This is now being mostly written after the trip, so if there is a mix between the present tense and the past tense, that's the reason. The trip did finish in DC. I made it to Mile Marker 0 on the C&O towpath. I then took a bus back to Akron. I stayed in a couple hostels, along with camping and motels. I think the bus trip and hostel stays are a couple more bits reflecting in me the re-emergence of the Sociology/Cultural Anthropology interests of my undergraduate years. Some might assert it is rather a coming out of the closet of my “tree hugger” propensities.
Another note. Since this is being done in part somewhat after the fact, I might (read that as "probably") have pics and events mixed by a day or two and some tunnel really is before or after some town instead of the way I recall. Feel free to correct me, but at this point the goal is to get the journal up sooner rather than checking things like that. I would have liked to do more as I went, but that stupid, heavy trailer I loaded got the best of my energy most days.
The Equipment:
A Bike Friday New World Tourist folding bike is being used and the suitcase/trailer that it fits in is being towed. Some camping will be done, so a cheapo Wally World junior size dome tent is being taken, along with a sleeping pad and fleece sleeping bag. Electronics include an ASUS eePC, and Verizon Aircard with Cradlepoint wireless router. I hope to post to a journal along the way. (That didn't happen obviously.) I also took some comfort items like a french press coffee pot and single burner propane stove.
Yeah, I know, not the lightest gear, but I should be OK. [edit – boy, the trailer was heavy. Next time I will force myself to take some lighter weight things such as a Pepsi can stove instead of the small propane stove that uses 1 lb bottles.] I had way too much weight. Next time I am going to learn all I can about ultralight backpacking first. 25 lbs max is going to be my rule or something like that. I did end up shipping back 10 lbs of stuff in Hancock, MD and 18 lbs went back from DC via parcel post and I still had the bike, tent, sleeping bag and pad and a duffle bag full of clothes. I bet 10 of the 18 lbs I could have avoided pulling across the mountains and up hilly roads. I also found I didn't do as much cooking as I thought. Just cooked for some dry things like ramen noodles and mashed potatoes. I found that after I had been warmed up pedaling, I really didn't need much hot food. But the weather overall was warm anyway. I may think about not using hot food at all if another trip is taken.
Overview of Ride:
So here is a map of the ride. If you click here or on the below overview map, it will link to a map at mapmyride.com that has more details. The map shows about 470 miles. The bike computer registered 491 or something and it didn't work for maybe four or five miles. So it was around a 500 mile ride.
So now we will go to the day by day notes and pictures.
Wednesday, September 3. Norton, Ohio (near Akron) to Guiliford Lake SP, OH. 55 miles.
I rode out of Barberton and immediately noticed the weght of the trailer. I already had some hills that I had to push the bike up. Plus it had been about a month since I had ridden the bike on even a 1 day ride of 50 miles. But on we went. Once in the country it was pretty much OK with some country roads and all. The thing about taking back roads also means the places to eat and such are not sticking out. I also got on some township roads that just went uphill then down, over and over. I did meet two middle aged guys out for a ride on carbon fiber road bikes and we chatted a bit. Just before the park I found a store that had chilled watermelon slices and I had one by the side of the store; I didn't even get a spoon out, just ate it like I did as a kid. Boy was it a hot day. (Hey John Zaegle, I did stop by your house but you weren't home. I did discover that my kickstand was loose. Maybe it would have helped weight wise to have lost it.)
By the time I got to the campground, my cursing of the hills (and my route selection) had only mildly abated. I made it 55 miles though, but my legs were mush. Already I was thinking about taking a rest day. And I knew I had a nasty hill to walk out to get out of the campground. The shower was nice, but they had the worst tasting water I have ever had. Fortunately a RVer gave me a gallon of what he brought with him.
Thursday, September 4. Guiliford SP, OH to Chester, WV. 28.5 miles.
