Tag: GAP

Me. At Confluence, Pa.

Though the second town on our journey, we bypassed altogether on Confluence en route to our stayover in Meyersdale. The trouble of a late start. On our rainy third day, however, we didn’t miss this trail town. We were glad we visited.

Confluence sits at the (you guessed it) confluence of the Youghiogheny and Casselman Rivers. In 1754, General Washington arrived at Confluence nee Turkeyfoot. From his diary, May 1754:

The 20th … we gained Turkeyfoot, by the Beginning of the Night. We underwent several Difficulties about either or ten Miles from thense, though of no great Consequence, finding the Waters sometimes deep enough for Canoes to pass, and at other times more shalow.” 

The 21st, Tarried there some time to examine the Place, which we found very convenient to build a Fort, not only because it was gravelly but also for it being that the Mount of three Branches of small Rivers… We went down the River about ten Miles, when at last it became so rapid as to oblige us to come ashore.”

The rapids referenced by General Washington are, of course, those that now draw tourists to Ohiopyle. But Confluence is a quieter place.

To reach the town square from the GAP, one must cross two pedestrian/bike bridges. Signage is excellent, even on a rainy Sunday. (Note to self: riding on Sunday mornings isn’t the wisest decision, given that everything is closed due to church).

Sister’s Cafe – Confluence, Pa.

Confluence, as the trail brochure reads, is “a classic mid-mountain town complete with a town square and Victorian bandstand.” The town is dotted with B&Bs, cafes, and shops.

A simple meal at Sisters Cafe was complete with warm coffee for cold and weary bones. The hospitality in small town America remains present in Pennsylvania, just as it exists in Kentucky.

One shop – the Confluence Cyclery – is a gem. Located on the town square in the old ca. 1905 Kurtz Department Store, the Cyclery provides repairs and other services for those travelling along the Great Allegheny Passage. Owners Brad and Maureen Smith were both there during our visit and they shared about Confluence’s growth as a result of the GAP (they ‘retired’ here themselves in 2008). The Smiths take photos of their customers (see below) and share them on their Facebook page – it becomes an annual scrapbook of whose travelled the GAP.

The town of Confluence was one of our favorite. A term used to describe parts of Pennsylvania outside of the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia metro areas is Pennsyltucky. Some consider the term pejorative, though I would use it to describe the sense felt in this northern community of hospitality and warmth like that felt here in the Commonwealth.

Me and my brother outside Confluence Cyclery

Ohiopyle Low Bridge Spanning the Youghiogheny River

Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania had as of the 2010 population a permanent population of 59. This small borough, however, comes alive during the summer months. Arriving in April, we beat the summer rush of adventure seekers on the rapids of the Youghiogheny River.

Restored Ohiopyle Rail Depot

Ohiopyle is also a trail town along the Great Allegheny Passage, a rail-trail linking Cumberland, Md. to Pittsburgh, Pa. Ohiopyle was also our starting point for our first venture on the GAP which would take us along the route of the old rail lines of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, Union Railroad, and the Western Maryland Railroad. Our journey would extend from Ohiopyle to Frostburg, Md. and back.

Ohiopyle and the Low Bridge

We arrived in Ohiopyle later than expected, but early enough to get a bite to eat before beginning our day’s trek to Meyersdale, Pa. A tasty lunch at the Ohiopyle Bakery & Sandwich Shoppe was both tasty and filling. The bakery/cafe opened in 2011 and is one of many eateries in this community – a testament to the tourism brought to this trail town of 59!

The Yak and the Trail

Our first 11 miles of trail, between Ohiopyle and Confluence, are five-star rated by National Geographic. They write, “The beauty of the Southern Ohiopyle section of the trail rivals that of the Northern section. Rapids abound and there are plenty of places to leave the trail and find your way down to the rivers edge.”

One cannot overstate how gorgeous this part of the ride was; the rapids of the Yak River and the just-beginning-to-bloom flora around the trail were simply picturesque.

There is also history along the trail. The occasional marker recalls the mills and pioneers that once settled this wilderness. Maple syrup, rye whiskey, grist and saw mills were all trades undertaken by these early settlers.

Dry laid stone wall along the GAP

Little is remaining from the earliest settlers, but a marker near a dry-laid stone wall recalled these early Scots-Irish and German pioneers. Looking carefully, one can also spot what would have been the channels diverting water to and from the mills in the area.

This is the first part of a multi-part series on the Great Allegheny Passage. The next segment will be about the community of Confluence, Pa. The remainder of my photos from the GAP Trip are available on flickr.

Me riding the GAP Trail between Ohiopyle and Connellsville, Pa.

Last weekend, my brother and I rode our bikes on the Great Allegheny Passage – a rail-trail from Pittsburgh, Pa. to Cumberland, Md. Our ride covered 133 miles from Ohiopyle, Pa. to Cumberland, Md. and back.

It was an incredible journey full of history and natural beauty. I’ll post more on this trip later, but wanted to go ahead and share with you the photos.

If you don’t want to look at the pictures through the slideshow, you can view the flickr set here.