Nature note from a local
FYI, the sandhills take up 1/3 of the state's area. It is one of two places in the world that used to be a desert but is becoming a grassland. The pocket lakes you'll see are the Ogallala aquifer bubbling to the surface. (Kurt)
Lodging - Comfort Inn
About a mile north of the trail. $120
Lodging
Best Western Crossroads Inn 1905 Harder Ct, Schererville, IN 46375 Abt $150 with tax. Holiday Inn Express across the intersection was about $100 more per night.
STATS - Day 24, Ride 22, 976 Miles
40.67 miles per day on trip 44.36 miles per riding days
Lodging - EconoLodge Zanesville OH
$93 per room. Very dated but walkable to grocery shopping and many dining options. Also it has breakfast albeit waffles and cereal. We always want some breakfast before a ride. Second breakfast can be on the route.
Mileage Update - 515.92 miles
515.92 miles in 13 days = average 39.7mpd excluding 2 rest days
Lodging April 14&15, 2025
The winds were so high on the 15th and had rain flurries that we decided to have a day off. It was well appreciated by all. Our AirBnB on top of the hill just before the DQ was a perfect location for sunset and weather watching. Birds were plentiful.
Riding Plans
The AirBnB host has graciously agreed to let us keep the trailers at his place while we ride down to Mount Vernon and back. We will hit the coffee shop across the street at 8ish, take an hour to get to MV, visit an hour, and ride back. After we pick up the trailers we tour the monuments on the way t...
Thanos’ Birthday
A little jet lag this morning. Woke at 9:30am. My cousin Thanos drove from his house about 7 miles away to visit. We walked around old town and had crepes. Great to hear his stories of possible layoffs even though they are essential workers. It is a shit show all over town. He was surprised at how m...
Packing Adjustments
The photos show what I planned on bringing. I jettisoned one underwear, long leg warmers, Turkish towel, and RhinoWalk bag and replaced them with smaller towel, knee warmers and front fork mounts. Total bike, bags and gear is 50lbs.
Dining
First night dinner at our AirBnB Host’s restaurant, the Pita House. It’s on King St between Metro and condo on Fairfax and King St. Loved the lamb stew and baba. After Dana arrived we went to a second dinner at Urbana Mexican Fare for a huge shared margarita, elote, fish, chili and more. Ran into th...
Weather - April 6 - AM Showers 60/40 0.14 inches
Long day to Paw Paw. Hopefully it will dry up on the way. Hancock is 26 miles from Williamsport and will be a good place for lunch or to stay the night if the path conditions are bad. It is another 32 miles to Paw Paw.
Weather - April 5 - Showers 58/48 0.4 inches
Long day in the rain yesterday so shorter day in the rain today. This B&B offers a nice bikers breakfast and is only a couple blocks from the path.
Weather - April 4 - Thundershowers 71/56 0.14inches
We will have to do spot checks on where the thundershowers are. It may be better to stay on pavement and take the Old Dominion Trail instead of the C&O. This is a 60 mile day so wet could be a problem. There is no way to switch routes once started. The Harpers Ferry weather says storms in the mornin...
Weather - April 3 - Cloudy 82/68
Excellent day for a ride down to Mount Vernon then up through the DC monuments to Georgetown.
Weather - April 2 - Cloudy 61/55
Great day for siteseeing around Old Town with Dana and Thanos.
Flight Planning
This ride starts in Old Town Alexandria, VA just south of Washington D.C. It is best to plan very early so you can book a non-stop flight for ease of traveling with bike boxes. Bike boxes under 50lbs count as first check bag on most airlines. Southwest charges much more and lost my bike last trip. M...
Lodging - Apr 11 - Traveler's Rest Hotel
$175 (412) 623-9343 27 S 6th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 https://www.sstrpgh.com
Lodging - Apr 10 - Plumer House Historic Guesthouse
$456 for whole house (412) 519-6105 from Google maps (724) 872-0792 from GAP page TURNS OUT YOU CAN ONLY BOOK THROUGH AIRBNB, OTHER LINKS ARE OLD. 131 S Water St, West Newton, PA 15089 https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/43188929?viralityEntryPoint=1&unique_share_id=0868C2F7-6BAE-45A2-9C07-B917143A9F1D&slc...
Lodging - Apr 9 - Falls Market Inn & Suite
We ate lunch here and met many architectural students visiting Falling Water but we didn’t stay here. $110 (724) 329-4973 69 Main St, Ohiopyle, PA 15470 https://www.fallsmarketinn.com/search?start=2025-04-09&end=2025-04-10&numberOfGuests=2
Lodging - Apr 8 - The Hostel on Main
(814) 442-1221 506 Main Street, Rockwood, PA http://www.hostelonmain.com/location
Lodging - Apr 7 - Allegheny Trail House
$136 (240) 580-9795 156 E Main Street, Frostburg, MD 21532 https://alleghenytrailhouse.client.innroad.com/#search={%22propertyId%22:2910,%22checkIn%22:%222025-04-06%22,%22checkOut%22:%222025-04-07%22,%22guests%22:[{%22adults%22:2,%22children%22:0}],%22multi%22:false,%22step%22:0,%22refSource%22:0}
Lodging - Apr 6 - Bikepath B&B
$50pp cash 304-671-5153 80 Winchester St, Paw Paw, WV 25434 https://bikebed6.wixsite.com/bikepathbb
Lodging Alt - Apr 5 - Bay Farms BnB
(301) 875-5032 $155-$165 14 N Conococheaque St, Williamsport, MD 21795 https://bayfarmsbnb.com/?_gl=1*18wubtv*_ga*ODQxNDk2MjA0LjE3NDIzMjY5OTE.*_ga_HDMXV1N3W2*MTc0MjMyNjk5MC4xLjAuMTc0MjMyNjk5MC42MC4wLjA.#contact
Lodging - Apr 3 - The Georgetown House
$580 for 4 people thegeorgetownhousedc.com Set in an 1830s building on the banks of the C&O Canal, this relaxed guesthouse in an area with shops and dining is a 15-minute walk from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and a 17-minute walk from a metro station. The understated, monochr...
Lodging - Apr 1,2 - AirBnB 2bd
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1212274378706598961 $730 3 people 2 nights.
Lodging - Apr 4,5 - Harpers Ferry KOA Cabin
6 person Deluxe Cabin 2 night minimum, I goofed and didn't cancel this soon enough. So we will use it one night and have the other night as spare if there is an issue. $523.56/4 =$130.89 https://koa.com/campgrounds/harpers-ferry/site-type/lodging/