This was not a long day by any means, but I did want to get at least to Chester before slogging up what I knew was going to be a nasty few miles through WV on Friday. It was still hot and still plenty of hills. But all in all, not bad road riding, given the hills. I did have a great second breakfast at a true old time steel diner in Lisbon, OH. And then there was a great down hill ride into East Liverpool. Almost hit 30 mph, even with pretty strong braking. But this was only to be followed by a steep hill to walk up to get to the privately owned Newell bridge. No charge for cyclists.
The highway on the other side in WV was full of big trucks and no shoulders. I stuck my self out there and they were generally considerate, as expected. (I have a little “slow moving vehicle” triangle that seems to help.) I found a little motel, checked in took a shower and slept for 12 hours. Something about too much sunshine just zaps me out.
This was the road out of the campground. Notice the telephone pole height change.
Then we go downhill but then right back up again. It was this way the whole day.
Here is a shot that looks back at the Guiliford Lake. Not a good choice of roads on my part.
But the second breakfast at the Steel Trolley Diner in Lisbon, OH was good.
And we did make it to West Virginia.
This is a shot, if you look closely, of the Newell Bridge crossing the Ohio River. (Click on the picture to see the full size image.)
Friday, September 5. Chester, WV to Burgettstown, PA. 19.66 miles.
Another low mileage day, but I was expecting it. The sign onto highway 30 said no bikes, etc., but a couple of guys sitting at a shop near by said there was no other way up the hill and that the freeway ended shortly. So up I went. There were school bus pickups and the like on the road, so I quit worrying about that. But it was steep - 7%. I was pushing the bike and the way too heavy trailer. What's more, it seems West Virginia has an aversion to shoulders on their roads too. I was inside the line and sticking into traffic a good bit while pushing. But the trucks and all were pretty good about it. I think the small slow moving vehicle triangle helps drivers understand that they need to share the road and I am legally there.
At the top of the hill, I had a pretty good second breakfast at a waffle house kind of place I think used to be a dancer bar from the design. Once up into PA, the roads were not quite so steep, but still I had to walk (and push) now and then. Twenty miles of that kind of effort seems like about 55 or 60 miles of regular riding.
I made it to the Florence motel near Burgettstown and checked in and took a shower. Then I called some friends, Deb and Ed Tasz. They own Richey's Bar and Grill in Slovan, a bit down the road. I had wanted to just pop in and see them, but that would have meant a further return bike ride of about 6 miles back up the hill to the motel. So my mush legs won the argument over doing that. Deb promptly dispatched one of their sons and he came and took me to the bar. She fed me a really great fish sandwich and fries and wouldn't even take my money. We sat around and chatted and made plans to see the local football game that evening. Another son is a senior in High School and was playing. Ed came down and we chatted. he had been up on the roof doing things up there. I was however bonked from the sunshine and the hills and begged off the game and Ed took me back to the motel. Unfortunately, the only pic I got was of Ed with the bike.
We made it to the third state, Pennsylvania. A busy road with not much shoulder.
Ed Tasz astride the Bike Friday near Burgettstown, PA
Saturday, September 6. Burgettstown, PA to Large, PA. 57.63 miles.
A much better day, at least at the start, but some real challenges as we went along. It started with a 4 mile downhill to the Panhandle trail that is a rail trail that goes from WV to Pittsburgh. The trail was smooth and the grade was gradual. I still had too much weight and I knew it. About 3 miles down the trail, my chain locked up and I couldn't figure out what went wrong as I looked at it. Finally I figured it was that the screw holding the rear rack had come out someplace and the rack post was dropping into the area of the chain. I pulled a screw out of one of the water bottle cages and put it in there and things were fine.
The next challenge was when I hit the trailer on one of the posts that keep motor vehicles off the trail. The trailer was just wide enough to fit through but the trailer is designed to stick out more to the left side than the right. I was moving fast enough that I bent the trailer axle pretty good. It was bent enough that I knew I had to do something. I unloaded the trailer and took off the axle. There was a metal post that was hollow in the middle and, in a manly way I might add, I bent the axle so it was pretty much straight. I packed up and continued on.
