Great American Wheel Route Bikepacking

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
Days 75 - 78 along the Great American Wheel Route
August 17 - August 20. Pittsburgh PA to Ohiopyle and places in between
Patrice McDonald
Aug 21, 2026

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I rode out from the Pittsburgh Airbnb with my GAWR friend, John Schumacher. John is legendary for his navigational and route building skills. John would map the best route from the house, through Pittsburgh, to the “Point”.
There are three rivers that define Pittsburgh (hence SO MANY bridges). The Allegheny River flows in from the north. The Monongahela comes up from the south. The Ohio river is formed at the confluence point of the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers. The confluence point is called the Point of Pittsburgh or, “The Point”. The Point is also the beginning (or end) of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP). Here I would leave John and start my ride south, and John would meet up with Paul for coffee before heading home to Cedar Rapids.
John told me his route would prioritize: hills with less than 20% grade; low traffic; and a reasonable ride time. As I had a difficult time finding Pittsburgh two days before, I hitched my wagon to John’s train. Not only did he find a route for us that was rideable, and delivered without profanity from the cyclists or the passing drivers, it was scenic.



The gray strip running horizontal across the front of the yellow bridge is the Three Rivers Trail. It’s a dedicated path for pedestrians and cyclists to cross the river. It’s fun to ride, but narrow. You have to pay attention and not take videos while you ride.
Crossing another bridge in Pittsburgh.





Because who doesn’t like ketchup.
Next to the yellow bridge is an alternate way to get up one of Pittsburgh’s steep hills, the Duquesne Incline.



I said good bye to John at The Point. Thanks John for creating the GAWR riders group and keeping the communications network going throughout the ride, for riding with me and guiding me through Pittsburgh.
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My ride of the GAP began along this brick trail along the river front
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Across more bridges

I rode about 10 miles until a point on the trail that was closed for trail improvement. The county, or city, or GAP.org, or somebody, offers a shuttle around the closure. Otherwise you ride a 5 mile stretch along “one of Pennsylvania’s 10 most dangerous roads” according to the GAP.org folks. The shuttle is not free. You pay $20 cash to this guy.


About 15 minutes later, I was back on the trail.
John texted to say he found coffee and Paul at The Point. He said Paul was now about 30 minutes behind me. I knew that it would take Paul more than 30 minutes to catch me, as Paul was not going to pay any shuttle driver $20 to drive him 5 miles, even if it was one of Pennsylvania’s 10 most dangerous roads. So I rode on a few miles and took a long break. Just about the time I finished my peanut butter and jelly sandwich behind a police station, Paul came riding up. We rode the next two days together which was nice after mostly solo riding 2500 miles. We met up with another GAWR rider, Gary Nelson and his pal, Kevin. Then, Paul rode off with them towards DC on a faster track than I planned for myself. Bye, Paul. It was great riding with you. Safe travels back to Tasmania and happy trails thereafter.

John, Paul, Gary and me just trying to bike across America

Camping at GAP Campground, West Newton

Primitive camping and pre-dawn view from my tent. Ohiopyle.



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[PedalUma]

So much green



















More bridges

Street art riding into South Connellsville





Second half of the GAP starts now. Time to get going. Time to move on.

 

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
Day 79 & 80 along the Great American Wheel Route
August 21, 22 - Ohiopyle PA to Myersdale
Patrice McDonald
Aug 22, 2026

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My brain is jello. Feeling many emotions. No words yet that make much sense. How about some photos and videos?
I decided to stop at The Outflow Campground in Ohiopyle for a snack. Not true. I saw this cute guy fishing at the outflow and decided to sit and eat a snack.


Then, I’m sure to impress me, he did this

(Sorry about the audio. The Outflow is VERY loud.)
I haven’t grown tired of all the waterfalls. They are the main and continuous feature throughout the Allegheny region, like corn is to Iowa. I think I’ll make an audio loop of all the waterfall videos I’ve taken and play them when I can’t fall asleep.


