Biking on the C&O canal final day

Another early start today. I have to ride about 62 miles so I'm riding early. The final day featured the Paw Paw Tunnel. The C&O Canal Company chose to dig a tunnel and cut through a mile long hunk of rock rather than follow the meandering loops of the Potomac River. It was originally projected to take 18 months. The first contractor went broke digging the tunnel. It lay dormant for a few years and construction resumed. It was completed 14 years after work began. The tunnel itself is 1/2 mile long. Boats used headlamps in the tunnel. I had a headlamp too but I could barely make out the uneven footing and puddles. To raise and lower boats to the tunnel a series of locks were needed, one after the other. That had to make it a slow ride. Nearing Cumberland, the trail becomes a bit rutted and is more exposed. The last 8 miles or so are through developed areas. Finally at MP 184.5 I arrive at the visit center, end of the trail and beginning of the GAP trail to Pittsburgh.

Biking the C&O Canal towpath day two

The sun had not risen by the time I was crossing the bridge to Sharpburg. I stopped for something to eat in what appeared to be the only restaurant in town. Then I rode through the battlefields and tried to understand how the battle took place. So much happened that day I couldn't follow all the movements and timelines. I do know after the battle, 23,000 casualties were counted, Lee crossed the Potomac and McClennan failed to pursue. Lincoln visited McClennan and encouraged him to pursue. Months passed and finally Lincoln relived him. The fields are littered with memorials. Each state represented in the battle has its own memorial.

On this section of the trail there is a 5 mile detour on lightly used rural roads. The towpath and canal are damaged in this area due to floods. The canal actually enters the river here and the towpath is cut into rock outcroppings. After the detour, there was a similar section.

I stopped in Williamsport to eat lunch. There is a small visitor center here and it looks like it is also a starting point for many school groups and day rides. A bit further along I rode the Western Maryland Rail Trail, a 24 mile paved route which follows the canal. At many spots you can see the canal and towpath below. This trail took me into the small town of Hancock where I spent the night.

Biking the C&O Canal towpath day one

My morning started in downtown Leesburg, having pedaled the W O&D the day before. To get to the canal, I had ride out of town on Rt 15 for 5 or 6 miles to the rural road leading to White's Ferry. White's Ferry is the only operating ferry across the Potomac River. The small ferry barge holds about 2 dozen cars and my bicycle. The crossing cost me a dollar. Just a couple hundred yards after leaving the ferry, I'm on the C&O Canal towpath headed west. I rode all morning from Milepost (MP) 35 to MP60 without encountering anyone except 2 couples walking dogs. At MP60 there is a bike rack for those wishing to walk the RR trestle across the Potomac to Harpers Ferry WV. The Trestle includes 2 live tracks and a caged in walkway. You can see the remnants of several other bridges at this point. The Shenandoah flows into the Potomac here and the corners of WV, VA and MD meet at that spot.

Harpers Ferry is a town loaded with history. It housed a US government armory for many years. The same one, John Brown and his abolitionist followers raided. Meriwether Lewis stopped here twice in preparation for the expedition west. He had an iron framed, skin clad kayak made here. He carried it west thinking it would be a suitable craft for finding a way west when the rivers became unnavigable. It proved to be cumbersome and was abandoned in Montana. Harpers Ferry also see sawed between Union and Confederate control throughout the Civil War. The town is a tourist town with no other apparent sources of employment. I enjoyed my short walk through town.

From there I pedaled on to MP 72 and Shepherdstown. I had to cross the Potomac again into WV. Shepherd University is right next to the river and the small downtown seemed to be thriving. This is where I spent the night.

Biking on the "WOD"

"Wod" or W O&D or Washington and Old Dominion trail. It is an urban rail trail from Shirlington to Purcellville, 45 miles in length, all paved with a center line. My ride started at the home of a friend in Falls Church. After a 2 mile road ride on quiet neighborhood roads, I encountered the trail. On a sunny September Sunday afternoon there were hundreds of folks out enjoying this trail. Most were biking or walking. I saw all sorts of bicycles - tandems, recumbents, tandem recumbents and even a unicycle. How do you stop a unicycle?

I passed through one of the most developed areas on the east coast going from Fairfax to Loudoun county. There were many roads to cross and many limited access roads to cross via bridges. That meant a lot of inclines to pedal. As I reached near my destination, Leesburg, the trail became more rural and a bit more scenic.

Leesburg has a nice historic downtown. I stayed in a bed and breakfast that didn't provide breakfast. It was an old downtown hotel, probably 100 years old. I locked my bike in the adjacent restaurant's "wine cellar". In this case, "wine cellar" meant the glorified crawlspace that amid all the junk, had a few scattered boxes of cheap wine.

98 people in 77 boats

On September 5th, DRBA (Dan River Basin Association) hosted a group paddle on the Dan River near Eden NC. The last DRBA paddle I went on attracted 26 boats. I was expecting a few more on this trip but not the numbers who turned up. It was a messy parking area, with 60 some cars trying to unload boats and get out of the way.

About an hour after arriving, I finally got in the water and started floating. I think it took 45 minutes just to get everyone in the water. The paddle was supposed to feature 6 batteaux rock structures but I was unable to make any out. Every rock garden we paddled through looked natural and undisturbed. I think there is a book available about the structures. That would have been nice to have read and been familiar with before this outing.

It was a steady paddle with little time to relax. We negotiated several rock gardens and small drops. The takeout was just after the Berryhill or is it Berry Hill Road bridge, on private property. The property was wonderful bottom land with a turf farm and over 200 acres of tobacco.