The key frustration of the day was with the Montour Trail. This trail is supposed to go around Pittsburgh and connect with the Great Allegheny Passage. And it does....sort of. It just doesn't have any signs to tell you that it is going to just stop for a bit where it hasn't been completed and then doesn't have any signs or directions to tell you how to get to the next section. And the roads you have to ride are busy and hilly. I don't recommend the trail as a connector unless you have good, turn-by-turn directions and guidance. The first incomplete section I encountered had just an orange barrier all of the sudden. had to back track about a half mile to get to a parking lot. There were no signs. I was lucky I saw a yellow bar similar to others on the trail after winding around a few streets; but no sign. The next section had the same lack of notice, but this time a several mile unmarked detour that went up some “push it” hills. Then came a nice paved section that even had a nice little marker that said something like “Washington, D.C. - 338 miles” at a fork in the trail. But not more than two miles later, the trail just stopped. There was a hill that went pretty steeply to the street, so down I went. Obviously no signs as to where to go and the local dairy queen guys across one of the early streets had no information either. Finally I found a bit of trail for a bit more of a ride. But then that ended. The generalized sign at the end seemed to indicate that I needed to push up a hill. I started up and after a quarter mile, even rode back down to double check. Up I went again and then up some more and then over and around. By the time I found someone out to ask, I was clearly way off the trail. I found a road that I had read about when looking at some road routes and knew it took me down to the river. I think the road was called Coal Bluff or something. Down I went and followed the river knowing I would hit Clairton at some point and there would be a ride back up the trail a couple miles and a mile or so of roads to a motel. Well, you guessed it. No Montour Trail signs. The trail/route was supposed to go across the river and while I started seeing signs for the Steel Valley Trail, but not the Montour or a connector. Finally on one of my back and forths down the same road I did see a small sign for the Montour. I took it up to hwy 51 and a motel.
A small consolation was that I did have a great dinner of ribs at a restaurant next to the motel, but I also had Iced Tea with lemonade to drink and was awake all night it seemed.
A tunnel on the Montour Trail.
Sun, Sept. 7, Large, PA to Round Bottom Campground PA (on the GAP). 41.2 miles.
Well, I woke up at the Star Lite motel feeling pretty good. I cleaned up and was going to write some on the journal. I started out by checking out the bike though. I suspected I had a broken spoke or that they needed adjustment. It turns out I had 3 broken spokes on the rear wheel. I couldn't avoid fixing that. Plus 2 of the broken spokes were on the inside of the cassette gears so I had too take the rear wheel apart too as well as removing the tire. Surprisingly all went pretty well and I got it done in about an hour and a half or so. I replaced the tire too with a new one I had brought. I had suspected the tires were at the end of life, but wasn't sure. I am still not real sure as they are "slicks" and without tread by design. Although I had to fiddle with the seating of the tire bead on the rim a bit and that had me deflate the tire once, all went pretty well. I couldn't get the 100 lbs of pressure in the tires with my little pump but think I got 55 or 60 lbs.
When reading the websites for the GAP, you would think the Montour connects to the Gap or there is some connector of some kind. What I didn't see on the web sites was a reference to follow the fairly well marked Steel Valley Trail to the Youghiogheny River Trail. Long and short is though that I would not recommend the use of the Montour Trail unless the rider has “turn-by-turn” directions out of each parking lot on the trail so as to minimize getting lost and frustrated by the unmarked and uncompleted sections of trail. Also make sure that you know how to get through the unmarked “Clairton Connector”. Even then I would suggest that the rider look at image maps on Google or something to make sure they understand what they are in for and what they are to do. IMHO, the Montour Trail is not a complete trail, but a collection of community trails that use parts of the same road bed. If it sounds like I have a bit or heartburn over what this trail is as opposed to what it seems to be represented to be for a bicycle tourist, you should have heard the invectives I was screaming on the way.
Once I was on the Youghiogheny River Trail, the ride to the campgrond pretty uneventful. The trail was pretty and peaceful once I got out of the McKeesport/Glassport area. It was a typical pleasant Sunday on a nice rail trail. I obviously got some looks at the funny bike and the trailer.