I could do the same thing with corn pictures. Put them in a binder; flip through 300 photos of corn until I fall asleep.
Ride with me through the Pinkerton tunnel - guaranteed to put all of us to sleep.

I hope this is what dying feels like - flying through a dark tunnel and landing with a thud in Eden.
Speaking of Eden, last night I stayed at the home, BnB, and rescue farm of Kim and Jeff Peters, Stepping Stone Farm. Here are some photos of their Eden and the home they have made for 8 rescue horses, 4 cows, 2 goats, 2 miniature donkeys, a pony and 20 cats. Oh, there are lots of chickens I forgot to count. And of course, some dogs.









They were the kindest hosts. Kim sent me off this morning with a blueberry muffin, biscuit, and oatmeal raisin cookies. What a treat they were along the ride today.
Also staying at Stepping Stone last night was a lovely couple, Fiona and Bruce. We chatted some this morning at the breakfast table. Then, several hours later and 30 miles down the trail, they rode up on their bikes at a trailhead where I had stopped to meet and picnic with Leslie and Jack. Fiona used to lead guided swims with wild dolphins in the Bahamas. Now she works as a CPA. I have pondered that off and on all day. How does one transition from a life of swimming in the sea with the dolphins to a life at a desk and computer analyzing numbers? I think the emotions I feel currently have to do with preparing to transition from this wild crazy adventure. Maybe Fiona will comment?
Signing off now with a photo dump of so much more beauty I found over the past two days.

 

[PedalUma]

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Support Pedaling East​

By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.

 

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
DAYS 81 & 82 along the GAWR
August 23 and 24 - Myersdale, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland
Patrice McDonald
Aug 24, 2026

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Lines, markers, boundaries, directions, routes, temperatures, people, interactions, relationships, moods. How to measure the days of our life? Riding a bicycle for thousands of miles affords the time to think existentially. Or, more commonly for me, my brain shifts into low gear and I don’t think about anything, The eyes do all the processing. Until it all comes to an end. There, I find regret.



Shortly out of Myersdale, I reached the Eastern Continental Divide. Feeling compelled to test the geographical science, I slowly poured out half my water bottle, expecting the flow to immediately break into two parts, one flowing south east towards the Atlantic and the other half south west, towards the Gulf of Mexico. Neither. It flowed straight downward and was immediately absorbed into the ground. Proving that the gravity of hell is stronger than east or west, north or south.

Mason Dixon Line
Just a mile further I rolled over the Mason Dixon Line where in 1767 one guy said to another guy, “you stay on this side of the line, and I’ll stay on the other”. Sometime later, one side became Pennsylvania and the other Maryland. Sometime after that “it” was determined that you could keep men, women and children in bondage on one side of the line, but on the other side that was a line too far. It’s important to know where your lines are.



When that gets too hard. Find a tunnel. Most likely there is light. AT THE END OF IT. Though it may take a long time to get there.


Friends will help guide you. From Fiona, answering my question in yesterday’s post:

My life in the sea with dolphins and crunching numbers in the office was always running concurrently. Summers were my ocean time and the rest was the adding machine. Gentle re-entries into civilization were always key. The heart opening and expansive feeling that nature provides doesn’t always translate well to everyday living. That needs to be protected and the high buzzing life of everyday humans needs to slowly trickle back into existence. This helps preserve some that magical essence of nature that wakes us up as only nature (and animals) can do.

My arrival in Cumberland coincided with the end of the GAP (Great Allegheny Passage). Today, I’m taking a zero day in Cumberland. Tomorrow, I will begin the last, long trail of the ride, The C&O. Again, starting at zero. I like starting there.

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Support Pedaling East​

By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.

 

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
Day 83 on the Great American Wheel Route
August 24 - Cumberland, Maryland to Paw Paw, West Virginia
Patrice McDonald
Aug 25, 2026

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This morning, I waited for a train to switch tracks for 45 minutes before I could cross the tracks and begin my ride through Cumberland and onto the C&O Canal Tow Path (C&O).

It was chilly, mid 50s, so I wore my puffy coat until mid-day.
This tree was amazing.

