After a good nights sleep, I awoke just before sunrise and quietly started coffee when Matt woke up. We had coffee on the mountain top at sunrise.

Soon were back at camp getting a second cup of coffee and making breakfast. Matt made us oatmeal. We needed the carbs for a possible big day of riding. He is not a first breakfast eater, so I was surprised when he choked down the oatmeal. Coffee, get on the bike and ride until second breakfast is his routine.

I on the other hand must have 1st and 2nd breakfast when touring. Better to ride happy than hangry. The oatmeal was great! Toppings compliments of Fairfield inn.

We packed up and got our day started. We went through Big Savage Mountain tunnel. The temperature dropped considerably while we were in the tunnel. For a cyclist or hiker this is the equivalent of 3291 feet of air conditioning.

https://gaptrail.org/amenities/big-savage-tunnel/

On the other side was the Eastern Continental Divide!

https://gaptrail.org/amenities/eastern-continental-divide/

It was a fast paced ride across the Eastern Continental Divide down to Meyersdale. Rosie had the wind in her mane and she said we were flying. Matt told her he had a surprise for her when we got to our second breakfast spot. She shouted into the wind ” Faster! Faster!” as she loves surprises!

When we arrived in Meyersdale, Rosie was so excited! Matt took her inside to see the trains! Unfortunately, the trains all had protective glass around their displays, so Rosie didn’t get to ride a toy train. Something so much better awaited her!

We sat at the picnic tables by the caboose and had second breakfast. While packing up we met and chatted with two other cyclists, Santiago and Neal. They were riding Pittsburgh to DC. Neal had plans to one day hike the AT. He and Matt had good conversations about that and other adventures.

Meyersdale has a super museum right off the trail. It is a great stop for cyclists on the GAP. It is also Pennsylvania’s Maple City! I LOVE maple syrup!! Next time, I am packing pancakes for second breakfast in Meyersdale.

https://gaptrail.org/amenities/meyersdale-pennsylvania/

Soon we were on our way toward Connelsville.

Just as we were entering Garrett, there was a long black snake on the trail. Another cyclist was coming toward it, I warned her, then she stopped. I turned back to chat with her about the snake and show Rosie. We chatted and watched the snake together as it slithered its fully belly across the trail.

We cycled through alot of micro climates on the GAP. We passed many small multi leveled waterfalls and through old railroad cuts today. The sound of the water, the trackside flowers and the diversity of it all made for a beautiful ride. A

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/126970-Synanthedon-acerni?locale=en-us

Rosie and I took lots of flower breaks. With so many to see, we would have been longer getting to our destination if she didn’t have her harness on. When we approached Rockwood we were both feeling the previous days climb and decided to stay flexible. We turned off the trail into Husky Haven and found a great campsite. Husky Haven was $15 per person with access to a community room and showers across the river. At each clean campsite there was a small A-frame of firewood to use, a trash can, a firepit with grate and port a johns a short walk away.

We rode over to the showers then Dollar General to do a very small resupply shopping trip.

Back at camp, we started dinner.

With our bellies full, we managed to have enough energy to clean up the table and dishes. We headed for the hammocks shortly afterwards as night was fast approaching. The weather was mild in the evening and then it cooled off considerably overnight.

Morning came and we both slept in. It must have been the carb coma we slipped into after all the pasta. When we finally got out of camp and back on the trail it was just past 1130am. With 46+ miles to go to Connelsville, this was not our best start. We did have the advantage of a slight downhill and beautiful weather to make it a great ride. Our second breakfasts, lunch and short water breaks helped us get to Connelsville before 5pm. We saw beautiful views of the Ohio Pyle River and Casselman River as we crossed the bridges riding hard and fast to our destination.

When we arrived into the town we rode by pollinator gardens along the trail leading towards the city park. I chose to keep riding as my legs were done for the day. I called out the plants as we passed them by dahlias, native milkweed, Russian sage, buddleia butterfly bush, lambs ear, marigolds and echinacea. The trail turned to follow the River and we made our last climb of the day into the Connelsville campground. When we arrived we were the only cyclists there. While we were setting up camp a couple stopped by to ask questions about our tour. Dave and Mary were from Ohio and they were on a bike ride for their 37th anniversary!

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Life together is a beautiful ride.

The climbs uphill.

The race downhill.

The slow steady pace of flat ground.

The sharp and sudden curves that will throw you off if you don’t hold on.

Take your feet off the pedals for awhile and coast. Obserb the beauty all around.

Continue on the path set before you.

Don’t stop the forward motion of life’s adventures together.

Celebrate your lives together and remember…

Life together is a beautiful ride.

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Before we got comfortable, we made a trip to Martin’s for ice and other essentials….on a pretty empty stomach. Willpower and budget won out. We did say no to ice cream and yes to donuts, cold coffee and a bag of vegetables. It made for a great meal!

After returning from the store, we quickly got appetizers on the table and dinner started!

Beef its what’s for dinner! We used our last freezer steak since our resupply at Matt’s parents house. Matt had got a great deal on 2 beef loins a year or so ago. Had them cut to his preferred thickness with the best butcher in town, seasoned, vacuum sealed, then froze them. Cost per steak $5! We are going to miss these, but tonight was a great dinner!

Connelsville has a great set up for cyclists and hikers. Compliments of volunteers and Martin’s grocery store literally a stones throw from the campsites. Best set up ever! Showers can be taken at the park just upstream from the campground area and there are Adirondack shelters, a pit toilet and trash cans nearby.

We managed to get our picnic area cleaned up and do dishes before our eyes closed. It was a long beautiful day of riding on the GAP.

https://acrossthemapwithmatt.com/