The campground was rustic. It was just a boy scout type area with a water pump and pit toilet. I was the only one here and boy was it dark. But you could hear the train go by across the river every couple hours. There were not too many mosquitoes, but a few fire flies. I had ramen noodles fro supper. The pump water was not super hard like at Guiliford SP, but you could still taste the iron. There was no cell coverage, at least not from my service, but it did show a bar or two now and then. I locked up all the food in the suitcase just in case of critters. I told myself I may take a short day tomorrow. I find I keep saying that to myself, but this will also be my first day without a shower, so we will see how that plays out. Maybe a swim in the river? Will I be able to tolerate myself? We will see.
A steel mill on the river near Glassport, PA.
The Steel Valley Trail does run through some industrial areas that are interesting (to some people.)
And the trains still run on tracks not far from the converted railbed. Even way up near the top of the river.
Dravo Cemetary predates the railroad as I recall. The river was the draw for people before the trains.
The entrance to Roundbottom campground on the Great Allegeheny Passage Rail Trail.
A shot of the campground itself. Pretty peaceful until the trains run by every couple hours across the river.
A shot of the river going downstream at the campground.
And a shot of the river upstream. Are you surprised there was no cell signal?
And supper. Its a good thing I like Ramen Noodles. And this stove, although light for car camping was way too heavy for schlepping along on a bicycle.
Monday, Sept 8. Round Bottom Campground, PA to Confluence, PA. 45.9 miles.
I rode up to Confluence. It went smoothly. I found the Corps of Engineers campground and took a shower about 4 PM. Good thing too since the showers were going to close for the season at 5 PM. I then went into town and found a laundromat and washed just about all my clothes. I had washed out riding shorts and t-shirts and such and hung them up in motel rooms, but they needed a good regular washing. I got some produce at the market next door and tried to get a cell signal at one of the two spots in town where the locals said I might be able to do so. No such luck. I did have a good order of wings at a restaurant that had free wi-fi. Then to bed.
A shot of the river.
These boxes are spread consistently along the part of the trail that is run by the Youghiogheny River Trail organization. Beats me what they are for. I could put a conspiracy hat on and think big brother is watching us even here. Nahh, I won't go that whacko.
A fellow traveller on the Great Allegheney Passage.
Just a picture of some water gently falling in the forest. It was pretty tranquil.
A shot of the river.
Rafters near Ohiopyle.
Another nice river shot.
The trail.
A shot of the bike at a rest stop I took. I tried to follow the maxim of eating before you are hungry, drinking before you are thirsty and resting before tired. I tried to rest at least 10 or 15 minutes of every hour. The goal is not a race but a tour.
Hey, George Washington slept here too.
And here is the sign, so it must be true.
A fisherman on the river.
More river.
This is the Pinkerton tunnel. It was closed. If repairs are needed to open it, they will be tough to make because on one side is the Pinkerton High Bridge and on the other is the Pinkerton low bridge.
The engraving over the arch of the Pinkerton Tunnel.
The Pinkerton High Bridge I think.
The Pinkerton Low Bridge and looking at how it enters right into the tunnel.
Tuesday, Sept 9. Confluence PA to Rockwood, PA. 20.33 miles.
So I decided to roll up to Rockwood. I decided to stay at the Husky Haven Campground. The office and shower was in town and the campground was primitive and about a half mile away. I had dinner at a pizza place and ran into a guy on a Bike Friday Caruso who was also pulling the suitcase trailer but doing all motels and B&Bs. I would run into him tomorrow too. He was 73 years old as I recall. I also met a guy riding west at the campground, Collin. It was just him and me in the campground and we had a nice chat.
This was the river after some rain, so the water is muddy.
And a sign that was put up by someone local I am sure at the Corps of Engineers Campground. I thought being that persnickety about bathroom cleaning times in a pretty much empty campground was taking it a bit far.
A biker on the trail, Collin, going to Pittsburgh. He had a great Brooks saddle on his bike.
More water on rocks.
And another stream. I think you are probably sensing a theme that is present along the trail.
