The best way to be human is……..being human, with a human being.
Historically, Americans have come together in times of crisis. Lately however, it seems a perfect storm of crisis has made it more difficult than ever to unite us as in the past..
Politics, unemployment, social distancing and the Covid19 pandemic has us scared, angry and divided. Even with social media, video conferencing, chat rooms tools.. the gap seems to be getting wider..
Although these tools enable us to interact … we are social beings and need face to face interaction to satisfy our need for human contact and to come together…
Hitting the Trail – Makes the great divide not seem so wide, anymore
On Thursday morning wingmen Steve Hathaway, Greg Stocksdale (see Greg’s 2 Wheel Escapes below) and I headed for Pittsburg PA to the bike-pack of the Great Allegheny Passage Trail to Maryland. The trail is about 150 miles long and winds through Pennsylvania’s steel and coal country, across the Eastern Continental Divide, Mason Dixon Line into Maryland.
Our mission was a simple one… Come together and ride, reach out to those we meet and come together as Americans. Togetherness is a hugely important aspect of life. It unites us, gives us security, much-needed support and a sense of belonging, and encourages us to trust one another. Division separates us and crossing over to embrace the other side unites us. You can not cross over when sheltered in place…
Friends We Met
Steel Worker Frank – Frank is union steel worker who gets up every workday at 2:30 AM to be at work in Pittsburg by 5:30 AM. He also runs the Gap Trail Campground in West Newton PA where we stayed on our 1st night. Frank welcomed us with open arms and steel workers handshake. We sat and talked about the local area and learned about the impact the pandemic on rural communities but how they have come together in support of one another to make it through. He helped get chow and beer ordered for us, start a campfire and settled in for a chat before heading home for the night.
Hobo Joe – Hobo Joe is a homeless 63 year old man who rides his bike from Pittsburg to Sarasota Florida in the winter and back in the summer. He has no visible means of support other than his wits and his bike.. We ran into Joe last year on our way through and to our surprise he asked about all nine of us and recanted details I’d forgotten over the year. We ate our lunches (Steve shared his calzone with Joe) and listen to him talk about the trails. He updated us the trails condition, bathroom and water availability and tossed in a local history lesson or two as well. He was open and friendly, fit and fidgety …
He asked me to pass along his best wishes to Rick Eife (green shirt) who had fallen and hurt himself on last years ride.. He been concerned for him and was glad to learn he was healing well. Beneath his homeless exterior we could see the heart of a true traveler…
Whiskey Jack – Outside of the Ohiopyle PA we met a guy we named Whiskey Jack. He rolled up on us as we were finishing our soda stop there and began to chat us up. It’s not uncommon for people to just strike up a friendly conversation on the trail… He talked about his job as a Military contractor and his upcoming assignment to Afghanistan. We told stories back and forth for about 20 minutes while Steve finished his lemon / lime soda, I finished my orange cream soda and Whiskey Jack chugged his Nulgene bottle. When it was time to go we wished each other safe travels and he asked us if we wanted to take a tug off his Whiskey filled Nalgene bottle… I suppose it was neighborly gesture but we said no Thank You just the same..
Rockwood Opera House – Terry & Judy Pletcher
We rolled into Rockwood PA with instructions from Greg to be sure and get a burger at the Rockwood Opera House .. We’d been dreaming for miles about those big thick burgers he told us about and could not wait to dig in when we arrived. As we pulled up to the Opera House we could see a sign in the door window and our hopes for a meal dropped … The sign said 4-7 due to the Carona Virus… and it was 1:30.. Not to be deterred we tapped on the window to see if we could work some magic… no luck..
Just about then a man on a tractor rounded the building and called out to us…”What you boys looking for?” We told him we have been riding the trail all morning and had been told the best burgers for miles around were at the Opera House.. He replied: Closed until 4 due to the virus…sorry boys. Dam Governor is a communists and the Democrat’s are going to run this country into the ground before you know it…
I replied..don’t get me started about politics.. I’m from Massachusetts the worst state in the union for politics.. which made him smile.. He talked on for a while atop his tractor about various politicians while Steve and I just nodded away. He then shut off his tractor and said come on in ..let me see if Judy’s around… Judy was his wife we learned and his name was Terry.. They owned the Mill and Opera house.. Judy???? he hollered.. these boys are hungry can they get a burger… Nope she said everything is shut down.. I can get’em a chicken pot pie though if they are willing… We both gave her a big yes..
Terry told us the Mill was originally a thriving lumber and feed mill dating back to the late 1800s. It also featured an opera house on the second floor that hosted traveling minstrel groups until about 1920s. He took us for a tour while Judy heated up the pies and Terry explained the buildings rich in history. After the tour Terry sat with us for lunch telling stories about the coal mining … Both Judy and Terry treated us like sons and packed us off with homemade Glops (moon pies) and cookies. Oh by the way the chicken pot pie was like heaven on a plate…I ate it so fast I didn’t even wait to take a picture…the empty pie plate says all you need to know about it.
Yoder’s Guest House – Chuck and Denise – https://www.yodersguesthouse.com
Our last night on the trail was spend in Yoder’s Guest House. Chuck and Denise are outstanding hosts who will make you feel welcome and comfortable. Denise worked especially hard to keep all her guest safe during a very difficult the quarantine. The house is beautifully restored and the rooms were clean and comfortable. The Gehringers are especially accommodating to the bike trail community providing secure facilities to store equipment. I highly recommend the Yoder’s Guest House. You’ll leave Yoder’s feeling like a member of the Gehringer family…
All in all the trip was an outstanding success for us all.. We came back home with a renewed faith in our country but an even greater appreciation for our fellow countrymen and woman. The 150 miles is beautiful country and it has incredible people all over it.. So if your down …get on a bike, go for a run or take a walk … cross the divide and talk to your neighbors, talk to strangers or talk to yourself.. about just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful country…
2 Wheel Escapes. https://2wheelescapes.com/
Greg Stocksdale who operates a full-service bike concierge service called 2 Wheel Escapes. https://2wheelescapes.com/
The 2 Wheel Escapes Company provided trip planning, shuttle services and an awesome trip package for nine of us along the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). He also covers the C&O Canal trail which is our next adventure. He can provide everything from airport pick-ups, bike shipping, bike rentals, emergency repair service and detailed trip planning. Greg has many years of experience bicycle touring and camping along these trails and provides unmatched service at the best prices. https://2wheelescapes.com/
The Bow Legged Blogger 