That's Not Good

Day Two: Monday, Sept. 7, 2009

Monday morning dawned bright and early. Well, early. It was cloudy with showers. No matter we had miles to bike. Our destination for the night was Mt. Savage, Maryland. We would be staying at a B & B called The Castle. I was sure hoping it would live up to its name.

We enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the front porch of the Quiet House, loaded the bikes and headed for Ohiopyle. On the ride to Ohiopyle the guys agreed that they were glad they didn't have to ride it with their bikes. Eight miles of curvy, hilly, wet roads was not appealing that early in the morning.

Our destination.




It looks like the rain wasn't getting some bike riders down.




Turn that frown upside down, Dave.




Water, snacks, bikes and riders were ready.




The rain had stopped and the bikers were off. See you at lunch, boys!




It was time for Rosy and I to find our lodging for the night, drop off a car and meet the guys at Meyersdale for lunch. But first things first. I needed five minutes to adjust mirrors, seats, radio stations and get my GPS up and running. Would it be too much to ask Chris to leave things the way he finds them? Sheesh. I was ready and saw where Rosy had exited the parking lot. As I entered the exit a policeman was entering and surprisingly was rolling down his window. ??? One way? Sorry, officer, I didn't know. Can you see I have Wisconsin plates and a GPS up and running? I readjusted my exit strategy and continued on my way.

While Rosy and I enjoyed our misty views of the mountain from our cars the guys were enjoying views of their own.




Sorry but I love my black and white landscape photos. It's the Ansel Adams in me.




Rosy and I were in Mount Savage and after a couple of wrong turns had found our destination.




What would we find around that curve in the driveway?




It really is a castle. Wow. This is the kind of surprise that I like. Here is a short description of its past

In 1840, The Castle began its life as a plain, yet substantial, stone house built by the Union Mining Company. Just before the turn of the century, the house was purchased by a young entrepeneur from Scotland, Andrew Ramsay. Ramsay was the owner of the Mt. Savage Enameled Brickworks Company which was enormously successful in producing a special colored, glazed brick that was highly sought after for its smooth, bright, easily cleaned surface. Mr. Ramsay used his new found wealth to convert the stone house into a replica of Craig Castle, which he had seen near his home in Scotland. Large verandahs and terraces of glazed tile were constructed around the house. Ramsay also added an entire third floor and a kitchen-library wing which almost doubled the size of the home. A large carriage house, formal gardens, and a tennis court were added to the two acre grounds. As a finishing touch, Ramsay surrounded the entire property with a sixteen foot stone wall. Mr. Ramsay and his family lived at The Castle until the Great Depression when his fortune was lost and the house was sold off.

and a description of its present.

The Castle endured many trying times after Ramsay's untimely departure. It was in the hands of private families for a while before it was sold off again and transformed into a dance hall, brothel, casino, and eventually into seven apartments. In 1984, the deteriorating structure was given a second chance to be the grand home of its past. After two years of grueling renovation, The Castle proudly opened its gates as a unique Bed & Breakfast. Today, innkeepers Tony and Judi Perino welcome you as guests with a four o'clock refreshment hour that is served either in the parlor or on the tiled front terrace. Your choice of fresh lemonade, iced tea or favorite wine is served with a delightful array of cookies, fresh fruit and assorted cheeses. In the crisp winter months there is always a selection of hot teas, coffee or a steaming mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream. While guests are relaxing, they may hear the haunting whistle of the Scenic Steam Train as it makes its way along the mountainside from Cumberland to Frostburg. During the chilly winter months, guests warm themselves by the fireplace in the comfort of the parlor. Perhaps making plans to dine at one of the fine eating establishments in the area.

We went in and met the innkeepers. Dave had booked The Cottage which was a small stone house on the property. It slept six with one shared bathroom. But surprise! Judi said if we wanted to we could move up to the main house for the same price. We all could have our own rooms with private baths. I could get used to these kind of surprises. We determined that it was only a short bike ride with one small, steep hill from the trailhead to the B & B. That was doable. We left Chris's car and headed to Meyersdale for lunch.

While we were dealing with our surprises the guys had a surprise of their own.




Not to worry though. It was only a broken spoke on John's bike. A stop a little further way down the trail took care of that. It would turn out that would be the first of four broken spokes on John's bike. Amazingly that would turn out to be the only mechanical problem of the trip.




The girl standing on the left of the photo was from Cincinnati. She was biking Pittsburgh to DC by herself. We would see her again later in the day. It would turn out that we would run into the same people day after day. It was fun to meet up with people again and again and compare stories. We even started to look for certain groups just to hear how they were doing. It gets lonely on the trail.

All wasn't lost for the guys. They continued to enjoy some spectacular scenery on their numerous breaks.




Rosy and I found Meyersdale without too much trouble and with some hunting found another Subway. We sat at the train station and waited for the guys. It turns out that much of this trail goes through areas of very little cell phone availability. I think John said at one point on the trail he saw a sign that said the next 46 miles had no cell phone service. It made for a lot of waiting for us since we never were really sure how far away they were.




Eventually they arrived and it was time for lunch.




The afternoon would bring The Big Savage Tunnel, the Continental Divide and the Mason-Dixon Line.

to be continued...