Tag Archives: C&O Canal Towpath

GAP/C&O-Day 10 & 11

17 Jul

smithhousebrkfst

We came down to a beautifully set breakfast table at the Smith House Inn. The big porch doors and windows were open, allowing the fresh, cool morning air into the house through the screens. We enjoyed every bite as we visited with the other guests from Austin, TX. Our ride today takes us from Confluence to Connellsville, where we left our truck 9 days ago.

We finished our breakfast, hopped on the bikes and were off on a cool foggy morning. We crossed 2 bridges as we left Confluence and were once again enjoying the beauty of the trail.

It was a short ride to Ohiopyle, and we had time to walk around, checking out the little shops and the old church.

 

We grabbed an early lunch at a farm to table restaurant called the Ohiopyle House Cafe.

Ohiopyle State Park is situated right in the center of the beautiful Laurel Highlands, a mountainous region encompassing 3000 square miles in southwest Pennsylvania. I imagine it is extremely busy on the weekends with the hiking trails, bike path, whitewater rafting and waterfall tours. We were glad we caught it on a Monday.

Once we finished lunch, we biked over to Wilderness Voyageurs. They run an outfitters store and offer a number of guided trips and services including a shuttle service. We’d arranged for them to shuttle us the 3 miles over to Fallingwater to take a tour of the famous house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Once we saw the very hilly road with no shoulder for biking, we knew we’d made a wise decision. I would not recommend riding it by bike. It was only 3 miles, but it would have been a very difficult and dangerous ride by bike.

We had purchased our tickets for the home tour online a couple of days ago, when we saw that we would be able to make the timing work. Reservations are recommended because the house is a very popular attraction, and tickets typically sell out. Only last week the home was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so I was delighted we were able to work it in to our schedule.

The folks at Wilderness Voyaguers transported us to Fallingwater with plenty of time to spare, and told us to call them when we wanted to be picked up. They dropped us right at the front of the visitor center.

When we checked in for the tour, we were offered an earlier tour, probably due to a cancellation, and we gladly accepted it.  The tour was very interesting and included every room in the house as well as the guest house and carport. No pictures were allowed in the home, but we were allowed to take photos outside of the home after the tour.

We finished the tour, stopped by the cafe in the visitor center to get a cold soda to drink as we waited for our shuttle and even got a free cookie provided in celebration of becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Fallingwater visitor cntr

The shuttle picked us up within a few short minutes of placing the call. We got back on our bikes, which we’d left at Wilderness Voyageurs while we were on the tour. We continued on with our exploration of the Great Allegheny Passage.

We had 17 more miles to cover before we arrived back at our truck, parked at the Connellsville B&B. We’d been away from the truck for 9 days, the longest time we’ve been on a bike trail self-supported. We were able to take everything we needed on our bikes, and there were a few items I took that I didn’t use at all, so next time, I may be able to pack even lighter.

We arrived back at the Connellsville B&B and saw our truck was safe and sound right where we’d left it. The owner greeted us, asked us about our week and took us up to our room. We were in a different room this time and it had beautiful views of the little main street through town.

We got cleaned up and walked down to a family owned Italian restaurant just a couple of blocks from the B&B. Reservations are recommended at Ruvo’s, because it is a very small place, though they did have outdoor seating. Food is served family style, and includes salad and bread. We both ordered one of the specials. One was sausage tortellini and one was gnocchi. The special of the night is a one-serving dish, though it was more than I could eat!

Day 11 was our day to explore more of the trail toward Pittsburgh. We hadn’t started the combined C&O/GAP trail all the way in DC, and we didn’t plan to go all the way to Pittsburgh, but we wanted to see more of the trail in that direction. So after a good breakfast at the Connellsville B&B, we started out toward Pittsburgh.

The trail continues to be in excellent condition and the scenery beautiful. We rode all the way to West Newton (where our B&B is for the night) and stopped and ate lunch at Trailside Cafe. We sat on the deck overlooking the bike trail. I had a delicious salad and Jimmy had a club sandwich. Delicious!

After lunch, we continued on toward Pittsburgh to explore more of the trail in that direction. We passed our B&B as we pedaled through town on the trail. It is directly across from the old train depot, repurposed as a trail visitor center with clean restrooms, water, maps, t-shirts and a friendly staff. We stopped and looked around a bit, and bought t-shirts. We were asked to sign the guest register, as we’ve been asked at every similar stop. These little visitor centers depend on people signing their guest books because it helps them with their funding. So SIGN the guest books when you stop. It helps insure that little places like this will still remain open.

