The Great Allegheny Passage

 This is the Great Allegheny Passage, a "rail trail."  It's an old railroad bed that's been converted to a beautiful, level path for bikers and walkers.  It runs from The Point at downtown Pittsburgh, through the mountains, into Maryland, and then all the way to Washington, DC.  

 Railroads often follow rivers, and this one was no exception.  The GAP begins following the Monongahela, then at McKeesport it branches off to follow the Youghiogheny--known locally as "The Yawk."  It passes through some very scenic and historic spots, like the old Dravo Cemetery at the site of the now-defunct Dravo Methodist Church, in the equally extinct river town of Dravo.  

 Click photos to enlarge them.  

 Because this was a group outing, I planned this trip with some intentionality.  There's a little outfitter on the Yawk, just outside McKeesport, known as Ted's Peddler's Village.  Their website sucks, but they provide an awesome service. For $5, they'll rent you a bike to ride 6 miles up the GAP to the little hamlet of Buena Vista.  From there, for $25, you can take one of their kayaks or canoes back downriver to your car.  It's about a three-hour boat ride with the gentle current flowing circuitously northward.  It's called a "pedal paddle," and both the trail and the peaceful water are great, with wooded shores on both sides and little islands in the river.   

 They'll let you use your own boat for a $15 shuttle fee...which is what I did.  They said that if you go on a weekday, you'll probably have the river to yourself.  I traveled with a group on a Saturday, and it was still utterly serene.  Though the water does get pleasantly choppy in a few shallow spots.  

 We stopped for lunch at a shadeless island with a shallow channel on one side and a navigable channel on the other.  It's always fun to take the narrower channel around an island.  

Long before the American Revolution, George Washington hoped that the Yawk would provide a good route from the valley of the Potomac to the headwaters of the Ohio.  The river proved too treacherous for his purposes, but it sure works for mine.