We have arrived at the Continental Divide and through dumb luck, a lone biker named Joe agreed to take our picture forcing Ted to abandon his efforts at setting up a selfie stick. As he said smiling, “It’s all downhill from here,” we too smiled realizing that our long uphill slog was over. We have […]

After we left the Pinkerton tunnel the rain started in earnest and a combination of intensity and lack of leaf cover required us to get on our rain jackets. Even though the temperature was in the 60s, neither of us were chilled and we continued our journey. It’s a different experience bicycling in the rain. […]

We made it! Yesterday around 5:30 pm under cloudy skies we pulled into Cumberland, MD, and found the origination point of the GAP. It felt great to have finished today’s 61-mile leg and the entire 150-mile length of the trail sans major (or even minor) mishaps. We knew we were going to get wet when […]

Prior to Erik and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, in my mind I was being a bit of a wet blanket. Not about the trip or the fun we would have but about the rain. For most of May, the Northeast was pummeled with it. A sunny day seemed about as rare as hen’s teeth (or someone […]

There have been many beautiful plants I have seen along the GAP trail but along one section in particular there was a surfeit of one of the most deadly ones: Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum.) It is a beautiful plant but extremely deadly as even the smallest amount can kill a person. It is the plant […]

As we were nearing the Eastern Continental Divide, we spotted what we believed would be a rare sighting: a turtle by the road. Upon closer examination we discovered that it was a big snapping turtle. We thought that like the proverbial chicken trying to cross the road, that the turtle was misguided. It had a […]

About an hour after we left the Hanna House B&B we saw the first cyclists on the road coming toward us. After a salutary greeting, a ruffled grouse bolted from the side of the road and stopped in front of my bike. I slammed on the brakes and the grouse did nothing but hold its […]

Like the day before, the air was brisk and we were ready to hit the trail. Unlike yesterday it was easy leaving as we coasted downhill adroitly avoiding a trio of turkey vultures feasting on road kill. Turning onto the trail, we were greeted by a brown rabbit, who appeared much more friendly than the […]

It only seemed appropriate that while we were experiencing the loveliness of southern Pennsylvania that we should visit one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces: Fallingwater. This weekend retreat for the Kaufmanns, a wealthy Pittsburgh family who owned a department store, is a perfect reflection of the area that we are peddling through as it uses […]