This area had a number of coal mines, all gone now. As we followed the trail along the bank of the Youghiogheny River, or the Yough (prononced Yock -rhymes with sock) as the locals call it, we spotted several relics left from the coal mine era. There were also a good number of signs explaining the relics and giving a history of the area. Also this chunk of coal placed on a sign placard.

coal

The town of Connellsville was at the center of the “Coke Region”. Until the end of World War I, the area around the town was unrivaled in the production of coke, and was known as the coke capitol of the world.

Coke is a hard porous coal residue with a high heating value. It is made by “cooking” coal in sealed ovens. The ovens are beehive shaped and line the banks along both sides of the river. Back in the “coke” heydey, the fires from 35,000 ovens lit up the night sky surrounding Connellsville. I’m sure that was a site to see back in the day.

When the coke was ready, it was loaded onto railcars bound for Pittsburgh and used in the making of steel.

In one particular section of trail, I was able to spot the beehive ovens every few feet lining on old road or railroad on a hillside along the trail. It was hard to get a photo because of the foliage. The ovens would probably be much easier to spot in the winter, but I did take a short little hike off the trail to get a picture of one.

beehive oven

I read all the historical markers about the coal mines along the trail.  We passed through 3 or 4 “patch towns”. Patch towns were small villages consisting of “company houses”. The Pittsburgh Coal Company provided housing for their employees working in the mines and at the coke ovens. Most were built between 1900-1920. There were only a few floorplans. They consisted of duplexes, larger homes for managers, and bunk houses for employees with no family. Though most have been updated to some degree, the lay-out of the company town is still the same, and though many of them are single family homes now, you can still see the footprint of the duplex with 2 front doors, etc. All of the homes in these little patch towns have the same footprint and it is interesting to see how homeowners have modified them to make them uniquely theirs.

There was a terrible mining accident in this region in 1907. A gas and coal dust explosion killed 239 miners at Darr Mine, and was one of the worst coal mine tragedies in the US. A historical marker is placed near the trail telling the story of the Darr mine disaster.

One other remnant of the coal mining era can be seen along the trail, Red Waterfall. Red Waterfall flows from water that comes from far underground. The unusual thing about the waterfall though is its color. A rock seal that formed over the massive Pittsburgh coal seam thousands of years ago contained “pyrite”, made of iron and sulfur. Coal mining exposed pyrite to oxygen and ground water. This in turn produced sulfuric acid and a number of red, yellow, and orange compounds. The rich orange/red color came from iron, and is known as Acid Mine Drainage. This was the largest orange/red water we saw, but noticed it in a smaller waterfall and in a creek that runs along the trail. All were remnants of the coal mining that occurred here over 100 years ago.

Red Falls

We traveled on and stopped for an ice cream cone at Yough Twister. We got a blackberry vanilla yogurt swirl. It was a cute tiny place with a huge menu. I was sorry we weren’t there at meal time!

There are several spots along the trail where homeowners that border the trail have added extra touches to make trail users feel welcome. We saw a number of shady benches with flowers tended in pots, an inviting bench under an old shady apple tree, and a cooler of bottled water for any thirsty traveler. These little places always make me smile!

Shortly after passing Buena Vista, we turned around and headed back toward our B&B, having ridden to  within 27 miles  of Pittsburgh. We passed many more beautiful sites, and I took a few more pictures even though we had doubled back. I couldn’t resist!

We are staying in West Newton at Bright Morning Bed & Breakfast. We’d passed it earlier in the day on our way out to see more of the trail, and were ready to get back to it and check in.

Bright Morning B&B2

The B&B is made up of 4 homes bought over a period of years by the owner. The first house she bought was one that an elderly lady had left to the local Methodist Church. The church sold it and she bought it. She started out with one guest room and the demand was so high, she added other homes to her collection. All of the homes have been lovingly restored. Breakfast would be serve in another of the homes 2 doors down from the one we were in. Our room was on the top floor of the green house with a beautiful view of the bike trail and the old train depot.

We returned to the Trailside Cafe for dinner, and once again sat on the deck overlooking the bike trail. It was a beautiful ending to the day. We are both sad to see this trip end. But have already begun dreaming about our next bike trip! Tomorrow, we pedal back to our truck in Connellsville, spend one last night, and head home.

