Tuesday, May 12: Ought to call today P & J’s day from hell. What a complete and utter mess of a day! Now it started with me suggesting that Judy just do one support hook-up with me for the day since the ride distance to Cumberland was just 60 miles, and nearly everything in between Hancock and there was just way the hell out in the boonies. So I figured on her just driving to the Paw Paw trailhead, some 32 miles, and then I’d finish with another leg into Cumberland that was 28. Sounded good enough….until I figured it would be better for her to do this “cut across” from I-68 down to Route 51, thereby saving her about 60 miles of additional driving. So I got on google map and with the use of my state gazetteer and I mapped out this short cut. Looked good on paper - looked good on google map. So we went over this with my written directions and then she rewrote in her handwriting. Now there was a point where she wasn't sounding good with this, and me, like a knucklehead, kind of got short with her about the route. Yea, as most of you already know, I’m no angle! So we went over it a couple times with Judy still kind of not in synch with my directions. Nonetheless, like a good trooper she went along with the plan.

So back to the finish point of yesterday for today’s start. And off I rode, west on the trail on a very humid morning with a considerable headwind out of the southwest. Damn, my butt is just a wreck. Hell I was shifting and sliding and in and out of the saddle from the get-go. I’m now thinking that this saddle that I just love on my X-fixie, which I took off and put on my 29er, is a failure on the 29er just because of the different fit on the bike. It’s just never comfortable. So there I was acting like I was sitting on tacks the minute my arse the whole time. Couple that with a very significant headwind, heat and humidity, the very imperceptible false flat gradient of the trail - upriver all the way to Cumberland - and they all combined to make the ride feel miserable right out of the gate. Hell, I was out of the saddle just trying to keep on top of the same gear that I’d been riding for the past two days. Today it felt like a bloody overgear. So I shifted up after about 15 min. 

Mornings are usually my favorite parts of each day’s ride. But not this one. This felt like ^$%#$%@. Poor Pete? Just tried to focus on the beautiful countryside and the total backcountry feel of the trail. Eventually, after about an hour of riding I stopped at this aqueduct for a quick swig of water and my phone rang. Saw it was Judy. My first thought was she had already made our support point, but it was still a bit early. Well, when I answered she was crying like crazy. My first thought was that she got into an accident. Then she told me she was on this one lane gravel road that turned into 4WD track and that she’d gotten stuck. What’s more the phone service was like a half bar and it would cut in and out. I had to redial numerous times to try to figure out the situation. After about 4 recalls I figured she was a couple miles off of I-68, but had no idea of the road. I was trying to tell her that I had free towing and all these great amenities that my good friend and SUPER insurance guy, Dave had gotten me. I mean he just got this great coverage for our trip to take care of bad situations. So I’m trying to tell Judy that the insurance package is in the side compartment of my computer, and for her to call the help line, but the freaking phone kept cutting out and she could determine what the hell I was saying. I was able to hear her tell me that she was going to run up the road a few miles to try to find help, but she couldn’t hear me. 

She was able to hear me say that I’m still riding to the Paw Paw trailhead. I had no choice I mean I was out in the boonies and couldn’t do anything at that point other than hope she was able to find help OR just stay with the van until I could get to Paw Paw, hitchhike up to meet her and then try to call towing. So anyway, that’s on my mind the whole time. At that point I was just crushing the pedals trying to get the hell out down the trail some 15 miles to Paw Paw so I could hitchhike up Rt 51 and then onto Green Ridge Road back up to I-68. Had just a flood of stuff going through my head, especially the thought that I just should have had her play it safe and drive the interstate 30 miles west to Cumberland, and then get on Rt 51 and take that 30 miles east to Paw Paw. Shoulda, woulda, coulda. That’s great in hindsight. 

That headwind just turned up a notch as I was pedaling harder than I’d pedaled the whole trip. I had sweat just pouring off of my head and down into my eye sockets as if a spigot was over my head. Was doing the mileage countdown for the full 15 miles. And during every five mile stretch, I’d stop and try to call Judy - and had zero service! Finally got to Paw Paw, having negotiated the famous Paw Paw - tunnel that’s about a mile long - and getting stuck behind cyclists who were walking their bikes thru the tunnel rather than ride it. You need a headlamp in this thing and it’s only like 3-4 feet wide. So I had to ride/track stand about a half miles worth of the tunnel behind this tour group. Out of the tunnel I was hoping that by some act of God that Judy would be in the trailhead parking area. NO GO. Only people there was the tour operators setting up the lunch truck the mule-train I’d waited behind in the tunnel. Tried to call again, and again zero service. 

