STB's Big Adventure Part Two

The first part of the trip we followed the Youghiogheny River. The Trail itself was the former railbed for the Western Maryland Railroad. The railroads always followed the easiest route in order to limit the steep grades through the mountains and hills and this was typically along the river. I didn't know much about the history of the northern section of the route until just a few days before leaving. This was coal and iron country and was at one time home to over 40,000 coke ovens. That should have been fun trying to breathe. There are lots of visible remnants that were a part of the old history of the area. There is also evidence of environmental problems left from the mining. McKeesport and Pittsburgh were big steel towns. McKeesport was known as Tube City for the steel tube and pipe manufacturing done there. It looks like it's pretty much on the ropes now, unfortunately. A lot like what occurred here in the mid-west to Gary and East Chicago.

Once you get out of the city, things turn rural and undeveloped pretty fast. Lots of rough terrain and wildlife. We saw deer, herons, turtles, an otter, and a couple of big snakes. Black rat snakes, I believe they were. One was over three feet long. Not the kind of thing I would want to have crawling through my campsite. You have to admire the gumption of the original settlers to the area. Hardy people, indeed. Of course the displaced indigenous people is a whole other story. Hard to imagine looking at the first two photos that you're just a short bicycle ride away from a very large city.

If you're going to have a rail-trail you've got to have some rail stuff along the way. Lots of the old stations have been converted into visitor's centers. Some are really nice with nice washrooms and volunteers. Some have collections of items dealing with local history. Some of the towns have embraced the trail and make sure they get a few dollars from everyone passing through. Others don't seem to care too much about the bikers and hikers using the trail. When the weather is warm, everyone is looking for a cold drink and a snack. If you can get people to stop for a few moments, they'll buy something. Also, not to appear sexist, but you can tell when you're approaching a town because there will be an increase in bike and foot traffic of women on the trail. Lots of the ladies get out and ride or walk during the day when the kids are in school and the hubby has gone off to work. Interesting mix of people on the trails, I've noticed. Lots of older people like myself who are either retired or have decent vacation time. Lots of day trippers just out getting some air and exercise - these tend to be older folks as well but includes the housewives - and then you have the hardcore exercisers that are running or biking at much more than the leisurely level. Nice mix of people but the young adults are certainly underrepresented except for the athletes.