin on her face, and a few words from her put a big grin on mine, too–the shop forces had changed the transmission fluid and filter and the bus was “good as new.” What do I know?

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Thank you, Lord!