BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

For those seeking advice on transporting a bike from Washington DC to Pittsburgh to ride the GAP and C&O in their entirety, I can confirm that you can get a one-way rental from Reagan National Airport in DC with a drop off on 8th avenue in Homestead, PA. Go to Parking Garage A (near Terminal A) at Reagan National. Park your car in Parking Garage A. Get your bike out of your car. Wheel your bike to the car rental desks inside Parking Garage A (on ground floor during normal business hours and on level 2 after hours through 11:45 p.m. closing). Go to Budget or Enterprise desks. Arrange one-way rental to the Enterprise/Budget office on 8th Avenue in Homestead. It's a little auto garage that has a car rental desk inside. Drive to 8th Avenue in Homestead. Drop off car. Get out bike. Go to end of block on 8th avenue, and turn toward river, and pick up the trail -- Steel Valley -- that leads to McKeesport, to the start of the GAP. It's about 8 miles or so of easy riding. Voila. Easy. Costs about $175. Way more than the train for a single traveller, but you can schedule your driving whenever you like, versus the train, which arrives in downtown Pittsburgh around midnight on its once-daily route. The people at the 8th avenue rental drop off are wonderful. They like bicyclists. They were eager to allow me to use their restroom to change into my biking gear. Thumbs up for them. Note: Enterprise WILL NOT accept a debit card for rentals. Budget will. Go figure. If you hold a debit card, use Budget, and make it clear to them how you will be paying so they know in advance (in case they change their policy).