I think this shot might be out of order and was the day before on the way to Ohiopyle. It shows where the trail crosses on a high bridge over another train track and a freeway.
The Amtrack passes underneath the trail.
The bridge over the freeway and Amtrack rails.
Some wind machines along the way. These too I think are from the previous day.
An unnamed cemetery. There were about 10 headstones, all from the same family.
Wed, Sept 10. Rockwood, PA to Iron Mountains Hiker/Biker CG (MD) (C&O). 55.5 mi.
This is the day I crossed the eastern continental divide and through the Big Savage tunnel. A great day. Especially good was going downhill from after the Big Savage tunnel, across the Mason Dixon Line into MD and down to Cumberland. I had dinner at an airport cafe just over the border in WV, checked email and then kept on for another 10 miles to a hiker biker site. These sites on the C&O towpath are pretty frequent and have a water pump and a portable toilet. The path though is very different from the rail trail and the wheels on a two wheel bike trailer are too wide for the single track and not wide enough to span the tracks; so one of the wheels ends up dragging through the grass and adding effort.
Another Bike Friday rider. I forget his name, but he was 73 as I recall and from Florida. He flew into Pittsburgh and started the trail in Boston, PA. He was going to fly home from Washington National. He had ridden a chunk of the trail last year in a section-by-section approach and was doing it all this year.
And here I am at the Eastern Continental Divide.
The camera the other Bike Friday guy was using had decided to give him some difficulty, so I offered to post some pics here so he could download them.
The Big Savage tunnel. It is like 3000+ feet long and lighted.
These next couple shots are what you see right when you come out of the Big Savage Tunnel. They are great and panoramic. Also, now the through cyclist has about 20 miles of downhill riding to look forward too. Up to shortly before this point, the trail has been increasing in elevation, although the grade is quite slight.
More first views of Maryland.
And one more.
This shot and the next are looking back up to the mountain in the Direction of the Big Savage Tunnel. It was a nice ride down.
You can see this barn from the top looking down into the valley. Then you get to see it up close.
The GAP trail goes along side the Maryland Scenic Railway at this point, so the tracks are quite close. But the train didn't pass while I was along this section.
Cumberland, Maryland. The GAP trail was almost perfectly transitioned to the C&O Towpath. The towpath is a National Park.
Thursday, Sept 11. Iron Mountains Hiker/Biker campground to Hancock, PA. 53 miles.
Got in fairly early, like 3 PM. The last 12 miles were on the Western Maryland Rail Trail which is a paved rail trail. It was sweet to get to that. I rode this bit mostly with a guy who was staying over in Berkeley Springs and just rented a bike in Hancock for a couple hours ride. He also gave me a ride in his truck up the hill to a “Best Value” motel. It would have been an easy ride on the bike though. It was pretty much one of the only motels in this nice little town. It was really just an old regular motel on the highway that was now under a chain name but probably a franchise. I used the water hose and cleaned up the bike and then went and took a shower.
I ordered a pizza and a 2 liter bottle of root beer and watched the weather channel about hurricane Ike and hoped my son and his family were OK. I called and all was well with them and they had gone over to the San Antonio area to stay. But as to their house, the weather channel was transmitting from no more than 10 miles or so from their house and their city, League City, TX, kept getting mentioned. (It turns out that all was OK and, aside from being without power, they are fine as far as I know now.)
This algae covered water was typical on the towpath in this section where there was water in the canal.
Other sections of the towpath were dry.
This is the remains of a lock, minus the gates, in a dry section of the canal in Western Maryland.
Another shot of the eastern path leading from the Paw Paw tunnel.
They were working on the tunnel when I was there and they happened to be coming out for their lunch break. You can see that the water level is not too deep. The tunnel was not lit. It was brick lined and dripped. The floor felt like an extremely rough and irregular concrete. Although I had a flashlight, it was very disorienting as I walked the bike through.
One more shot of the eastern exit of the PawPaw Tunnel.
Here is a lock that has water in it and the lock keeper's house as well.
Of course there were some deer to be seen.
A shot of the Potomac River, which parallels the canal all the way to Washington, DC.