The towpath is fun to ride. The gravel is very fine so the ride is smooth. The mower was about a mile ahead of me.




The C&O Canal was on my left and the Potomac River on my right.
The canal has not seen any activity in decades. There are sections that the canal is dried up mud. Other places it's over-grown with lilies. Other places the water has been stagnant for along time. Other sections the canal looked healthy.

There are old locks and lock houses about every 5 miles.
Some of the old houses are in good shape, others look so sad and one was getting a face lift.

I stopped in Oldtown, Maryland, at the high school, for a slice of coconut cake and a cup of coffee. Oldtown was originally a Native American settlement of the Shawnee Nation. Currently, its population is 112. The high school closed in 2000. The high school building now houses a cafe/grocery, hair salon and auto shop.

 

[PedalUma]

Dear Bike Guy,

I think about you everyday. Prospero was only a collaboration in that I told you what I wanted to do and what I expected the challenges to be. Because I had so little useful bike knowledge, I set no parameters. You heard me well. Your expertise, years of knowledge, relationships and artistry produced the wizard. It’s a chip off the old Wizard. I am proud to own it. The bike and I are a perfect fit. Everything I have needed, he has delivered. You are not a small part of this ride, you were indispensable. Prospero would have made it across America with most any cyclist. I would not have made it without this bike. There have been SO MANY times where I have patted him on the bars and said, “well done”. I know only two other cross-country ebike riders. They are a husband and wife team. She is “V” on Biketrackers. We have communicated regularly by text but only met in person three days ago when they caught up with me in Cumberland. They ride Velotrics. They have had some problems. They often rent a Uhaul to drive around tough terrain or bad weather or where their battery range requires it. Yesterday, she sent me a scouting report that they had problems with two climbs and the notorious upcoming “stairs” (pictures attached below). I will get there tomorrow. I am not anticipating having a problem. I’ll unload. If the ramp is too steep, I’ll roll it up the stairs.



Prospero has developed a screech when I roll it backwards. I plan to take it to a shop when I reach Hancock today. I expect it needs some grease after a lot of rain, then mud, then spray down.



Most of the other cross country riders have run big miles the last week, getting to the finish. I’m doing the reverse, slowing down, stopping a lot to see all around me, sample the pie/cake/fresh fruit/ripe tomatoes, gawk at nature’s beauty, be in and thankful for the moment. 30-35 miles is good. I stretch it into a six hour ride. There is a half-mile tunnel today. Always can’t wait to get on my bike. -patrice

 

[PedalUma]

Today’s ride was about 32 miles. I think I saw 4 people on the towpath. This farmer was one.

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Support Pedaling East​

By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.

 

[PedalUma]

Patrice,

You have made astounding progress. It looks that you are about eight days away from singing, ‘She will be comin’ round the mountain’ in D.C. Congratulations! I am so happy to have been a small part in your endeavor. I am here to support you anytime. Your bike is so beautiful, and just for you. Prospero has done everything we planed over a year ago, together, as a collaboration. Your bespoke magical wizard with you at the helm has pulled through. I am so honored and proud of you, it brings tears to my eyes. Go ahead and max the power for those final big climbs, then its all downhill. In a good way.

Rick, the bike guy.

 

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
Day 85 on the Great American Wheel Route
August 27 - Hancock to Williamsport, Maryland
Patrice McDonald
Aug 28, 2026

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I have so much to say and so few days left to say it. Consequently, your email boxes are filling up with my ramblings because, what was at first a private journal, morphed into this public stack. I won’t be offended if you delete me, unfollow me, move me to trash or spam, unfriend me. We will still always be friends.
Something shocking happened today on Heaven’s Towpath - “they paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” (Credit below). Suddenly the verdant double track ended. It was as if it was scraped clean away. Then, the surface was a washboard from heavy equipment. Then, I came head to head with the heavy equipment. The first one was doing the scraping. The second was laying finely crushed black gravel. The driver told me they are putting a three layer “topping” on the towpath all the way to the Paw Paw tunnel. I soon encountered the second (orange clay) and third (fine crushed black gravel) layers.

