When a bunch of trees fall across a forest trail…..

So our families may not want to read more than the next 2 sentences.   We’re safely in our lovely B&B in Connellsville!  Also, we saw a cute little fawn watching us go by and had a Barred Owl fly right past us at eye level today. 

Ok, so the family can stop reading here so as to not cause undue worry ;).

Today really started last night.  We stayed in a B&B we’ve stayed at before, Bright Mornings in West Newton, PA.  It’s really lovely:  4 historic homes right on the trail, with a great shed for the bikes.  We would have slept really well except for the constant air-raid sirens going off.  We asked multiple people what they were.  It was strange that no one knew for sure.  We had heard them in towns along the trail too.  In Indiana, I would have assumed they were tornado warnings, but we knew that there wasn’t any severe weather in the area.  I THINK they are how the volunteer fire and rescue people are notified in the area.  It wouldn’t be too long after hearing them go off that we would hear vehicle sirens.  This went on all night. 

Across the trail from our B&B

Morning comes – while our B&B serves breakfast, Brian had heard about this great diner style place just across the river.  Also, our clothes hanging in the bathroom had barely dried at all.  There was a laundromat on Water Street nearly directly across the river from us.  At this point, there was clearly some water coming up into the park area across the trail from the B&B.  Police had put up barricades to close the road by the river.

We walked down to the bridge and crossed the river, then back up Water Street to the laundromat.  There was some water on the sidewalks and people were pumping out a couple basements.  Not unexpected.  We put our (dirty wet clothes) in the dryer and headed back across main street and up a couple block to Gary’s Chuckwagon.  It was great!  The locals were talking about an assisted living facility on the river that was being evacuated and streets that were closed.  Time to get back to the laundromat.  None too soon, either.

Things getting serious in West Newton

We got to Water Street to discover the river was now over the road.  I felt so bad for the people who had been pumping out the water! They were mostly just standing around looking stunned. The laundromat was still dry, we just had to get there.  Instead of walking upland and around, we thought we could try to get through.  Bad idea.  We pretty much violated all the safety rules they tell you and ended up wading in knee-deep water.  We safely got our clothes, then headed across the street and up hill.  We ended up walking along the railroad tracks to get the couple blocks back to Main Street and across the bridge.

By now it was obvious things were getting bad in West Newton.  We packed up in time to check out.  I know one pair of riders had already headed out on the trail.  Another pair were sitting in the front room waiting on the shuttle they had called.  hmmmmm…..   We got our dry underlayers on and then put our wet rain gear on (it can’t go through a dryer).  Yuk!  We were going to swing by the bike shop just under where we ate for dinner.  Yeah, he had the pump running and was desperately trying to keep the creek next to the shop from filling up so the trench drain between his shop and the downhill drive could drain.  At the same time, he was putting bikes up on counters and moving stuff up and out.  We figured we needed to get on the trail and get to higher ground…fast.

Our short 25 mile trip today was the most eventful trip we’ve ever had.  At first the biggest concern was water over the trail.  We also were paying attention to the hundreds of impromptu waterfalls coming down the hill next to the trail.  When we came through 2 years ago, waterfalls were rare enough that I think we took pictures of all that we saw.  Today they were everywhere.  That’s bad.  We had heard about mudslides and we could see where there had been some.  Huh.  What’s that in the trail up ahead?  Oh a footlong rock.  And what was that huge splash to the right of it?  Another rock.  Crap!  Move!!!!  As I looked over my shoulder, I saw a foot wide mudslide starting.  Close call.

About midway into our ride, the concern became limbs, then entire trees across the trail.  The most concerning thing was that seemed to be caused by the ground beneath them being washed out by all these “impromptu waterfalls.”  We would clear the path when it was small enough to move ourselves.  Then the trees started getting bigger and bigger.  At one point there were 3 trees across together.  At least 3 times, we had to unload our bikes and carry the panniers through, then thread our bikes through the 3D puzzle made up of branches, vines and tree trunks.  Other times, we could get our bikes over loaded or walk them around off to the side of the trail.  At first I was taking pictures of each then making a mental note of the mileage we were near to report to the trail people at the email they provide for condition reports.  I eventually gave that up as not worth it. 

Well this is a little trickier

“This isn’t too bad, we got this”

Ummmm…..

Seriously?!

Calculating our path, under, over, through, or all of the above

I was really becoming concerned about how recently these trees had fallen and what the odds were one would actually come crashing down near us.  When we got into town and were talking to the owner of the B&B we found out there had been a huge wind storm here last night.  That would explain all the newly fallen trees.  So it wasn’t as dangerous as I had thought.  A couple of other cyclists passed us near our destination.  When we pulled into Connellsville, they were stopped at the shelter and warned us that they were told the trail on down by the park was under water.  From what I remember last time it goes down to the river level where a large, beautiful riverside park is.  They directed us through a parking lot, onto a main street, where the traffic lights were out and people were directing traffic.  One of them helped us with directions to the B&B. 

The B&B has a coin operated washer and dryer, so we gathered up all our wet clothes we had segregated into one pannier.  That now included our blue jeans that we were wearing when we waded through the river water.  By the way, given the forecast, we each only had one pair of long pants.  Also, my only non-rain jacket had gotten wet too.  So, we threw all the dirty and wet clothes in the washer, got ready, threw them in the dryer, and went to dinner in shorts and t-shirts in 65 degree rainy weather.  Ugh.  My only dry shoes were flip-flops.  Brian, in a move he won’t repeat, only brought his riding shoes.  We don’t use clipless pedals, we use power straps, so we can wear the shoes we ride in anywhere.  What he didn’t count on was them being soaked from the trail.   So he wore those to dinner.  I don’t think they’ve been dry since Sunday morning. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be drier, so we’re looking forward to that!  And that’s the story of why when a bunch of trees fall across a forest trail and you still get through and don’t get hurt, we call that a good day.