A friendly little dog that was near a pump at a Hiker/Biker Campsite. The water from these pumps tasted like they had received an iodine treatment. Not the best taste, but nice to know it was treated.
Here is a shot of why this trail is not suited for a two wheel trailer. This was not atypical and in parts, the single track was even narrower. I was pretty much dragging one side through the grass, and sometimes both. A single wheel trailer like the BOB would be much better.
And, after slogging it through the trail to this point, when I had the opportunity to take the Western Maryland Rail Trail, I jumped at it. I almost got down and kiss this asphalt knowing I had about 22 miles of pavement over the next days. I said almost.... But it was a nice 12 miles into Hancock and a rest day.
Friday, Sept 12. Hancock, MD – No canal travel. 2.6 miles local travel.
I took a rest day. Boy did this help. It was a rainy day anyway, so that helped the decision. I had been slogging on the C&O. The motel had a bare bones breakfast, but I was full from the pizza I ordered the night before. I decided to send some stuff back and went through it. Out went a bunch of things that were duplicates or not used. No more lexan french press coffee pot. No more 2nd spare tire. Back went 2 of the 4 spare tubes. I can't remember it all. Over 10 lbs worth.
I also stopped at the C&O Bike shop and had my rear hub tightened. It was a bit loose. I don't think I loosened it when I replaced the spokes, but I suppose I might have. He also lubed a couple of cables that were sticking a bit. Then I did laundry at a laundromat and chatted with another rider going west. He was actually doing a round trip going from Pittsburgh to Harper's Ferry and return. He was going pretty light too.Just two panniers and a small backpack.
After laundry I stopped at Dollar General to get some food, knowing I would be camping at least a couple more nights. When looking at food, I have started to look at the calories and thinking how to get the most calories in the least weight. Little Debbie apple pies are great with something like 410 calories per pie. I also got some Zatrain ready to eat pouches of jambalaya and some cans of soup that didn't need water. (FWIW, I ended up eating these cold, but I suppose that isn't too much different than eating cold pizza in the morning – then again, I suppose I really should remind myself I am not in college or anything like that. ). For supper, guess what, another pizza.
Saturday, Sept 13. Hancock, MD to Sandy Hook, MD (near Harper's Ferry, WV). 49 miles.
Now being well rested, I was off. I really noticed the lighter trailer weight. The first ten miles were the paved rail trail. Then about 10 miles to Williamsport. In Williamsport, I discovered what appeared to be a slow leak in the front tire. I pumped it up in town at a gas station and started up an “alternate route” that I had determined from Google and MapMyRide.com. It was going to save me about 20 miles, but there was a risk of a few hills, but they looked manageable from the web. Well, the first half was fine at least to Sharpsburg and Antietam. Then I hit a gravel road with hills; then a paved road with hills and pushed and shoved the trailer up hills with downhills that I had to brake on, then more uphills. I did take a break and replaced the front tire and tube and all was fine on that front. Finally I thought I was at the top but there kept being small hills that required some climbing. Then there was a long downhill, that was great. I got back to a road that paralleled the tow path until I got to the road that went to the hostel where I had decided to stay. The road, as expected, was uphill.
The hostel was pleasant. It turned out that the hostel mostly gets through hikers traversing the Appalachian Trail and that trail and the tow path merge here for about 3 miles. I was the only single male staying the night other than a volunteer and had the dorm room to myself. There were also two German girls in their early twenties who were camping outside and a South African couple. I had a nice chat with the manager about the hostel organization they were part of. It was a neat experience and I made reservations for a couple nights in Washington DC at a hostel run by the Quakers. We will see how it is sleeping in a dorm setting with more than myself present.
Fort Frederick, Maryland
This is the house that was owned by the farmer who bought Fort Frederick. He was a successful African American slave who had bought freedom for himself and his family before the civil war.
Another shot of the foundation.
