Today, we began our journey back toward DC, retracing our steps through some familiar territory. It’s a bit of a remix tour—sometimes staying in the same motels as before, and sometimes mixing it up.
We knew we were racing the clock today. According to the Epic Ride Weather App (check out the chart below), the sky was preparing to open up. In the upper right quadrant, you can see the likelihood of rain dramatically spiking right around 12:30 PM.
Our mission was simple: ride as far as we could before the deluge, then execute a precision sag-wagon extraction to our destination for the night: Frostburg (a town we enjoyed staying in just a couple of days ago).
The Logistics: A Multi-Stage Shuttle Run
With five riders and Frank behind the wheel of our SUV, we had a bit of a logistical puzzle to solve. The SUV can only comfortably carry the driver plus three passengers. To get everyone to Frostburg dry, we calculated a two-stage pickup plan:
Mile 25: Keith and Mike loaded their bikes and hopped into the SUV. Frank drove them all the way to the hotel in Frostburg.
Mile 45 (Rockwood): Meanwhile, the remaining three of us (Doug, Chris, and me) pushed on to Rockwood.
To our immense relief, the plan worked flawlessly. Right at the 45-mile mark, just as the first showers were starting to come down, Frank pulled up after dropping off the first group, right on cue to scoop us up.
Beautiful Miles & Diesel Trains
Up until the point we bailed, the riding was absolutely spectacular. Even though it was overcast, temperatures hovered comfortingly in the low 60s. With the gear we wore, it was prime cycling weather. The route treated us to incredible scenery, including several historic tunnels and sweeping bridges.
📸 Want to see the views? Scroll down to the bottom of this post and click on "Today's Photos" to gallery-hop through our morning ride.
The adventure didn't end when we reached the hotel, either. Shortly after we arrived, a scenic train pulled up packed with tourists. I managed to snap some great shots of the beautifully restored diesel locomotives, which you can also find waiting for you in today's photo album!
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