Day two on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) Trail, from the Dravo Hiker-Biker to the new hiker-biker campground in Ohiopyle. The day includes a little bit of weather. Well, more than a little bit. It started off fine though, and I enjoyed morning camp coffee before hitting the trail.
I pedaled easily, stopping to enjoy waterfalls and read the memorials commemorating lives lost in nearby mining accidents. Before the trail became a playground for cyclists, it was a railroad carrying coal down from the Pennsylvania mountains.
Mining was and still is a tough and dangerous job. Ten years ago, I met a Kentucky coal miner while on a motorcycle trip. We had both stopped to admire the sunset and he told me stories about going into the mine before sunrise, eating his lunch in the mine on his back, and leaving the mine after sunset.
As someone I chatted with online said, the lack of cars and conveniently-spaced free camping area made the riding so easy; all the joys of bicycle touring with none of the stresses. Well, except for the weather.
I’m riding a Bike Friday All Packa folding gravel bike. Video and photos shot by me on a bunch of cameras: Insta360 One X2, DJI Action 2, Lumix ZS200, Google Pixel 7 Pro.
Please follow and subscribe to watch the rest of this trip and other adventures as I post them. Thanks for watching.
