Day 4, Thurs: Meyersdale, PA to Cumberland, MD - 33 miles

After a very elegant and hearty breakfast at the Mansion, we started our day with a weather forecast of 80% chance of thunderstorms throughout our entire path for today.  BUT, the sun did shine upon us.  The haze upon the mountain tops disallowed many would-be photo opportunities.

Soon after leaving Meyersdale we crossed the Bollman Truss Bridge which was built in 1871 and is one of 2 surviving cast-iron truss bridges in North America. 

Today was a day of bridges and tunnels.

                                          
View from the bridge.

 

 

 

 

Our "high point" of the ride -- the Eastern Continental Divide at an elevation of 2,392 feet above sea level.  Pittsburgh, our starting point, is 720 feet above sea level.  The Eastern Continental Divide is the boundary between the watersheds of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Now we know why there are speed limits of 15 mph for cyclists on the trail. 

What a fast and easy ride for 25 miles!
 



Our planned lunch spot was to be Frostburg, MD, but when we learned that there was an uphill half mile switchback (zigzag) to get into town, we opted for a late lunch in Cumberland.  We are each carrying 25 lbs. of baggage on our bikes.

 

Going through Big Savage Tunnel, a 3,295 foot lighted tunnel, built in 1911 and the longest on this trip was quite an experience.

The Mason-Dixon Line is where the trail crosses from PA to MD.

 

The unlighted Borden Tunnel at only 957 feet in length.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

From Frostburg to Cumberland a train track and the bike trail ran side by side.

 

Another lighted tunnel at 914 feet was the Brush Tunnel, built in 1911.  This tunnel is shared by both the trail and trains passing side-by-side.  No trains came along as we
traveled this path.

 

Lover's Leap

The legend describes the love of an American Indian princess for a young English trapper named Jack.  They wanted very much to be married, but her father Chief Will forbade it.  Meanwhile Jack had found a map to a silver mine somewhere in the Narrows and offered the map to Chief Will in return for the hand of the princess.  The Chief agreed, but once in his possession, he refused to allow the marriage.  A terrible fight began, in which Jack accidently killed Chief Will.  The Indian princess could never marry the man who killed her father, nor could she live without the man she loved.  So arm in arm they both walked up to the highest precipice in the Narrows and leaped to their death.

The Narrows is a 1000 foot high natural landmark which cuts through the Wills and Haystack Mountains.  The pass facilitated commerce, travel, and migration between Cumberland and the West.

We have arrived at Mile Marker 0 of the GAP in Cumberland, MD.  Tomorrow we begin our travels on the C&O Towpath. As previously mentioned, we are riding the trail from end to beginning, for obvious reasons, which can be seen on the chart above.