Day 2: A great day on the trail!

We put 56 miles on the bikes today and the trail was gorgeous. We've hit the fall colors just right.

Our route was 56 miles, but our elevation gain was only 300 ft.

This is our second consecutive year to visit Pennsylvania in October and I think it may be the perfect time to come. Crowds are light, biting insects are nonexistent, the weather is too cold for nudist bicyclists (our friend John experienced this last year on the GAP), and the fall colors are just spectacular.

Some locals said we're about a week away from peak fall colors, but as far as we're concerned, we hit it just right!

Our stay at the GAP Campground in West Newton last night was so peaceful. It's rare that we rest so well when we camp, but we were so sleep deprived from the previous night's train trip that we slept right through the noise passing trains right across the river from our campground. We had the place completely to ourselves. They had an open air camp kitchen and lounge (with coffee) and the most amazing showers.

We took advantage of their great outdoor kitchen space.

A bit brisk this AM, but the water was nice and hot.

We took our time getting packed up this AM and hit the road around 11. We stopped for lunch in Connellsville at the Kickstand Cafe. Great food. No beer though.

Bob had a French onion and roast beef sandwich, while I had a pulled pork bahn mi. This meal made us both very happy.

Connellsville has a very talented mosaic artist that brings beauty to some interesting places.

Deer mosaic on a tank at a coal washing and sorting plant.

Monarchs on a derelict building in Connellsville.

We passed some sleepy little towns with rich history. Ohiopyle is known as the place where young Lieutenant Colonel George Washington attempted to find a route to present day Pittsburgh to reclaim it from the French in 1754, but found the falls there impassable. Tonight we're staying in Confluence PA, where Washington is known to have camped after being rebuffed by the Ohiopyle falls.

One of the many bridge crossings today.

Bob takes a rest along the way. There are biker rest points every mile or so along the trail.

We've got another lovely campground all to ourselves tonight, nestled between the Youghigany River and the railroad tracks. After arriving we learned that there's not many food or drink options in Confluence on a Tuesday, but our camp host had a few warm beers on hand and was happy to give them to us. Warm beer has never tasted so good! No dinner tonight - although we have some freeze dried meals, our meaty sandwiches from lunch have kept us full all evening.

Our own private campground.

Tomorrow we've got a 30 mile ride to another small town. Overnight temps are supposed to drop into the 30's tomorrow, and although we're well equipped for cold nights, a B&B sure sounds good! Stay tuned to see what tomorrow holds!