GREAT ALLEGHENY PASSAGE TRAIL

From: bruce Sent: June 13, 2018.

Tom E,
That is a coincidence. Last Thursday we discussed a possible trip to DTI's in WV and I said I'd look at a northern route. Can't remember if I mentioned Aussie Bob's tour going that way. Anyway, it does appear doable. Wilma thinks I'm crazy for expecting anyone else to want to do two weeks on a bike.  Before the Fogbees I would have agreed. Since then I've learned others share my insanity.
Bruce

On 06/13/2018 09:38 PM, Tom Evans wrote:

Trip to DTI abode?  Wasn't my motivation for introducing GAP.  My son sent me that GAP link as FYI after I mentioned our interest in doing Tunnel Hill. I had not heard of the GAP. I was just curious in any of you all had ever heard about it.  I was thinking about it solely something else for us to do. 

I see where it surprisingly lies on your Google query and how our signals got crossed.

The fact it lies so close to DTI-WVA makes it more of a possibility

On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 7:28 PM David Irvine <dti16@att.net> wrote:

Bruce,
DaveS and I drove the same route you and I did from Lamontay Lane to Paw Paw and the C&O Canal Tunnel.  Describing the route from Paw Paw to Lamontay Lane as a "puckish reasonable cycling route" might be subject to interpretation, esp near the end of a 60-mile day I saw mentioned elsewhere; "puckish" yes; "reasonable"; well........!
I have no idea how many riders might participate in this ride, but some thought might be given to accommodations for the night.  Of course all are welcome to visit my hillside chalet, but at the present time I have one guest bed and a plush couch for sleeping, plus two inflatable mattresses I can borrow from my daughter Ally living nearby.  There is a Cacaponhideaway Campground directly across Detour Road from Lamontay Lane, but Ally says it is really really primitive camping with portapotties and no running water.  For the campers in the group, there may be interest in Cox Campground located on Detour Road between Paw Paw and Lamontay Lane.  I have not been there but their website makes it look attractive, with tent camping, cabins, RV parking, and even a store.  For those desiring more civilized accommodations, I can recommend the Best Western Motel in Berkeley Springs having stayed there myself one night; the Angus & Ale Restaurant within a short walking distance is a plus, except they close at 8:00pm.  The only drawback to the motel is that it is 8 more miles past Lamontay Lane, including one challenging climb up to the Cacapon Overlook plus a few more "reasonable" pucks.

Cox Camping Great Cacapon WV

www.coxcamping.com/

1.  Located in the West VirginiaEastern Panhandle situated on Sideling Hill between the Potomac and the Cacapon Rivers. Just a few miles from Historic Berkeley

Laissez les bon temps rouler!
DTI

On 6/13/18 6:19 PM, bruce wrote:

I thought we were discussing doing a tour to DTI's new abode sometime in Sept-October and perhaps including the GAP as part of that ride. Aussie Bob's MA 12 did pretty much that and found the C&O towpath's terrible conditions to be more the norm than an exception. I had already determined that before the MA 12 and had mapped an apparently reasonable on road route to avoid the towpath. Because we went only to Cincinnati the road option was never presented to the group who went with Bob's original route via the C&O.

The option to go to DTI's place is an even better option for the on road option. It takes one right to Paw Paw, MD from which DTI and I and maybe David S have explored and found a puckish reasonable cycling route to his abode.

I ask Google Maps for a cycle route to Dave's Lamontay Lane and it gave this (Hope the link works):  directions from 144 Fairways Dr, Hendersonville, TN to Lamontay Ln in Google Maps.VIEW IN GOOGLE MAPS

Google routed via the GAP and C&O. I was able to make it reroute past the C&O part of the way but for some reason Google maps balked at later changes. If there is interest I can re create this in Ride with GPS and also pick potential overnight stops. The above was mostly to get a rough idea of the distance and direction. We all liked the MA 12 route to Cincinnati so could repeat that or go with Google and explore new towns. We could also do mostly the N2N and deviate to Winchester. VA if people would rather do rural Virginia than KY, OH, and Pennsylvania.

On 06/13/2018 04:50 PM, Tom Evans wrote:

The 150-mile long GAP is crushed limestone surface, much like the Tunnel Hill trail and the Virginia Creeper between Abington and Damascus.  Both were easy rides for road bikes.  The C&O Towpath appears to be is a mess most of the time with many sections closed.  It is also an unimproved two-rut mule path, not well suited for road bikes.

I am not sure what you are suggesting, but the C&O towpath would not be on my biking list anytime in the near future.  Any beyond the near future is most likely beyond my bike riding time,

On Tue, Jun 12, 2018 at 10:03 PM David Irvine <dti16@att.net> wrote:

Bruce,
Enjoyed re-reading AussieBob's GAP/C&O towpath experience while talking with daughter Allison.  When I asked if Great Cacapon, Paw Paw and Berkeley Springs had recovered yet from last week's deluge, she said NO!  She said the rain is still continuing!  She said Hwy 522 is still passable, as are Route 9, her part of Detour Road, and Lamontay Lane, but several of the smaller back roads remain closed or restricted access, one back road bridge on the Cacapon River is washed away, and storm and flood debris is everywhere including at the intersection of Route 9 and Detour Road.  She said the Potomac seen from the Overlook appears quite swollen and ugly with dark brown sediment.
I don't know if such severe rainfall is going to be a regular feature of that part of NE WVa, but it appears that plans for including any part of the C&O towpath in a tour route might do well to include your "Plan B" alternative route. 

On 6/12/18 8:13 PM, bruce wrote:

Aussie Bob and company did part of the GAP on the Mid America 2012 tour. You can read about it at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/ma12. The GAP part begins on day 13. During the initial planning when there was a possibility I could ride the entire tour I had made an alternate route for myself on paved roads that bypassed the C&O towpath. Google and experience had taught me to be wary of canal towpaths in general and the C&O in particular. Bob does say that the GAP portion was ok even in the rain. 
Bruce

On 06/12/2018 07:21 PM, Tom Benim wrote:

Looks like a good ‘un.

From: Tom Evans Date: June 12, 2018
Has anybody done the Great Allegheny Passage? https://gaptrail.org/