Originally Posted by velonomad
...Ed makes a good point about riding out of Pittsburgh. depending on the logistics of getting from DC to Pitts we could start in McKeesport or Boston. Personally I would like to start in Pittsburgh and do the whole distance, but it isn't that important to me. Someone I spoke to rode the ATA trail last summer, They started in Pittsburgh at Point State park early on a Sunday morning and encountered almost no traffic to McKeesport.
How about getting there? Amtrak's Capital limited goes from Washington to Pittsburgh, It has a baggage car so boxed Bikes are allowed, the boxes are huge so all you have to do is remove pedals and turn the bars paralell to the frame. Tickets are $49 each the bike box is $10 additional. The hassle is the train gets into downtown Pittsburgh at 11:30pm so we would need to get a hotel room(s)
Alternately we could car pool, Pittsburgh is 250 miles from Washington by car. I have a fullsize van I can bring that will hold up to 8 touring bikes and gear inside, It has only two seats so at least one more vehicle would be needed...
I've been looking at a Pittsburgh to DC ride for a couple of years, and you've pretty well summed up the logisitics of it. The timing of the train stinks, but it's the only one that goes here-to-there.
A few years ago, some of the riders in my local club rented a van one-way, drove to Cumberland, MD, dropped off the van and started their C&O ride from the rental office.
60 miles a day sounds a little light, unless you're planning lots of side trips or lots of siteseeing. I was thinking about 4 days 80 - 90 miles each. Makes for overnights at around Confluence, PawPaw and Harper's Ferry