Usually, I like all the toppings. But I was mad and sad about this. Later in the day, I had the chance to chat with one of the park rangers about it. He told me the Park’s plan is to preserve as much of the single and double track as possible. The topping is focused on lower lying areas that are subject to wash out in heavy rains or damage by frequent rock slides. The new topping recipe is predicted to have a 50-year life span and not crack or break up into pieces. It can be smoothed out with heavy equipment rollers.
The C&O is a National Park and one of the rail and canal trails that someday will link up to an uninterrupted network of trails across America.

Rails to Trails Conservancy | Nation's largest trails organization

Rails To Trails Conservancy is the nation's largest trails organization with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong dedicated to building a nation connected by trails, reimagining public spaces to create safe ways for everyone to walk, bike and be active outdoors.

www.railstotrails.org

One day any cyclist will be able to cross America without riding on roads, highways or interstates. That will be a good thing. Maybe when I’m 80 I could get half-way across. Who wants to come along? You have 7.5 years to think about it.
Last night’s lodging in Hancock was in a BnB focused on bicycle tourists. They had most everything a touring cyclist needs and wants at the beginning and end of the day, except a hot tub. They had an entire wall devoted to breakfast and trail snacks, as well as a packed refrigerator, with wine…

1878 River Run BnB
There wasn’t any guidance about how much one could take. Do you think I was greedy?


Two guys, Johann and ?, from Sweden were staying there on their ride from DC to Pittsburg. Another couple, Joyce and Bob, from Massachusetts's were using it as their base to section ride the trail and visit Harper’s Ferry and Antietam. We sat around the table talking bikes, travel and aging bodies.
I left Hancock over this bridge to return to the towpath.


This is the only person I saw on the trail all day. I pretty near ran him over. Couldn’t hear what he said to me. Could have been, “have a good day.” Or, “f—-you!” I responded, “you too”, which I thought would work in either case. It’s risky getting old.

I passed several more locks and lock houses.

 

[PedalUma]

While the Potomac has been running alongside the towpath the entire way, I get only glimpses of it because of a high berm of tall native trees, grasses and bushes. Finally today the path opened up a bit for better views of the river.

I had three separate deer sightings today. The first was of these two fawns. The doe was nowhere that I could see. One of the fawns started to follow me and then darted back to its sibling.

The second sighting, not photographed, was a doe that ran across the trail right in front of me. I could see a fawn in the woods running towards me as well, but it stopped before crossing the trail and went back into the woods. I waited for about five minutes for the drama. Would the doe return for her fawn while I was stopped there? Would the fawn dart across to find its doe? The video is the doe returning and trying to distract me from the fawn.




The last deer was just standing in the path. I enjoyed watching the butterflies frolic as much as the deer.


I met Sag Team Pepper at Fort Frederick State Park for picnic lunch. Fort Fred was the only stone fort built (1756) by a British colony during the French and Indian War. Fort Frederick was Maryland’s first state park.

The stone fort is massive. The photograph does not do justice to its length, breadth and height.

Before I pedaled off, I put my bike panniers in the team car to reduce the weight I would need to carry up and over three anticipated obstacles. Vivian, a fella cross-country rider ahead of me, had texted a scouting report about these obstacles. This was the first one:





Since Vivian’s text I had been thinking about how to get my bike up the stairs/ramp and even consulted with Rick (PedalUma Bikes). No need to go into all the details. I failed. I just couldn’t do it without risk to me or the bike. So, I turned around and took a 2.5 mile detour which ended up being just grand (and avoided the other two challenges), as I saw Dam #5 along the way.





A major construction project at Dam #5 was the reason for the staircase challenge. Apparently there is a long history of trouble at the dam.





Riding into Williamsport was interesting. Three waterways converge here, the C&O Canal, the Potomac and Conococheague Creek. An aqueduct was built in 1834 to carry the C&O Canal over Conococheague Creek. I’m still scratching my head over a bridge that carries a waterway over another waterway. The aqueduct was damaged several times during the Civil War. One can’t walk many paces in this area of Maryland and West Virginia without encountering Civil War history.









