December 2010 - Allegheny West Magazine

In order to prepare for the trip, Ron and Dave would go to their localgym.“We would see each other there working out during the winter anddiscuss the trip while puffing and panting,” Ron said.When summer arrived, the two neighbors rented a van and were ontheir way to D.C. They left their rental at Reagan National Airport, andfrom there, they began their long journey home.In D.C., Ron and Dave unloaded their gear and took theMount Vernon Trail five miles to Georgetown – the locationof the C&O Canal towpath’s “0” mile marker. Dave carried 50 pounds ofequipment and food in a trailer attached to his bike. Ron carried 30pounds in his panniers. They estimated their journey would take six days,from Sunday to Friday; however, the duo experienced some unexpectedobstacles while on the trail. But with those obstacles, came angels andmost importantly, Ron and Dave endured in both friendship and pedalingalong the way.During their first day on the trail, Ron and Dave experiencedtemperatures of over 107 degrees. They decided to stop and cool off at arest area. At that point in the trip, a major storm occurred and set thetempo for the rest of their trip. It severely limited their travel distancesfor the next two days and led to the many obstacles they would have toovercome to make it back to Pittsburgh. After the storm was over, theydecided to head back to their bikes and travel toward mile post 54. Onehundred feet later, they hit a speed bump when Ron had his first of whatwould be four flat tires. Ron and Dave explained that they were only ableto travel eleven miles in five hours after the storm due to a countlessnumber of downed trees that they had to go over, under, and around.They had to portage their bicycles, gear, and equipment to clear theseobstacles. At 9 p.m. they stopped at mile post 26 for the night.On day two, Ron and Dave hit the trail in the early morning. Theywere forced to still travel through a path covered with numerous downedtrees. They decided to take a break for lunch near mile post 35 butrealized that the electricity had gone out in the area from the storm.Luckily, when they stopped at a place called White Ferry’s for lunch,the owner, Clark, was nice enough to open the store for them and providesome food and beverages. Looking back on the journey and rememberingClark’s hospitality, Ron said, “He was our first angel.”On Tuesday, they were on the trail by 8:20 a.m. The decided that noteven the poison ivy they both developed could stop them from asuccessful day of biking. Although the discomfort slowed them down,they didn’t let it get to their spirits and rode all the way to mile post 141.By the end of the day, they were able to shower and set up at LittleOrleans Campground. They spent the night enjoying their dinner. Theywere even able to do laundry at the camp and tend to their poison ivy. Afellow traveler asked Ron what happened to his foot. After closeinspection, they realized a tick had bored its way into Ron’s ankle.“At 11 p.m., with Dave’s encouragement, I called 911 and was takenvia ambulance to the Western Maryland Medical Center,” Ron said.Luckily, the doctor was able to treat Ron and cut the tick out of hisankle. Ron arrived back at the campground, via taxicab, at 6 a.m. Theydecided to take it easy that morning and head back on the trail by noon.While they stopped for a rest near Old Towne, Maryland, Ron and Davemet a couple from the area.“Donna was concerned about Ron’s ankle and offered to assist infinding a pharmacy in Cumberland to fill his medical prescription, ifneeded,” Dave said. When they continued on the trail, Dave experiencedissues with his tires and asked Ron to sprint to the bike store for someneeded parts. When Ron arrived at the store, it was closed, but low andbehold, another angel came to his rescue. “After a few exasperatingmoments, the lights came on inside the store and Hutch opened the doorand greeted me,” Ron said, “Hutch offered us beer and ice coldwatermelon.”“Hutch also helped us find lodging that night when there were no hotelor bed and breakfast vacancies in Cumberland,” Dave explained.Later on, Ron called his wife, Sandy. “I assured her that I was nowgoing to be alright,” he said. “This was a wonderful moment for me.”While they stayed at the Rivers Edge Bed and Breakfast in Confluence,Ron and Dave met Anna, the owner. She greeted them with a warm andgracious personality. According to Dave, River’s Edge is a stop that manycyclists frequent while traveling the trail.It wasn’t until Friday morning that Ron and Dave were in the homestretch. “It was a great day. The road is downhill. While negotiatingdown through a washed out area, Dave took a hard fall,” Ron said. “Ittook another biker and me to remove his bike and trailer off of him.” Bythe afternoon, Dave’s wounds were cleaned and bandaged and theycontinued on their way. By the end of the day, Ron and Dave hadtraveled 327 miles from their starting point.On Saturday, they were bound for Imperial. After traveling acrossbridges through McKeesport, Glassport, and Clairton, they made it tothe Montour Trail – the trail that would allow them to return home.Ron remembered that although they were close to home, “This part ofthe trip is not for the faint of heart.” He called his wife and said heexpected to be home by 4 o’clock that afternoon, but just after he gotback on the trail Ron was down under his bike. “Another biker helpedme up, Dave administered first aid, and we were off again.”“We got to US 22 and then could see the barn! Downhill to Imperialand home!” There was nothing that could stop them at this point –except another flat tire. After Dave helped Ron fix his tire. “I got 50pounds of air… I flew!” he said.By 4:10 p.m., the neighbors arrived home. “Dave and I proudly, withhumility, rode first into his driveway and into the arms of his wife, Sallyand then to my driveway and the arms of Sandy.” He remembers Sallyand Sandy telling them how skinny they looked. “We traveled a total of383 miles.”Ron explained that his trip with Dave was the most challenging trip heever took, but had it not been for Dave’s help, he would not have beenable to make the journey. According to him, the trail is not really“complete” from here to D.C., but it certainly provided for someunforgettable experiences. Although it was challenging, he explained thatit had the most rewarding finish and says he would do it again.Through their enduring strength and friendship, Ron and Dave provedthat just maybe age has no boundaries. It might have taken them anextra day, but they crossed the finish line. Their journey together is areminder that it doesn’t matter where you are or where you’re going, aslong as you have a neighbor along the way, the journey home isunforgettable.December 2010 Allegheny West Magazine 61