Day 4

It was quite hard leaving the comforts of home, the good ( and free) food, the warm beds, and quite generous parents. However, our aluminum steeds and leather saddles beckoned us upon our journey. Unfortunately, this morning, a cold front decided to move in to our region, making the weather a little too cold for enjoyable riding. regardless, we pressed on. My parents, like Andrews, helped us along this leg of the trip by being are SAG drivers. They dropped us a short way from home in Confluence, PA where we picked up the Great Allegheny Passage. This trail was a old rail line that was converted into a walking and biking path consisting of packed gravel and occasional pavement. We made good progress, much better than the previous day. Stopping about every 20 or so miles to refuel and rest. The path following the course of the Youghagany river, snaking through the steep and rounded hills of the Allegheny. As we got closer to Pittsburgh, it was clear that the city and the surrounding areas were once strong and vibrant industrial centers. However, through the march of time and cyclical ebbs and flows of the global economy, these cities, like the city of Mckeesport (where we ended for the day), seem to have become stagnant, slow, and rusty. dilapidated warehouses and factories lined the route, signs of a region who had lost its industrial identity and which in my opinion, is still searching for a new one. Anyways, enough with my tired and haggard ranting, here are some pictures of day 4.

Cant get the other pics on at the moment. Here is basically how the entire trail looked...