 

 

 

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GAP/C&O-Day 7-Leaving the Nicest Guy You’d Ever Want to Meet

14 Jul

Bikepath

We slept well in the cozy little Bikepath Bed & Bath and were looking forward to breakfast. Dan had asked us what our preferred time would be to eat, and we chose 7:30 am. He said that seemed to be the preferred time for most bikers, because when asked, that’s the time they usually chose. He didn’t have any other guests last night, but it’s been a busy season for him so far. He has been full every night for some time, and is expecting 2 young ladies later in the day.

brkfst

He had 2 places set at the table, and soon called us for breakfast and asked us to sit down. First he brought in a skillet of scrambled eggs and divided them between our two plates. I kid you not, we each had at least 5 eggs, maybe 6. He may have scrambled a whole dozen for just the 2 of us. Next came the fried potatoes then a big piece of ham. He had made homemade bread the day before and he cut two big, thick slices of bread and toasted them. Each slice would have consisted of at least 4 regular slices of bread.  It was all good, but would take quite a few miles to burn those calories.

brkfst2

As we sat eating, he sat down at the head of the little kitchen table across from Jimmy and picked up a book he had lying there with some other items on the table. He said he always liked to read an essay out of a book written by Albert Einstein, because Einstein was such a smart fellow. I don’t know if he read the same essay to each group that stayed, or if he read a different one each day. The essay he read to us was entitled “The World as I See It”. I took a picture of that page in his book, and below is a portion of what he read to us;

essay

“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people—first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to a frugal life and am often oppressively aware that I am engrossing an undue amount of the labor of my fellow-men. I regard class distinctions as unjustified and, in the last resort, based on force. I also believe that a simple and unassuming life is good for everybody, physically and mentally.”

It was clear that he’d spent a great deal of time pondering those words. He was embracing the simple life, embracing the thought that one exists for other people, drawn to a frugal life and the belief that plain living was good for everybody, physically and mentally. There’s a lot of wisdom there.

We were sad to leave our new friend, but we had more trail to cover. We packed up our stuff, took a photo out in front of his home, and headed on our way, having been blessed once again by our interactions with such a nice man.

see you soon I hope

What a gorgeous day! The rain and clouds from yesterday afternoon were gone and what was left were brilliant blue skies. We were riding the last portion of the C&O Canal Towpath today, with our destination at the end of the trail to be Cumberland, MD. We hopped on our bikes, took the quick connector trail out of Paw Paw, WV and back into Maryland as we crossed the river.

We saw quite a few fishermen today, as there’s a big portion of the canal that has been dammed up and apparently makes a great little fishing spot. Each fisherman we passed waved or called out a greeting. 

The rain left more puddles behind, so we had to navigate through them carefully so as not to wipe out with our heavy loads. A piece of good advice we picked up from bikers accustomed to these trail conditions is to not dodge the puddles. It is so easy to lose control of a bike that’s fully loaded with gear. The best thing to do is to lift yourself off the seat just a bit and roll right through the water puddles. Initially, I tried to weave my way around the puddles, and it was hard to maintain balance at times. After I received that advice, I just rolled right through and it was much easier. Though my legs were much muddier…

Now that my worries about the potential bad weather from yesterday were behind me, I had a little more time to recall a warning I received on the first day. I’d put it out of my head until now. (There’s only so much room in my head). But since I knew we would be continuing our ride through the most remote region, those warnings resurfaced.

We had just gotten off the train in Harper’s Ferry and were rolling our bikes off the station platform when an elderly couple motioned us over. They were sitting in their car, parked in the space right beside the train station. They asked where we were from, what we were doing, the usual stuff. The man told us he was 85 and the woman may have been a little bit younger because she was driving. But in the course of the conversation, the lady started going over a safety checklist with us now that she’d found out we were riding the C&O.

Her: “Did you bring pepper spray?”

Me: “I have no idea, did we?, turning to look at Jimmy

Jimmy: “I have a little”

Her: “Well you’re gonna need it”

Me: “Really?  Why?”

Her: “You’ll need it for two-legged and four-legged critters” 

Me: “Oh goodness! What kind of 4-legged critters are we talking about?”

Her: “mostly bobcats and cougars”

Her: “Did you bring any snacks?”