Ok, this was part of my poor road decisions. The name of this little farmstead was "See4ever". And yes, you can see way across the valley to the other side of the mountains. Well guess where the canal is? Yep, the bottom of the valley. Guess who pretty much pushed and walked a bike up to the top of this quasi-mountain to save 20 miles of pedaling? Yep, Whacky Mike. Oh well, it was mostly all a nice downhill ride from here, with not too many hills I couldn't coast over.
Another shot from a rest break at See4ever farmstead.
And how about a panoramic shot..... There, now back on the bike.
Oh, how about one more shot. My legs were definetely in mush mode at this point.
Sunday, Sept 14. Harpers Ferry to Martsden CG, MD. 50.5 miles.
A pleasant day. I still don't like the way the trailer drags through the grass from being too wide and probably wouldn't do the towpath again with a two wheel trailer, but it does look like I will make it. I planned to stop at Swain's Lock and spend the night at that hiker biker campground as that would leave about 15 miles to go. but I discovered there was no water at that site after I had relaxed a couple hours. So I detemined to press on. I clearly could have made it the 20 or so miles to Washington, but had the reservation starting for the next night, so stayed at the Martsden CG. I think the CG is a group site only, but since Swain's Lock had no water, I figured no one would mind. No one came by. I did have to carry the bike and trailer up some steps for a detour over a bridge where the canal had washed out during the tropical storm, but the detour was well marked.
I had a pleasant night, but on retiring had left an empty can of food out and around midnight some critter came by and scampered away with it. Otherwise a quiet last night of camping with everything nice and dry. It was amazingly quiet and remote just 10 miles from DC.
One of the neat features of the trail here is the Great Falls area. The falls are pretty neat as the Potomac narrows and the drop is pretty significant. The National Park Service has kept this up pretty good, no dubt as it is close to DC.
Another shot of the Great Falls.
This lock keeper's house was different, and actually looked inhabited in some way. Maybe an office.
I did see a decent size black colored snake on the ground. I have no idea if it was poisonous or not or even what kind it was.
A bit later I also saw a decent size snake swimming in the canal near a lock. It was able to see fairly well, as when I approached the edge of the lock wall, it apparently saw me and quickly swam away.
Monday, Sept 15. Martsden CG to Washington, DC. 16 miles.
I made it! A very pleasant ride into Georgetown. I stopped and read the little historical signs. One of the neat things was the “drop down” gate on the high side of some of the locks. I hadn't seen that before. It wasn't used farther upstream, so maybe it was an earlier technology. It did seem to be a design that would require more effort to lift than the “v” locks that one normally sees.
The end of the canal is literally in the Georgetown part of Washington and in a regular city. The path is just a skinny walkway. I reached the visitor's center and it was closed. It did have a map of how to reach mile marker 0 that is on the Potomac River and was a tidal lock. It was behind a boat house that rents rowing shells and kayaks. I took the obligatory picture of the bike and the mile post and went off to find the monuments and memorials.
I asked how to get to the memorials and was told to turn right and then go up a street and some other directions. The guy didn't speak English very effectively so I figured “great, now more bad directions.” Well, I turned right after about 100 feet and looked up and there is the Washington monument sticking up and all I had to do was pedal through some traffic. The traffic was pretty strong, but nothing really crazy. I got to the monument and rode up the mall towards the Capitol. I forgot to look left and so missed a view of the White House. By the time I figured it out, I didn't want to bother going back.
The hostel, William Penn Guest House, was good. It was about 5 blocks east of the Capitol Building and from the men's dorm, out a high window on the third floor, you could even see the Capitol dome. I checked in and they let me keep the bike in their conference room. There was a Post Office within about 5 blocks away on Pennsylvania Ave., so I went to get something to eat and bought a box. I came back and started disassembling the bike to fold into the suitcase. I spread out and got the bike and trailer parts into the suitcase and put the tent and some of the other things in the duffel bag I brought. I filled the box with the rear rack, the stove, pot and other bits and things and took it down to the Post Office and sent it back to Ohio. It was 18 lbs. Like I said earlier. No question that my next trip will be much more minimalist, even if the packing went smoothly.
I had some ramen noodles for a bit of a supper, made arrangements for a ticket to Akron on Greyhound and called it a night.
