USNA 1973 Ride-2-Remember

Day 57, 29 September: Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, MD

After leaving Yoder Guesthouse this morning at 9am, we made it 2 blocks until our ride was stopped by a 135-car train. Once we were able to cross the tracks we had a 10% short climb to the trailhead. Today was to be a relaxing day of only 34 miles. However, Mark, our intrepid Support person and all-around-can-do-anything guy decided to ride with us.

I must say it was a fun day. After about a steady 10-mile uphill it was all downhill from there. The trail was in beautiful shape and we stopped for pictures at the Eastern Continental Divide and then the Mason-Dixon Line.

We set a respectable pace with Mark matching us pedal for pedal, knowing that he could ride away from us anytime. By respectable, I mean a steady 24 mph on a 1% decline in near perfect hard packed cinders, arriving at the Fairfield Inn in Cumberland, MD within just a few minutes of one another.

Tomorrow is a much-anticipated rest day after riding the previous eight days straight.

One of Doug’s Plebes, Tracy Franks, met us for lunch at the Crabby Pig, at which Bill, Tom and I devoured a dozen blue claw crabs. We followed up with ice cream and a nice bottle of wine from a couple of shops nearby.

Dave Haefner