Me: “ well, yes I brought some snacks to eat along the trail in case we get hungry”

Her: “You better be careful. Those wild cats can smell a snack from miles away”

Me: “ok, I’ll be careful”

Her: “If those wild cats get hungry, they will eat whatever they can find, even you”

Her: “and if they smell your snacks, they’ll come running from miles around. If you stop to eat a snack, you better eat it fast.”

Me: “I’ll certainly keep that in mind!”

I was beginning to wonder if this was all a bad idea. We hadn’t even made it out of the parking lot, and I was already worried I’d starve to death on the trail. Or worse!

So as I’m riding along today, I was thinking about these wild animals. I already feel it’s my duty to be the official snake spotter on every bike trip. I saw 3 yesterday and already 1 today. Jimmy just doesn’t give that job the vigilance I think it deserves. He just rolls along, taking in the view, enjoying the sites with hardly a glance at the trail surface. I on the other hand examine every stick, every shadow, every unusual shape for any threat, real or perceived. It’s amazing how a brown curled up dead fern leaf looks just like a poisonous snake from a distance. Now I found I was on the lookout for wildcats, cougars, bobcats, whatever. And let’s not forget bears. I know they’re out there. Here’s a scene that stopped me in my tracks (allowing Jimmy to practice stopping on a dime with no warning as he followed behind). That looked exactly like a huge snake! It was just a vine.

stick

It’s impossible to ride along and not eat a snack for energy because of the calorie burn. But I tried to do it as quickly and efficiently as I possibly could. I keep snacks in my jersey pockets for easy access while riding. I figured if I could get the whole snack in my mouth at once, the bobcats wouldn’t smell it as much. I nearly choked to death on a whole granola bar trying to keep my mouth shut around it, praying to God that Jimmy knew the Heimlich maneuver and could recognize the universal distress signal if I had to use it. Did he? I’ve never actually asked him that! I’ll have to find out before I stuff another granola bar down my throat.

I got that chewed up and swallowed (barely!) and realized my fingers were sticky. Darn it! I must have gotten some honey granola on my fingers trying to shove the whole thing in my mouth!  I could just imagine the smell of honey, oats, and almonds wafting behind me as I rode. I’d have every predatory cat in the county after me if I weren’t more careful.

The ride continued to be through beautiful country. I took several more pictures today.

Thankfully, we continued on without being attacked and were soon at Spring Gap trailhead. Dan had advised us that we could avoid the last 8 miles of the roughest section of trail by taking highway 51 into Cumberland. We typically avoid travelling on roads with cars, but will do it if we have to. The last stretch of the canal to be built was the section that arrived in Cumberland. By the time they made it there, the canal project was out of money, and the railroad had beat them to Cumberland by 8 years! Instead of spending money they didn’t have to build the last 8 miles of towpath, they decided to let the mules make their own towpath alongside the canal. The last 8 miles are dirt, and after yesterday’s rains, would be a slippery, muddy, pothole mess. That last 8 miles would take a long time with our heavily loaded bikes that would likely have to be pushed over trail hazards. No thank you. So to the road we went. It wasn’t a bad ride. We had a wide shoulder to use most of the way and there was one pretty good size hill as we climbed out of the canal elevation, but after that, we basically coasted all the way into Cumberland.

 

As soon as we made it into town, we stopped and had lunch at a DQ while we checked Google maps to find the best route to the B&B.

DQ

We got back on the road and made our way downtown, passing many historic buildings and homes as we went. We got a nice little tour of downtown Cumberland by bike.

We arrived at The Inn on Decatur and were  told to check the mailbox for the key. It wasn’t in there, we were earlier than expected, but the owner was home and welcomed us in.

Decatur Inn

She showed us where to lock our bikes overnight and provided a hose for us to clean up the bikes after the muddy ride. We loved our room and had the whole top floor to ourselves since we are the only guests for the night. We also had a kitchen with a basket of “Health food”, as she described it. (There may or may not be a Reese’s missing…) We have use of a washer and dryer once again, and were glad to use it on our muddy clothes.

At the owner’s recommendation, we walked to the old downtown area, where they have a very cool pedestrian mall, called Canal Place. The area of old downtown buildings has been restored and repurposed into shops, restaurants and outdoor dining.

We ate at Ristorante Ottaviani. We definitely carb loaded. The food was delicious.

Today we say goodbye to the C&O Canal Towpath, which makes us sad, but tomorrow, we say hello to the Great Allegheny Passage!

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GAP/C&O-Day 5- But He’s So Nice!

