GAP

No, this entry is not about a clothing store. It is about a rail-trail.

About two weeks ago Sue and I had an opportunity to ride part of the GAP - the Greater Allegheny Passage - at the invitation of a friends from Morgantown, WV - Jim and Sheila Rye. The GAP took 30 years to fully developed running 150 miles form downtown Pittsburgh (Point State Park) to Columbia, MD. In Columbia, the GAP joins the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath Trail that adds another 185 miles to Washington, DC. The GAP and C&O jointly comprise a 335 mile bike corridor through mostly rural areas of PA and MD.

Tourism from the rail-trails has added to the economies of the rural areas through which the GAP passes, e.g., B&B's, local eateries, companies that arrange trips of various lengths (and will even move your vehicle), outfitters.

We rode a 12 mile section of the GAP between Confluence, PA north to Ohiopyle, PA through forested mountain sides along the Youghiogheny River ("Yough" for short) and back. In Ohiopyle, the trail crossed the river twice within a half mile on converted RR bridges where the river make a loop. The second and northern most bridge is about 200 ft above the river (see photo above). The former train station Ohiopyle at the first and south most bridge has been converted into a tourism information center and rest stop (see two photos immediately below and the top photo - note that the bridge is curved, which is unusual for a long span RR bridge).

Ohiopyle has long-standing whitewater rafting businesses around rapids on the Yough, some of them class 4. The town is adjacent to a nature area and a state park with hiking trails, camping, etc.. These and the GAP are an economic triad that complement one another. The photo below of kayakers exiting an area of rapids is the upper left section of the second photo above. Our family went whitewater rafting on the Yough early in the 1990s. David and I found it thrilling. Sue and Jane did not enjoy it as much.

Followed the trail ride, we enjoyed lunch at the River Side Cafe, a cafe and B&B in Confluence. It was a very enjoyable day with friends that we look forward to doing again.