Travel – Bicycling the beauty around us

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda

On Wednesday, May 11th, we drove from our home in Warren PA to Leeper PA, a distance of approximately 47 miles. Our destination was the Rail 66 Country Trail trailhead.

We parked off Route 66 in the Car Mate parking lot next to the trail.

From the Leeper trailhead we rode our bicycles, south, to Lucinda. The photographs that follow were taken along the trail.

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
Discarded railroad ties

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
The flag on the barn caught my eye.

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
DB’s Smokin’ Bar-B-Q is located in Lucinda, along Route 66.

If DB’s Smokin’ Bar-B-Q had been open, we would have eaten lunch there. We have eaten there before, and the food is excellent.

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
We ate a snack of tuna salad, crackers and fruit at this picnic pavilion.

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
Bob is approaching the picnic pavilion.

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
Bathroom Stop

Rail 66 Country Trail – Leeper to Lucinda
Former Lucinda Railway Station

We turned around about 1.25 miles south of the Lucinda Railway Station. Bob rode alone back to Leeper.

I stayed at the Lucinda Railway Station
and waited Bob’s return by car.

This is a video that Bob took with our GoPro7 camera during our bicycle ride.

Total bicycle miles ridden: 8.37 miles.

This was my first time on the Rail 66 Country Trail, whereas Bob rode his bicycle on the northern part of the trail in September 2021. The trail is very well maintained. We plan to return one day soon and ride our bicycles from Lucinda to Marianne and back. We hope to see inside the Lucinda Rail Station at that time as well. On another day we plan to ride the northern part of the trail together.

The 2022 Riding Season Has Begun

Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Wildlife Loop

It has been 8 months since I last published a blog post for ”Bicycling the beauty around us”. Our last bicycle ride in 2021 was in September. So far this year we have bicycled in our neighborhood, and we rode our bicycles at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island in Virginia. We bicycled a total of 17.89 miles, in April, while on vacation in Virginia.

This is a video that Bob took with our GoPro7 camera during those three bicycle rides.

Cycling Assateague Island 4/15/2022-4/17/2022

Great Allegheny Passage – Confluence to Ohiopyle, PA

Our wedding anniversary was this past Sunday, on September 26th. We decided to take an anniversary trip to Confluence PA, where we spent 3 nights at an Airbnb. We brought our bicycles with us.

Around 10:00 am on Monday, September 27th, we left on a bicycle ride. Entry to the Great Allegheny Passage was a couple blocks from our Airbnb. We rode from Confluence to Ohiopyle.

This is a video that Bob took with our GoPro7 camera during our bicycle ride.

I took several still images, while bicycling the trail.

Great Allegheny Passage
I am looking across the bike/pedestrian bridge
that we had just crossed over from Confluence.

The Great Allegheny Passage runs 150 miles between
Cumberland, MD and Pittsburgh, PA.
We rode the 10 miles between Confluence and Ohiopyle.

We rode along the meandering Youghiogheny River
through a mostly forested trail.
The trail surface itself was mainly crushed stone.

Opposite the river on one part of the trail was a wall of rocks.

What a nice resting spot along the trail!

We had a picnic lunch here.
At this portion of the trail we were on our way from Ohiopyle to Connellsville.
We did cross over the bridge, but rode no further.

I am very pleased with myself that I was able to complete the Great American Passage from Confluence to Ohiopyle. I have ridden very little this year. I may have been able to make the return trip, but I didn’t want to push it. My knee hurt, and the pain would undoubtedly worsen. Bob rode back to Confluence to get the car.

After Bob left I rode my bicycle downhill, just a short way back from where we had our picnic, to Ohiopyle State Park. I walked a short way along the Youghiogheny River, admiring the rapids and waterfalls.

This is the bridge that we rode across
before Bob rode back to Confluence to get our car.

Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River

Overlook of Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River

I found a shady bench near the Visitor Center. I could hear the roar of Ohiopyle Falls behind me. It was a pleasant place to await Bob’s return.

Bob returned to Ohiopyle shortly before 3:00 pm. He said it took him 45 minutes to make the return trip on the Great Allegheny Passage. His average speed was about 13 MPH. Bob took a shower at the Airbnb, before driving back to Ohiopyle.

Ira Trailhead to Peninsula and Return

We vacationed the week of June 25 through July 2 in Hudson, Ohio. We brought our bicycles with us, intending to bicycle the entire Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail in Cuyahoga Valley National Park several times during the week. Because of extreme heat and high humidity and rain we ended up riding only a small portion of the trail.

On Saturday, June 26th, we drove to Cuyahoga Valley National Park and bicycled the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail from the Ira Trailhead to Peninsula and back.

This is a video that Bob took with our GoPro7 camera during our bicycle ride.

Highlights of our ride included obtaining a national park passport stamp in Peninsula, watching a train cross over above the trail, and seeing a Great Blue Heron just south of the Beaver Marsh. We began our bicycle ride at approximately 9:30 am and finished at 11:07 am (1 hour 30 minutes and 48 seconds later). I took only two pictures.

We stopped at the Beaver Marsh
on our way back to the Ira Trailhead from Peninsula.

Just south of the Beaver Marsh we saw a Great Blue Heron.

Total bicycle miles ridden: 10.15 miles.