Day 23: Back in to Pennsylvania (Tues June 17th)

Cumberland was formerly a fortress town & trading post during the 18th Century & later marked the start of the 1st National highway which ran, initially to Wheeling in West Virginia, and later on to Indianapolis & beyond as the West began to open up with new settlers pushing onto the open Plains. The road commenced in 1811 and followed an old route known as Braddock's road after a British general who was mortally wounded in an ambush by French & Indian allies up near Uniontown in as he marched with a force from Cumberland to relieve a British force under siege at Fort Duqesme (I don't know where) in 1755. The Road at one time had 18 stage coaches running the route daily, with inns at every mile & toll houses at intervals.
With this back drop to the road I was following I certainly felt a certain sense of following history as I set out this morning. also I was resolved to push on through for the next six days before my next stop, to get out of Pennsylvania & possibly (if the road levelled out) well into Ohio.
Last night a big thunder storm hit with lightning every 5-10 seconds so I didn't really sleep. I was on the road for 8am in a thick mist & a lovely cool air. Leaving Cumberland the road passed through a gorge & on to La Vale before rising into the hills. Passing through Frostburg which, itself lay on a steep slope, the road led continuously to a summit at Savage Mountain. This brought to an end a climb of nearly 10 miles to a height of approx 1,000m. I stopped for lunch at Grantsville, another town situated on a slope.

Six more miles down the road, after some more climbs lay Keysers Ridge from where Route 40 veered North, and for me, back into Pennsylvania. I met a canadian cyclist heading for Washington who had been out West but had to turn back in Nebraska with all the sever weather. I crossed the Mason-Dixon line close to Addison. By 5pm I was 20 miles from Uniontown where I'd hoped to stay the night. I stopped to buy drinks at a petrol station at the start of a big climb. Inside a lorry driver came over and said he'd seen me on the road earlier in the day. He told me I had a few big climbs yet but that it would improve after Uniontown.

Some miles up the road I flipped into history mode again and took a look at Fort necessity, built by George Washington to secure the route against the French. However he sited the fort poorly and when it was attacked by 700 French & Indians in 1754 his force of 400 took 50% casualties and forced his surrender & loss of the fort. By now I knew I wouldn't make Uniontown so, when I saw a motel about a mile up the road at a hamlet called Chalk Hill. I decided to stop there & tackle the large Summit mt fresh in the morning. I spoke with an ex-army guy who was familiar with the last two climbs I'd done & were known in the army as Agony & Misery!! F***in Right about that!!!