12 Jul

BB

Breakfast was served at 7:30 am, buffet style. There were 5 other men staying at Bay Farms Bed & Breakfast , and we enjoyed getting to know them and hear of their biking adventures. The group bikes the C&O annually, at the same time each summer. Though the group gained and lost riders throughout the years, the same core group was still riding annually. Most of the men came from Ohio originally, but had since moved to other parts of the country, to be reunited each summer on the C&O. They knew the trail well and shared some tips and recommendations on meals and lodging options.

There is one lodging accommodation we’ve lined up for later in the week, that I was a little uncertain about. It’s further north and will be our destination on Day 6. It seems to have a more hostel or primitive feel. The place is run by a retired gentleman, and is in the small home where he lives. I don’t particularly like the hostel set up, but I don’t mind primitive, and I don’t mind camping. We camp in a tent.  Love it! With that said, I really enjoy the B&B experience when we are biking. It’s a nice reward at the end of a long day of riding. But in this particular area, there were no options available other than this one place. In order to break up the mileage in a manageable way, we had to book lodging in this one particular town, and this was the ONLY place at all, anywhere near (believe me, I did my research!)

I asked the group of men about it, and they knew exactly the place, said they’d stayed there several times. The group seemed to be mixed on their opinions, but said it would be fine, but they were somewhat vague. I kept asking specifics, trying to get a feel for what to expect. They didn’t exactly answer my questions, just kept saying the owner was a super nice guy. So I tried asking in a different way, still the same answer; he’s such a nice guy.

This was beginning to sound like the Andy Griffith episode when they were trying to arrange a date for a homely relative of Thelma Lou’s. In their attempt to describe her to Gomer, they avoided direct questions about her looks, just kept saying, “but she’s so nice!”. Every question I asked was answered in the same manner,

Me: Is this like a regular B&B or more like a hostel?

Them: “He’s such a great guy and has a little weiner dog in the house. Do you like dogs?”

Me: “Well, does he keep it clean and tidy inside?”

Them: “The dog is kinda cute, named Mollie or Moxie or something. Nice guy!”

Me: “Are the sheets clean?”

Them: “You’ll never meet a nicer guy!”

Me: “Would you say the bathroom is clean?”

Them: “He’s just a super guy that is really interesting and knows alot of stuff, loves to fish!

Me: “Will we have our own separate bedroom?”

Them: “Yeah, you probably won’t have to sleep on the air mattress, and he’s just a great guy, you’ll really enjoy talking to him,”.

This went on for several questions until I finally cut to the chase. I said, “OK, tell me this, would your wives stay there?”

Them: (without a moments hesitation and in unison): “No, but you’ll be fine…. ”

Them: “…and don’t go in the basement” (followed by uproarious laughter)

We soon parted ways, (they’d given me enough to worry about) and we walked over the cafe to meet up with Rose of Desert Rose Cafe who had offered to buy us bread and cheese for our lunch the night before. (You’ve got to read yesterday’s post if you missed it). She had exactly what we asked for, so we got our bread and cheese, bought a couple of her delicious cookies, some water and were off. She was sweet enough to allow us to snap this picture even though they were busy with the morning rush.

Rose

It was another gorgeous clear day with bright blue skies and lots of sunshine. The trail continues to be in good condition from Williamsport to Hancock where we are staying tonight. There were only one or two muddy spots all day, so that was a bonus!

The beautiful trail along the old C&O Canal continued as we headed north. Wildflowers, wild raspberries everywhere, and beautiful views of the Potomac River as we rode. At one point, Jimmy asked if I was really going to stop and take a picture of every wild raspberry bush in Maryland, lol. I guess I had taken quite a few, but they’re everywhere and hard to resist, and are delicious by the way!

Around lunch time, we arrived at Fort Frederick. It was situated just a quarter of a mile off the trail and was well worth the stop. We feel like we’ve had a good review of the Civil War action after our few days exploring Antietam and other Civil War sites, so why not the Revolutionary War? But first lunch! We sat on the porch of the park office in rocking chairs and enjoyed our cheese and baguette that Rose had bought for us. It was nice to get off the bikes for a while. We paid the admission fee ($5 for the two of us) and headed in to the fort. There were people in period clothing demonstrating rifles and answering questions, and it was a cool place to visit.

Fort Frederick was built in 1756 and its walls were built of stone 20 feet high and 3 feet thick. The colony of Maryland built the fort to protect its interests on the Western frontier during the French and Indian War.

