C&O Canal and GAP Ride - Day 6 - Pizza Party

The final night of our trip, we hooked up with the Tandem Couple from Ohio and ordered pizza. We sat on the picnic table outside their cabin and spent the better part of 2 hours, drinking beer, eating pizza, talking, laughing and getting to know one another.

Even today, more than a month later, I kick myself in the butt for not getting a picture of that evening. Then again, maybe its better that way. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess that's true. Yet I wonder, how many words does it take to describe a memory? I suspect a thousand words doesn't scratch the surface.

Over the last few days, I've referred to them as:

- The Tandem Couple from Ohio
- The Tandem Lady from Ohio
- The Tandem Blonde Lady from Ohio

On this final night, over pizza, beer and fellowship; they've become Ed and Deb. Thanks for the memories - until we ride together again!!

C&O Canal and GAP Ride - Day 6 - Wimpy Dinger?

We arrived at the River's Edge campground and noticed that the Tandem Couple from Ohio must have just gotten there themselves, because they were in the camp office checking in. When they came out, we confronted them about the incident earlier on the trail when we were Left in Their Dust. I tried to explain that my ringing of the bell was simply to signal the passing of a milepost, not the start of a race.

The Tandem Lady from Ohio commented that she thought she heard a bell and turned around and saw us. It turns out that a discussion ensued in which her husband wanted to wait for us to catch up, so that we could all ride together and fellowship. The Tandem Lady from Ohio would have none of that. She was in favor of putting the hammer down and dropping us like a bad habit. As you can tell by my previous post on this subject, she won the argument.

She then proceeded, unnecessarily I might add, to point out that I had a WIMPY BELL. "Perhaps" she added, "if your bell were more manly, I would have waited for you!" She then began to compare my bell to little toy horns that they put on kid's bikes. Not noticing the tears that were welling up in my eyes, she went on to make these sissy, little, dinging sounds to mockingly simulate the perfect intonation of my retro-style brass bell.

To say I was taken aback by her disparaging and insensitive remarks would be an understatement of astronomical proportions. The fact that she was blonde, and an attractive one at that, further added to my befuddlement and disconcertedness. Here I was, going through life, happily ding-dinging along and now my very dingerhood is ridiculed and despised.

This Tandem Blonde Lady from Ohio had no idea the hallow ground upon which she trod. As any of my long time readers know and as attested by I Lost My Bell Today, my bell holds a very esteemed place in my life and heart. One can talk trash about my wife or kids or just about anything else in my life and I'm pretty good natured about it. But to criticize my dinger - well that crosses a line.

I am a Dinger Man and proud of it. I have a dinger on my Touring Bike.I have a dinger on my Fixed gear Bike.I have a dinger on my Roadster.A man's dinger is a deeply personal thing. I searched long and hard to find just the right one:

- the right size

- the right look

- the right feel

- the right tone

A man's dinger, when properly cared for, will serve him faithfully for many years and miles. A man's dinger is always there, ready to answer his beckoned call, rise to the occasion and resonate its cheerful tone. A man's dinger boldly announces his presence. A man's dinger should not be taken lightly or become the brunt of coarse jesting. A man's dinger should be gazed upon with awe and not spurned. A man's dinger should serve as a conversation piece, not made a mockery of.

Yet here was this Tandem Blonde Lady from Ohio all but saying I had a "dinky dinger". I ask you, my dear readers, what does such reckless frivolity say about her? What kind of woman would be so brash as to make sport of a strange man's dinger, that she's only had the pleasure of hearing ding once?

I beg of my dear readers, refrain from picking up stones and casting them her way. I have had a month to painstakingly wrestle with this unprovoked attack upon my dinger and I think I have happened upon a plausible explanation. Although I still bare the scars, I have found it in my heart to forgive her and once you hear it, I am sure you, my benevolent readers, will let the stones drop from your righteous hands.

When the Tandem Blonde Lady from Ohio heard my dinger ding, it must have awakened something in her. She had never held a real dinger in her hand. She had never known the pleasure a good dinger could bring. She had never felt the resonations of a finely honed dinger. When she heard my dinger ding, she was overwhelmed with a sense of emptiness. I had something she wanted and yet she knew she could never have it. Can you imagine how maddening that must have been?

