Pedaling

 Ward and I have been out more than usual recently with weekend outings including a family reunion, an art show, a special line dancing event, a birthday party, a hike, and a cookout. So this weekend, to keep up our streak, we went to Frostburg, Maryland, for a rail bike outing. Rail bikes, for the unfamiliar, are vehicles with four wheels that ride on railroad tracks. They are powered by pedaling. 

We were in a bike like this. There were also two-seaters.

I first saw the bikes a couple of years ago when we stopped at an old rail trail depot. I was very intrigued and wanted to try them. However, the timing never seemed right. But I was determined to make it happen this fall before the weather got too cold. Saturday was the day.

Wally and Theo went with us, and instead of leaving at o'dark:30 to get there by 8 am, we got a hotel in the area for Friday night. We all agreed that it put us in a better mood to enjoy the day.

After a safety talk and check, we were off. Well, sort of. There were about 30 bikes on our trip yesterday, and it took a little while to sort us all out, but soon we were spaced far apart and enjoying the ride. As it turns out, most of the ride was downhill, so we were coasting a good portion of the 2-hour, 15-mile ride from Frostburg to Cumberland, MD. We did not complain.

Ready to go.

Along the way, we saw beautiful scenery including farms, woods, and the Allegheny Mountains. We also crossed two bridges, several highways, went through a tunnel, and did two track switches. It was a nice variety to ride through. The only drawback of the trip was that the breeze from our movement made things colder than I anticipated. Thus, I was often bundled up in my sweatshirt and didn't take as many pictures as I might have wanted. (BTW, the males of the family did not get cold.) But here are some pictures that I did capture.

Both the front and the back seat had a handbrake. We used this mostly to slow down when we were gaining on the bike in front of us. Our four-seater went faster than their two-seater.

The first part of the trip took us into the woods.

Once we were out of the trees, we had views of fields and mountains.

The tunnel was fun...

and the highway bridge was impressive.

They had crossing guards at every road crossing.

A large mural greeted us at the Cumberland station.

At the end, they provided a shuttle to take us back to our cars.

We weren't sure what to expect, but we were all pleased with this trip. The unique experience provided us with beautiful scenery and a fun family time. 

Until next time...