During the Revolutionary War, it served as an American prison camp for thousands of captured British troops. During the Civil War, it was occupied for a while by Union soldiers. In 1860, a free African-American man named Nathan Williams purchased the fort and lived there with his family, farming the land until 1911. He built a school nearby for African-American children and it still stands in the park.

We left Fort Frederick, and continued our trek north. A few miles past the fort, there is the option to switch to the Western Maryland Rail Trail for 26 miles. It runs parallel to the C&O and connects with the C&O in several places. The C&O stays on the towpath closest to the river, and the Western Maryland is on an old converted railroad bed that was built on the opposite bank of the canal, so essentially you see the same scenery, but on blessed pavement! We’ve been on gravel (and some mud) for 4 days. When we got to the pavement, I was tempted to get off the bike and kiss the ground, but figured I might not be able to get back up, so I skipped that part and just enjoyed the smooth, seemingly effortless pedaling.

We were able to pick up our speed on the pavement and reach the little town of Hancock, MD by about 3:00 pm. We found River Run B&B situated right on the trail with the canal in front. The housekeeper was just finishing up for the day and she showed us to our room, and made sure we had everything we needed. We were able to stow our bikes in the garage and take a walk around town before we cleaned up for dinner.

We walked down Main Street, checking out the shops and had circled back around to walk down the trail to our B&B when a gentleman in a truck slowed down, rolled down the window and yelled, “Welcome! Are you finding everything you need here?” Jimmy called back, yes, thank you!  And he yelled back, “Thank you for visiting our little town!” How nice! We kept walking and were heading across a parking lot to the trail when we noticed the truck pulled in as well.   The gentleman got out and said, “I just wanted to make sure you guys knew about the Western Maryland Rail Trail.” I guess he’d noticed our bike clothing and knew we were visitors to the town.

We told him we did know about it and had ridden it into town just a while ago. He was  very interested in what brought us to Hancock, where we lived, how we planned to break up our ride, etc.  He told us all about his little town, how they were making improvements to draw more visitors, how the bike trails had affected his town in such a positive way, etc. He had many stories to share about other bikers that had come through town. He was such a good ambassador for the little town of Hancock. He apparently knew each person that passed by us as we stood along the trail, whether they were out for a jog or on a bike, he called them each by name as he waved and they waved back. He served as a city commissioner (or something similar), and said he’d run for mayor twice but lost both times. He asked the town to make him a business card when he stepped into his position, but they’d never gotten around to it so he ordered some himself.  He gave us his card and told us if we needed anything at all while we were in town, to let him know, and he asked us to email him when we returned home so he would know we had made it back home safely. After a long conversation (in which he included details of his unusual name – mother was English, dad was part of Normandy invasion where they met and married), we parted ways with handshakes and hugs and a new friend named Nigel Dardar in Hancock, Maryland.

Nigel

We walked back to the B&B with smiles on our faces and got cleaned up for dinner. We were able to wash a load of laundry, and have been pleased that many of the B&Bs along the trail provide the use of a washer and dryer and supply the laundry detergent. If I’d known that, I could have packed even fewer clothes, one thing I am really regretting at this point. A lighter saddlebag would definitely be a plus!

We ate dinner at Buddy Lou’s Eats and Antiques and enjoyed a delicious meal. I had a great salad with grilled chicken and ate it so fast I did not get a picture! Jimmy had the Maryland Crabcakes, and they were delicious too. We shared a dessert. That, I did get a picture of. It was a brownie topped with ice cream, walnuts and peanut butter cream. It was outstanding.

And so ends our day in Hancock. Tomorrow we continue northward on the trail and meet the guy that is so nice!

 

 

 

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GAP/C&O-Day 4- A Baguette and a Wedge of Cheese

12 Jul

 

Our Civil War education continued this morning at breakfast. The owner of the B&B (Jacob Rohrbach Inn) is a very knowledgeable history buff, hosting a Civil War lecture series each Wednesday evening during the summer in the backyard for anyone interested. The other guest at breakfast was a high school history teacher from Massachusetts. He was also a passionate expert on the Civil War! He was doing a tour of Civil War battlefields and would be seeing Antietam today. When he arrived at the National Cemetery near the battlefield yesterday, he asked a ranger if there was any information about where those killed in the battle had been buried. He was able to find his great great grandfather’s grave. No one in the family knew where he was buried following his death in the battle of Antietam, until yesterday. You could tell it was an emotional moment for him. The breakfast was delicious, and we ate every bite!

fog

Though foggy when we woke up, it soon cleared and we got back on the C&O and started our day. There were initially quite a few mud puddles, but we soon traveled out of that area and we very happy with the condition of the trail for the rest of the ride.