Here closer to the Washington end of the canal, many of the locks had a style of lock gate I hadn't seen before. It was only on the higher end of the lock and was a single gate that raised vertically with a cranking mechanism. I am not sure why they were only used on the older locks. Perhaps it was a method that didn't seem needed with greater testing of the vertical swing "V" locks. Maybe I will look into it.... and maybe not.
This is what I call a "V" lock on another set of locks, also on the high or upstream side of the lock.
Hey, I made it. This is mile marker zero in Georgetown on the Potomac River. I am about a mile I guess from the Washington Monument.
Another close up of Mile Marker Zero.
The Washington Monument.
The Capitol.
Tuesday, Sept 16. Washington DC to Akron. No miles
Well, the morning light breakfast at the hostel offered a chance to chat with the other guests. Most were young and except for a lady who was probably near my age, all were from outside the US. There were a couple Russian guys, a French couple, a German young lady, and three middle aged women that were either from Italy or a Spanish speaking country. It was a pleasant enough conversation except for the lady from California who kept bad-mouthing our present administration. Not that I support the misguided and failed administration of Cheney/Bush or anything, just thatwith the group present it was just not the place to do it. She even had her little cards that talked about her liberal issue that she insisted on handing out.
Well, then it was off to the bus station where I am spending the day and writing most of this. I chose the bus since it gets me closest to Norton and also because, like I mentioned at the opening, lets me interact with a slice of life that I don't normally encounter. I really didn't have anything I wanted to see in DC, so was in the bus terminal for 7 hours before spending 9 hours on the bus. I am toying with putting the bike back together in Akron, just to see if I can do it or possibly just taking a cab back to Norton. Maybe the local bus? I get in at 6:05 AM, so I doubt Debbie will want to come get me.
........Well, it is now about 15 hours after the preceding paragraph and as I sit here in the Pittsburgh bus terminal at 3:20 AM, the lure of the open road, at least via bus, has a lot less appeal. Especially after struggling to sleep in a seat that is no better than a typical coach airline seat. The local station attendants here at this hour are a bit surely compared to the pleasant staff in DC. Perhaps it is just the late hour and I am tired.
Also, in thinking about it, I will have to take a cab in Akron as I recall seeing yet one more broken spoke on the rear wheel of the bike when I packed it. I think that happened on the last bit of the trail when they had a larger gravel on the path. Or possible the brick paving of Georgetown.
Closing Thoughts:
This part of the blog may be edited a few times over the next few weeks as I continue to ponder my trip.
Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do things differently? Yes.
There is no question that the GAP and C&O Towpath are easy tours to start with for experiencing bicycle touring. A couple of ladies on a tandam bicycle merely went to Cumberland and back. There are tours that take you to Cumberland and then after a short uphill, you are going downhill on a rail trail the rest of the way. The towpath is a bit more of a slog, especially after rain.
The one somewhat negative thing about the trail though is that there is very little interaction with people. One of the things I enjoy is riding through towns on occasion. You have to really make an effort to do that on the trail. But if you did more motels, you would likely have that opportunity.
Would I take less stuff? You bet. I think I would try with panniers (side bags on the bike). I think I still would want to camp, as the mix I had between camping and motels seemed good, at least for me.
The Bike Friday seems sturdy. The broken spokes I experienced were I suspect primarily the result of overweighting the bike. (I am about 220 lbs myself) I think with less weight in the trailer I could get another mile or two an hour average speed. Not that I would want to go farther, but I would get places earlier with time to putz or write in journals or whatever. The mileage I obtained seemed about right for the style of touring I think I like. The one flat tire I experienced has not been looked into yet, but it didn't seem even to be a normal flat. I don't think a single flat in about 500 miles though would not be thought of by most tourists as a bad rate, at least from my reading of other journals.
Feel free to post me with with any comments or thoughts you might have. I don't check the email associated with this blog much, so lindrom [at] yahoo [dot] com might be best.
Hope your travels go well and if you like reading bike tourist journals, I would recommend CrazyGuyOnABike.com
