Geoff and Colleen Tate biked through one district and three states earlier this month and, thanks to their generosity, the Great Allegheny Passage will be the better for it.

The Tates, a retired couple who live near San Francisco, found articles on the Internet about the C & O Canal Tow Path from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland, Md., and the Great Allegheny Passage from there to Pittsburgh.

"Colleen liked both trails because they are off-road and pretty level," said Geoff, 53, a cancer survivor who retired in 2005 as chief executive officer of Rambus, a company that specializes in high-speed computer chip technologies. "Since she hadn't biked in awhile, it was a good way to re-introduce her to it."

Colleen, 56, a retired engineering manager for Advanced Micro Devices, said they limited themselves to an average of 30 miles a day.

They started their trip in D.C. after buying a pair of Gary Fisher bicycles with front suspension at a bike shop in Georgetown, where the tow path begins. They also bought some basic repair equipment and a spare inner tube.

The adventures began almost immediately -- from Colleen's gashed shin that required six stitches to a punctured tire.

After staying a few nights at hotels near the trail and using cabs to deliver their luggage to their next overnight stop, the Tates found the Savage River Lodge at www.atatrail.org, the Web site of the Allegheny Trail Alliance. The alliance, a coalition of seven rail-trail groups, is building and maintaining the Great Allegheny Passage.

The upscale lodge and restaurant, which provides shuttle service for its guests -- ending the Tates' transportation woes -- is near Frostburg in western Maryland.

A 318-mile bike trip generates a lot of memories. In addition to "the wonderful people" they met, the Tates said they will remember the Great Falls of the Potomac, the Paw Paw and Big Savage tunnels, the Keystone and Salisbury viaducts, the bridges, the towns, the scenery and the wildlife -- deer, geese, Great Blue Heron, snakes and turtles. What advice would they offer to other D.C.-to-Pittsburgh riders?

"Do your research, check all the Web sites in advance, know how to patch a flat, carry a spare tire, go with wide tires, mud flaps will protect you from having those wet 'rooster tails' up your back, be flexible and enjoy the day," Geoff said.

"Take long breaks, including walking-the-bike-breaks," Colleen said. "I walked a couple hundred yards every five miles. I saw more nature and scenery that way. Have a well-padded bike seat. I didn't for the first three days until I bought one in Shepherdstown [W. Va.]. "

They gave their bikes and gear, valued at about $2,000, to Mike Dreisbach, owner of the Savage River Lodge, to be used for fund-raising for the Allegheny Trail Alliance. They said the trail needs more signs.

For more information on the Savage River Lodge and its shuttle packages, go to www.savageriverlodge.com.