Day 41 miles: 96
Day 42 miles: 60
Total: 2,674
By bike:
Day 41- I left the campground after working with Lauren to take down camp. Getting back on the GAP trail was great. I passed by a large monument that marked the Eastern Continental Divide!
Apparently this is a big deal. 
Just like other times on this trip I made a mistake and took a Google shortcut. After opening a blocked gate and going down a rough steep uphill ATV road I got back on pavement. Little did I know that the next 4 miles would be the steepest decline of the whole trip.
I hit a top speed on this decline–40.3 mph. No, I did not take pictures.
At the bottom I entered Maryland and took a photo at the Mason-Dixon line. Closer to home!
Getting back on the trail was, well, a relief!
I had a large emotional moment on this trip as randomly at the end of the GAP trail I saw a candy store Pap used to take Michael and me to as kids. He would get a little bag of sugar-free candy as well. It was the first part of this trip I knew Pap was on.
The fruit bowl, Pap loved this store. 
The GAP trail ended and seamless transitioned to the C and O trail, well mostly. The terrain got rough for sure but I traded riding on rail paths for towpaths.
Honestly this was the trip. Though rocky, it was fun going along an old towpath and I took tons of videos to account for it.
I went under the Paw-Paw bridge in West Virginia and it was over a mile! It was disorienting and honestly spooky being alone under a mountain.
18 miles out I was talking with some people and we noticed storm clouds. Everyone booked it because it looked like Jesus was coming. Even on rough gravel roads I went 15 mph and then on the Western Maryland Rail-Trail 18 mph.
The anticipation of the rain was worse than the actual rain. When it did pour, I continued my speed and met up with Lauren at Hancock, MD.
At the end with my road angel.
Day 42-
I left Hancock and kept on the rail trail and C&O. In the morning, as they have many portable toilets, I noticed some interesting marketing.
I mean, they got creative.
It was fun with staying alone on the trail and I noticed soon I could see West Virginia.
After this short morning ride I accidentally took one detour into WVa briefly by accident but soon got back on the trail. It was the first state I had been to with no paved roads, running water, or signs of civilizaiton.
Waiting to cross the wrong bridge. 
The ride was great but seeing Lauren was greater at Harpers Ferry. I remember coming here when I was a kid with Pap.
By car:
Matthew and I faded in and out of sleep all night last night. As soon as I would begin to slip into a dream, I was jolted back into reality by the jarring blares pumped out by the train. It became our hourly alarm.
Instead of the sweet symphony of birds near and far, we shared our morning with the angry blows of a 1,500+ ton beast.
Matthew had his carbo breakfast of leftover pasta and took off. I packed up the campsite since I had to be out before 7am to dodge the large truck coming through to empty the porta potty.
Today we entered Hancock- looking forward to reaching Harpers Ferry tomorrow. Matthew and I enjoyed our first taste of home once we saw the beautiful glow of the first Sheetz sign we’ve seen since… well, over a year ago, at least!
We enjoyed a date night with made-to-order high quality gas station food, which was complemented by their new ice cream bar! This was after we spent some time together at the local laundromat. It was by far one of our more romantic date nights.
Day 42: I’ve driven through West Virginia many times, but this was the first time I really got to enjoy the beautiful parts of the state. It was unfortunately a rainy day, which made parts of Matthew’s ride challenging. The C&O has parts that have apparently been flooded or washed out. As Matthew made his way through Maryland, I scouted out lodging. I was hoping to find something close to the path, but instead found a hotel within walking distance of downtown Harpers Ferry!
Matthew tried to come to where I was parked, but neither of us realized that our paths wouldn’t cross. I had to pull out of the parking lot I was waiting in and track him down. This took me down scenic but very narrow and windy roads with nowhere to park or turn around if needed. I eventually saw him pedaling along the C&O path, which was on the other side of the railroad tracks. In the moment I had no clue where we would actually reunite, but it was fun driving alongside him for a bit!
He eventually noticed me creeping parallel to him. There were no cars behind me, so I could cruise at 10mph with ease.
I found a place to park and he was able to get off the trail. His tires were caked in mud- which meant another visit to a car wash, of course.
We were eager to explore downtown Harpers Ferry. Matthew washed up and we hit the town! The historic sights, mountain scenery, and excellent restaurants made for another perfect night.
We both love that the Appalachian Trail goes through here, as well. Many through hikers loaded up with large backpacks walked by us. The juxtaposition of our cross country route and the AT makes for an outdoorsy, active, and hopeful environment. We were surrounded by other long distance travelers and rose smellers.
The famous two white dashes that mark the AT
All night we debated how to go about the final leg of this trip. We didn’t have any specific routes mapped out from the C&O trail down to Richmond. Originally we were going to rely on google maps, but we’ve learned several times now that you can’t rely on this method. Given Matthew’s exhaustion and our limited time, we decided that it would be best for Matthew to ride to the end of the C&O route, which takes him to D.C. A lot of people will end their cross country ride here, actually. However, our goal is coast to coast. Matthew needs tip dip his tires in the Atlantic! Thus, we decided we would have less stress and waaaay more fun if I just drove him from DC down to Richmond, where he’ll finish his ride out to Yorktown.
It’s hard to believe that we could be in DC tomorrow and make our way into a city we once called home. Richmond is also where Matthew and I first met. We owe a lot to this city, and we look forward to returning!
No Jobs, No Home, No Worries. A Shared Journey by Bike and Support SUV Across the U.S. 