My bike computer directed that I detour off the towpath, over a pedestrian bridge, to get to my night’s lodging. At the point of detour I had to make a sharp right-hand turn onto the path that would take me up to the bridge. The detour path was edged by metal train track rails.

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[PedalUma]

I know that when crossing railroad tracks you must cross them straight on. You don’t want to cross them on the diagonal or vertically or you risk the probability that your tire will get stuck between the rails. And that’s no good. My problem was that I did not see and react quickly enough to the rails. I went into this slow motion wipe-out. As I was falling I thought, this is going to be bad. But it wasn’t. Just about when my head and left side were going to hit gravel, my left leg reflexively did this little hop and broke my fall to the left as my bike slid out from under me, to the right, and crashed. I ended up on the ground, but it was a soft fall. A woman started running towards me but I shouted, “I’M FINE” and waved her off. I then inspected my bike. Well, all was well with it as well. I was thankful it didn’t fall on the derailleur side. So, this whole paragraph has been a lot about nothing. Except for two points. First (my work boss, Linda, taught me this): when you fall, and we all do, immediately shout, “I’M FINE!”. The psychological effect of this really does help with any fallout. Don’t practice this at home, except for the shouting, “I’M FINE”. Practice that daily. You want it to be a reflex for when you really do go off the rails. Second point: it’s still not too late for all this to come crashing down. I have to be more careful.
I’ll end with a photo of my dinner, “the duo”: flounder and haddock stuffed with crabmeat, ‘cause you know I’m in Maryland.



No, I’ll end with some more photos of the beautiful C&O Towpath.











Now, it’s 7:40 a.m.. My favorite time of day, Ride Time!

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Support Pedaling East​

By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.

 

[PedalUma]

Pedaling East
Day 86 on the Great American Wheel Route
August 28 and 29 - Williamsport, Maryland to Shepherdstown, West Virginia to Brunswick, Maryland

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I stop and read all the placards. Yesterday, it took me one hour to cycle one mile.


Pedaling along this area where so much American history was forged makes me wish I had paid better attention in my high school American history class. It’s awful that I’m learning so much so late.


My fascination with the locks along the canal continues. It took 25 years to build all 78 of them along the 185 miles of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) The first lock was completed in 1828. Because there is a 605 foot gain in elevation between DC and Cumberland, Maryland, the locks were necessary to lift the canal boats and lower them. Mules were just incapable of doing that much heavy lifting. The engineers used the natural elevation gains to decide where to place the locks, which is why they always appear to be on a rise or hill.

The canal was dug 8 to 10 feet deep. I was reminded of that depth today when I walked, then got a bit braver and rode above the canal (now dried up) along the lock’s edge.

The C&O lock gates’ use the same design Leonardo DaVinci drew in the 1400s. If you too are fascinated by boat elevators, I have linked an excellent video here about the locks along the C&O.


Commercial passage along the canal ceased in 1924 when major flooding damaged or destroyed most of them. At every lock house, I stop, get off my bike, and I walk around the perimeter. I try to imagine the life here of the men and women who worked the locks 200 years ago.

It must have been a peaceful life, paired with the hardship of moving the lock gates, securing the canal boats, growing food and living with snow, rain, floods. Some of those folks are buried here.


Some of them welcomed travelers inside, and offered them food and lodging. These lock house families did double duty operating the lock and serving as inn keepers.
I’ve posted before that there is something special about people who welcome strangers into their home; offering comfort, food, lodging and oftentimes shelter from a storm. I have been fortunate to meet many. Jennifer and Mike who own and operate the Thomas Shepherd Inn in Brunswick, Maryland are those kind of folks.


My bike and I arrived through their back gate and into Jenn’s garden.
Jenn is also a hypnotherapist, yoga master and meditation instructor. Those influences are reflected in the garden, rooms and food at the inn and the desire of these inn keepers for travelers to find a tranquil resting place behind their gate and in their home. The house is gorgeous. I took only a few photos as I didn’t want them to think I was casing the place for a heist. Trust me, it’s gorgeous. Better yet, book a room. Shepherdstown is a great place to spend a few days (more about that below). Thanks Jenn and Mike for welcoming me. I’m hoping that Mike will share his recipe and technique for his homemade yogurt in the comments.