Amazing how helpless you can feel without a bloody cell phone! Must have tried to call her 10x with no luck. So I rode out of the trailhead and onto Rt 51, believing that I’d better try to ride the roads rather than take a chance on hitchhiking. Reason being I she did get help and got out, I wasn’t sure that she wouldn’t just take the interstate all the way to Cumberland and then take 51, fearing getting stuck again in the backwoods. So if I caught a ride to Green Ridge and went up that, then I’d miss her. Definitely a case of outthinking yourself, and second guessing each and every potential decision. Without that phone service I just couldn’t seem to make the most logical decision. But nonetheless, I decided to just ride. That way she’d have more time to get the situation sorted out. But if I got to the Rt 51/Green Ridge junction and still had no cell service, I’d be in for a devil of a decision.

So I began this gnarly climb out of the Potomac river valley. And just as I shifted into the easiest cookie, Judy was driving down the road in the van. God was I relieved. We regrouped at the trailhead whereupon I apologized  25 different ways for my gaff. She was pretty traumatized by the whole situation, telling me that it was her nightmare scenario come true. Turns out she found a lady, explained the situation, and the lady got her husband to try to pull her out. “We’ve gotten a couple people out of there,” he told Judy. And he did it with much difficulty. And they led Judy away from the 4WD jeep track to the right road such that she could cut off that 60 miles of redundant driving. Matter of fact they insisted that she take Green Ridge rather than do the double tracking. Well, this Green Ridge Rd was gravel all the way from the interstate to Rt 51 - nearly 20 miles of gravel. And the worst part of it all was that the roads were NOT marked, and the gps I’d gotten for her didn’t even register the backroads. 

I was so pissed at myself for even sending her out there like that. So anyway, I was dog tired from doing this 15-mile TT down the C & O in 90-degree heat and against a 15-20 mph headwind and being stressed the whole time. I was just cooked. Ate a sandwich, downed a liter of Powerade and gulped down 2 ice cold cokes. Great way to get back on the bike for 28 more miles of cycling isn’t it? So we agreed to do another meeting point so I could drink and eat more for that 28 miles stretch. Came up with Old Town, 10 miles west, as our next point. Got going again, and then I see Judy at this little trailhead not more than  4 miles from Paw Paw. So again, I reiterated Old Town and then took off. Got to Old Town, with like flames coming off my legs, I mean I was on fire and headed into a smoldering heap of protoplasm with that freaking headwind. No Judy. I tried to call, 1, 2, 3, 4 times with the calls dropping like my patience. Got her on times 5, 6 , and 7, but the calls would drop after about 3 sentences. Again, I had no clue where she was. So I rode out and got on Rt 51 east hoping she was coming my way. She eventually did, and now she’s even more stressed and bummed out at what we’re going thru. And again, had I not ridden out there to find her on Rt 51, she’d have kept driving. Why? Because there were no goddamned signs for the trailhead!!!!!!!!!!

At that point I had about 18 miles to go. By this time I was just completely pissed at the whole situation, pissed at myself, pissed at the lack of cell service, pissed at roads and trailheads with no markings, pissed at the heat and headwind, pissed at being pissed. Had to regroup and get my stuff together and get this day in the bag and done with. Hydrated on Powerade and coke and then just had Judy drive all the way to Cumberland where she didn’t have to worry about unmarked roads and trailheads. Got Judy off and then I was off down the trail. As the day wore on the headwind had gotten progressively worse. By this time it was just howling. 

Kept a steady temp the rest of the way, and didn’t look at a trail marker until 4 miles to go. I mean there were times when I was out of the saddle just trying to make headway into that headwind. Made it to Cumberland whereupon we got out of Dodge for this little motel in Frostburg. What a day. We’re both pretty happy it’s over and we’re moving on. For me…lesson learned - no more ad-libbing the support routes for Judy. We were lucky today!