The wrongs that I suffered at her words were grave, but holding a grudge against her would only lessen me. Not only have I forgiven her, but I have decided to take a step to end her suffering and possibly spare future, innocent, unsuspecting, happy-go-lucky men from the trauma associated with her unsolicited attacks upon their dingerhood.

I am going to give her a dinger of her own. I hope it gives her years of dinging pleasure.PS - The following day, I continued to ring my bell at every milepost, but not with near the enthusiasm and confidence as on previous days:-(

C&O Canal and GAP Ride - Day 6 - Fan Club

As we rode through Connellsville, I stopped to take a picture of this.As I did so, I noticed a gentle tug of my bike. It turns out I had a bit of an admirer.
I've often told people I was a chic magnet. Now I have a picture to prove it.

C&O Canal and GAP Ride - Day 6 - Left in Their Dust

Midway through the day, we stopped in the town of Ohiopyle, where once again we ran into the Tandem Couple from Ohio.After a few pictures at the waterfalls there in town, the four of us found an outdoor deli and had a nice lunch together, which was interrupted when a brief rain storm blew through. After the storm, we went our separate ways.

Later that afternoon, we were cruising along at 17-18 mph. Actually, Bob was cruising at 17-18 mph, I was simply tucked in tight behind him, drafting for dear life. We noticed the Tandem Couple from Ohio up ahead. We were gaining on them slowly, but surely. Along about that time, we passed a mile marker and I did what I had been doing at each mile marker for the past couple hundred miles. I rang my bell. The Tandem Couple from Ohio heard it and turned around.

One would think that when you notice your two new friends coming up behind you, that you would sit up and await their arrival with glee. Then we could all ride together and fellowship. This would be particularly true were those news friend attempting to hail you with an audible signal (of course that wasn't why I rang the bell, but they didn't know that). Yet - what one thinks and reality aren't always the same.

I could tell that my ringing the bell had sparked a lively discussion between the Tandem Couple from Ohio. Then the stoker assumed the tucked position and I knew we were in trouble. I have ridden with and among tandems quite a bit over the years and in so doing have learned a fact or two about them. Going up a hill, tandems ain't for dooky. Their ascent is slow and tedious. However, going down a hill or on the flats is an entirely different story. A tandem is twice the horsepower but not twice the resistance. These two things, in downhill or flat conditions, mean raw power and speed.

This particular section of the trail was flat if not slightly downhill, so I knew we had a battle on our hands. As for me, I was willing to do my part. I was tucked in 6" behind Bob's wheel and I was ready to ride as fast and hard as necessary to hold that wheel. All Bob had to do was ride up front, break the wind and close the gap. It turns out he was not willing or able to hold up his end of the deal. He faltered, he slowed and the tandem Couple from Ohio left us in their dust.

Bob and I could have be crestfallen, either by the way we were so rudely shunned by our new friends or by the fact that such stellar physical specimens as ourselves were left sucking wind in their wake. However, as I am sure my astute readers have ascertained by now, Bob and I are bigger men than that. We decided to take the high road and make excuses. We could have taken them if:

They had ridden over 250 miles from DC, instead of a measly 80 miles from Cumberland.

They were laden with 50 lbs of gear, instead of the pittance load of clothes that they bore.

They were roughing it by camping, instead of pampering themselves with B&Bs.

They were riding the full 50 miles to McKeesport, instead of the meager 30 miles to West Newton.

...The list goes on, but as you can see, Bob and I were clearly stronger and faster. Our being dropped was entirely due to the Tandem Couple from Ohio taking unfair advantage of circumstance.

C&O canal and GAP Ride - Day 6 - The Dance

Our 6th day on the trail was largely occupied with us passing through the beautiful and scenic Ohiopyle State Park. The trail took us across countless trellises that spanned the Youghiogheny River as the two made their winding way down the mountain. They gracefully stepped over and under one another as in a perfectly choreagraphed routine. I could tell this was not their first dance.


Bob and I were just glad to be on the dance floor.