October 6, 2011: Fort Hill, PA to Cumberland, MD (56 miles):

This area of PA is called the Laurel Highlands.  It is a beautiful area – mountain ranges, rivers and creeks, homesteads with big barns, plus this time of the year the leaves are changing colors. However there can be fog in the mornings until the sun burns it off.  That describes this morning.  Cal began in the fog, but within an hour it was cleared for another beautiful day in the mountains.   

Cal continued on the GAP trail today. Each day he is seeing more people riding the trail.

Today he rode through 3 tunnels - one was 3000 ft long. He was peddling uphill, uphill (very gradually) until he reached the Eastern Continental Divide.  From there he was going to downhill – 22 miles of downhill into Cumberland, MD, where he arrived at 5:00 pm. At one point the trail was on a high trestle bridge.

Big Savage Tunnel - 3,294 ft long

Exiting the Tunnel

Here are several of the photos Cal took along the trail. 

Fall Colors along the GAP Trail

Pennsylvania - Maryland State Line





I met Cal in Meyersdale, PA for lunch and in Frostburg, MD for an ice cream.  From Frostburg the trail is right beside a set of rails that are used for a dinner train on weekends.   

Driving was a different story.  Uphill, downhill, around a curve and around the next curve and up next hill!! I always have enjoyed driving eastern roads, and I still do. The roads are narrow and the trees are whizzing by you.  It appears you are going faster than you really are. I did take a little detour to see a lovely covered bridge.

I snapped photos of several of the many large red barns I saw along the way today.

The leaves in some locations are more colorful than in other areas.   I haven’t decided if it has to do with which way the slope is facing.  We may be a week to early for maximum tree color.

This part of the ride is completely different – I am not near Cal most of the time. In fact there is no way to be near him.  We have to decide where we are going to meet and hopefully he has no trouble in between locations.  However we have had fairly good cell phone communication even here in the mountains.  Last night we had to drive a little distance to find accommodations and we will probably have to do the same tomorrow night.

Bike Trail Goes over this High Trestle Bridge

Bike Trail Passing Through a Rock Cut

Salisbury Viaduct - 1,908 ft long