Because my lodging was in Shepherdstown, I pedaled over the Potomac from the towpath into West Virginia. Shepherdstown is an eclectic place. The historic area has lovely boutiques and small pubs. A creek runs through town. Beautiful things glow and grow here, even at night.

 

[PedalUma]

She is by the curtained off reflecting pool and headed to the finish line at the Washington monument. She just called.
Pedaling East
DAY 88 on the Great American Wheel Route (GAWR)
August 30 - Brunswick, Maryland to Lock House 22, the Pennyfield Lock House
Patrice McDonald
Aug 31, 2026

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I rode out of Brunswick about 8:30 this morning. A new friend told me not to miss this mural around the corner of my lodging.

Shortly down the trail I had a series of downed trees. These, I was able to get around or over by myself.

Then, there was this one



I could hear some women cyclists trying to get through from the other side, so I waited for them to clear a route and ride up to me while I unloaded my bags. Soon they were through and volunteered to do the heavy lifting for me. I’m getting very good at attracting sympathy. They take one look at me and think, “there is no way this woman will get her bike across without our help.” Usually, they are right.
More beautiful aqueducts, locks and lock houses.

Then, about 5 miles out of Brunswick, up rides “Olof” from yesterday’s downed tree and my post of last night. Except he’s not Olof, he is “Oleg”.
Shortly after posting last night, Oleg commented on my post. He identified himself as the Russian who carried my bike over the downed tree several hours before, who I had misidentified in my post as “Olof”. He invited me to be his guest for a ride along the towpath this morning.
That’s how we met up this morning. I had a wonderful ride. I must now correct some misstatements about Oleg from last night’s post:

• he is not a traveling Russian. He emigrated here a few decades ago;
• His bike was not rented. He is an avid cyclist, owns his own bike (probably more than one). Today, riding to meet up with me, riding to my lodging and turning around to ride to his car, he will have a 65 mile ride. He kept a slower pace than his normal 15 mph, so I could keep up;
• He was born in Kiev and identifies as Russian (had a great talk about that at lunch). He is a cycling mainframe computer on almost any subject;
• He is a software engineer, among many talents;
• He is the best ambassador for the C&O Towpath; extremely knowledgeable about the locks, history along the canal, waterways, etc.;
• The C&O Towpath is not a National Park, it is a National Historic Park.
• If you want to know how and why Oleg was able to find my name and location in less than an hour, only knowing that I am an old lady, cross-country rider, following the GAWR route - wait for my first novel.

We stopped for lunch at the historic White’s Ferry.



Then we stopped to help this couple who were dealing with a flat tire.



Oleg had the wheel out, tube out and patched, tube back in the tire, wheel back on the bike, in about ten minutes. My contribution was being the only one of the four with a working pump (electronic). Only one of us could figure out how to turn it on (wasn’t me). I received a fully ripe paw paw as a gift for stopping. I plan to eat it in a few minutes.


Okay, I’ve peeled it and tasted it. It’s sweet and tastes much like a mango, but mushy. If I had better utensils here in the Lock House, I would peel it, dice it and try some more. But, all I have is a fork and no running water to clean up.
Yes, that’s the big news of the day. I am here at Lock 22 for the night, staying in one of the oldest lock houses on the canal, known as the Pennyfield Lock House. It is quaint and just as it was when built in 1832. No electricity or running water. Outhouse a short walk across the canal. The pictures describe it better than I.

 

[PedalUma]

As I am typing this, a big electrical storm is going on outside. Lots of lightning strikes close by. There doesn’t seem to be much wind, so perhaps no downed trees tomorrow.

Dinner is a pouch of beans I’ve been carrying in my food bag for at least 60 days. I would guess there were a lot of beans consumed in this house over 200 years.


The rain is over. I think I’ll sit on the lock until dark.



