Lessons Learned

Would we do the trip again?

It wasn't nearly as hard as we had feared it would be. We did get lucky with the weather. Cloudy is good. We didn't see much sun and most of the rain occurred at night. It doesn't get much better than that.

Some things we learned along the way:

Go east, young man. It is much easier to ride west to east than east to west. We could see that on the faces of the riders we met the day we rode down the east side of the Continental Divide.

Try to avoid Ohiopyle during a weekend or a holiday. We were there on a weekend and a holiday. Crazy.

Expect the unexpected. When the unexpected happens just go with it. One member of our group saw a deer in the canal who had just fallen off a cliff. That, my friend, was unexpected.

Even if you start on a tricycle in your backyard




you can end up 322 miles down a bike path with a great feeling of accomplishment.




Wear a helmet! Let me say that again, wear a helmet!! One of our group would have ended up with a cracked skull if he hadn't had been wearing one. Luckily it was the helmet that ended up with the crack in it.

We found 50 to 60 miles a day to be doable and enjoyable. It allowed plenty of time for sightseeing and numerous breaks.

This trip doesn't require extensive training. We had those that rode a lot of miles to get ready for this trip and some that rode just a few miles to prepare. All rode the entire 322 miles.

There is very limited cell phone coverage in many parts of the trail.

For those driving the sag wagon be forewarned: Dollar General was the highlight of one of the day's activities.

KOA's don't come with linens. Live and learn with that one.

I don't think riding the towpath in the fall is the best idea. We all agreed it would have been much harder to ride the towpath if the rocks, ruts and tree roots had been covered with leaves. Note the helmet warning.

Bill's in Little Orleans is a "must see". Don't forget to put a dollar on the ceiling.

Most importantly choose the people you are going to ride with wisely. We choose very wisely and ended up having a great time.




I will sum our trip up with a quote by Ernest Hemingway.

It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.


Would we do it again?

In a heartbeat.