Belle Vernon to Confluence, Day Two

06/24/12 48m

Rode from Belle Vernon to Confluence.

Woke to beautiful weather and the standard motel continental breakfast. This was our first morning of the trip so our process of loading was a bit lurching but we got there, and we set off on bikes and with the van down to Cedar Creek park. Some of us got down there early and took up some deck chairs and observed the activities of the 2012 Greenway Sojourn, which is a group ride of ~250 camping riders from DC to Pittsburgh, breaking camp, working the shower trucks and breakfast tents.

Along the trail I saw an male indigo bunting sitting on a power line. I've only seen this type bird once before, and it was quite beautiful.



Rode into Connelsville. In an attempt to get a smooth flow through town with lunch, we skipped some of the riverfront parks and went to Sheetz for lunch, took our vittles across the town and ate in a mini-park at the trailhead. We skipped the town, we didn't have any benches or tables, but it was an effective stop.

Rode through Ohiopyle State Park, which is usually very scenic and attractive and predictable, but today we were surprised to see a couple with pack goats carrying panniers.


Rode on to Ohiopyle, and as expected on a summer weekend we encountered a lot of riders close to town. Had lunch at the Firefly Grill, good food.


Our PerkyMobile^™ crew got out of the van and into their bikes, and C and D drove to the destination, Confluence, and back into cellphone coverage for Verizon users. Most of the group stayed at the PH, and I stayed at the River's Edge B&B. This is the third time I've stayed at the River's Edge B&B, it's been great each time, and I was very pleased.

Later we were joined at dinner by Pam and Bill Metzger, a wonderful meal enhanced by good company. They said they've noticed a real increase in the number of through riders, people riding DC-Pgh and even transcon riders. Bill commented that they were seeing a lot of through riders who were travelling on the occasion of some life-changing event: retirees, people getting out of the military, divorcees. They discussed the remarkable change along the trail from an industrial environment to forest over the last hundred years.