This crane is hanging out in the canal outside my door.



In a few minutes, it will be dark and the little daylight coming through the locked window shutters will disappear. I will sit for a few minutes by the light of these mini lanterns and reflect on the past 88 days, and wonder if the mouse will find my feed bag. Is he happy I’m here, or wish I would skedaddle on home.

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Support Pedaling East​

By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.

 

[mclewis1]

Not a crane ... it's a great blue heron.

 

[PedalUma]

Not a crane ... it's a great blue heron.

I like to see them gopher it and hunt gophers, swallowing them whole. It's a thing.

Pedaling East
My Final Day on the Great American Wheel Route
August 31, 2026 - Day 89 (if you are counting) - Pennyfield Lock House on the C&O Towpath to the Washington Monument, Washington, DC
Patrice McDonald
Aug 31, 2026

By lantern light, I am typing this on my Ipad with Bluetooth keyboard and mouse (not that mouse). I’m sitting in a chair that lock house families, travelers and presidents have sat. It’s early morning, before first light.

In a couple of hours, I will leave Lock House 22 for a 19 mile ride to the Washington Monument. This post won’t pop into your inbox for many hours, as there is no cell service here, and I don’t intend to post it until after I reach the Washington Monument.

I began planning this ride in June, last year. Rarely was there a day that I did not spend preparing. I was busy everyday analyzing the route, building spreadsheets of the route, thinking about the ride, researching and testing gear, researching survival skills, learning basic bike maintenance, researching weather trends, riding my bike and other physical training. In those months, the ride seemed so far off and abstract. The morning I drove off from my Colorado home, reality hit. I cried on Ed’s shoulder. Suddenly, I felt unprepared. I didn’t think I would finish the ride, and maybe not survive it.

It’s all over now. What happened in all those days and all the others before? They have all passed This grand (it was) adventure is over. What I have now is this moment and what comes after.

I don’t want riding the Great American Wheel Route to be the story of my life. I want it to be but a chapter. There were many chapters that came before, and some fewer will come after. Only the whole will define me. This chapter has closed. There won’t be a weekly Substack recap, or talking tour.

I want the message of my ride to be that what I did was not extraordinary. Almost anyone can do it if they want it strongly enough. I want the message to be that what we achieve is not the measure of our success, it’s that we imagined it, then started it, and continued to inch along, with the help of others, and the forces of the universe.

This morning, I will start my day the same way I have started the last 88.

I say the following out loud:

Today, I get to ride my bike as far as I want, on roads I’ve never traveled, to places I’ve not seen and may not see again. I will meet many people along the way. Some will become friends. I will make the best decisions I can today so that I have the opportunity to do it all again tomorrow.
(Credit to Rob Evans, fellow GAWR rider who forwarded this to me on the eve of my departure)

-check the weather;

-select weather appropriate clothing. If rain is in the forecast, move rain gear from the bottom of left pannier to the top;

-confirm day’s destination, route, mileage, lodging;

- confirm route is loaded to bike computer;

-note in notebook, how much food/water will need to be brought on board this day and the next ;

-if camping, and west of Nebraska, retrieve bear bag from its hang;

-eat/drink something;

-if plugged into the grid, remove all items from charging sources and add to pack;

-refill water bottles/camelback;

-if camping, break down tent, strap to bike porteur;

-pack panniers with any items removed;

-check bike: battery level, tire pressure, panniers properly secured; brakes work;

-send “A OK” message home;

-do a final walk around to make sure nothing was left behind;

Then I say out loud, “This is the day all the great forces of the universe have made. I am thankful and happy to be in it. “

Then I get on my bike, “Perito, let’s ride!”

Sometimes the music I brought helped move me forward. I hope you have enjoyed some of the tunes. I’ll end with two.





Hope to see you soon, or somewhere down the trail. - patrice



P.S. Spend money for the best tires.

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By Patrice McDonald · Launched 4 months ago
A 72-year-old cyclist crossing America on the Great American Wheel Route. Periodic notes, photographs, campsites, weather, battery math, and whatever the road offers next.