Learning the fascinating history of the C&O (Chesapeake & Ohio) Canal has been most enjoyable. Before the invention and emergence of the railroad, it was thought that canals were the best means of transporting goods over long distances.

Canals like the C&O were hand dug, and relied on a series of lift locks (74 on the C&O) to adjust the water levels for the difference in elevation. It is estimated that 35,000 laborers, mostly European immigrants were employed to build the C&O and its structures. It took 22 years to complete, and when finished it was 184 miles long. It included 11 hand-hewn stone aquaducts and a 3,118 foot tunnel.

It’s ironic that the C&O Canal broke ground on July 4, 1828, the same day that the cornerstone was being laid for the B&O Railroad in Baltimore. The railroad and the canal were in a race to see who could reach the Ohio River first. It was a bold undertaking for  the railroad investors, because at that time, there were only 3 other railroads in the U.S., none more than a dozen miles long. We learned from a National Park Service ranger, that there was no viable means to even pull a train when this was undertaken. The early rail cars were pulled by horse or mule, just like the canal boats were. The steam locomotive was invented after the railroads were begun. The railroad won the race to the Ohio River and the rest is history. The railroad was responsible for the eventual demise of canal services. But what remains is an unparalleled biking and hiking adventure that National Geographic Adventurer calls “an American Classic”. The bike path that follows the long ago mule towpath is the best way to see the artifacts left over from the canal era. It truly is a national treasure.

 

We met more people biking the towpath today than yesterday. Yesterday was drizzly and grey, but today was beautiful with gorgeous blue skies and bright sunshine. We stopped to take a look at Dam 4, and another biker offered to take our picture for us. We enjoyed talking to 2 or 3 other bikers at that spot as they stopped to see the dam as well.

dam

A little further down the trail, we’d stopped to take a look at one of the locks that still had a portion of the gates intact when a guy on a bike approached.

 

We greeted each other and he started on his way, then stopped and turned around and came back to us. He called out, “Could I ask you something?” We said, sure. He said, “Would you mind taking a picture with me?” That was a bit unusual. I didn’t think we looked famous or anything, and I knew we didn’t look like expert bicyclists, but I couldn’t think of a reason why he would want our picture, but we said, of course! He told us his wife had dropped him off that morning at the Maryland state line, and he planned to ride all day and into the evening. She was worried that he was alone on the trail and had checked in with him by phone a few times, asking if he’d seen anyone yet. He said, “You two are the first ones I’ve seen all day and I want to text our picture to my wife so she won’t worry so much”. We gladly obliged and when he finished snapping his photo, I snapped one of my own with our new trail friend.

friends

We parted, with wishes for a good day as we went our separate ways. Soon the trail took us through the Big Slackwater section of the canal. When the canal was dug, there was a 3 mile section that had to be bypassed because of the stone cliffs so near the edge of the Potomac. Canal engineers knew it would be almost impossible to blast a canal 60 feet wide and 6 feet deep into the limestone cliffs. The builders decided to use the river instead of continuing the canal for that section. The function of Dam 4 was to slow down the swift current in the Potomac River so it could be used as a substitute for the canal. They still had to blast rock, but only for a narrow towpath for the mules right along the river’s edge. Much of that towpath was destroyed by flooding and erosion years ago, but the National Park Service has restored the missing towpath with concrete right over the edge of the river, reestablishing the old towpath alignment. It is a beautiful ride with the river on one side and the sheer granite cliffs dripping with wild raspberries and wildflowers on the other.

We finished our riding and pulled into cute little Williamsport, MD in time for a late lunch.

coal barn

We asked some other bikers that had pulled off for a rest stop if they knew of a good local place they’d recommend. The suggestions were unanimous, we had to eat at Desert Rose Cafe.

The cafe was a short distance from the trail but up to the top of a steep hill, which Jimmy rode all the way up. I’ll admit, I didn’t even try. I just walked my bike up. We found it easily, right where they said it would be and were glad to see they had outdoor seating. Jimmy went in to grab a menu while I stayed with the bikes. He came back out and said they would come out to us and take our order, which they did in no time at all.

 

We spotted a bike parked out front, fully loaded with more gear than I’ve ever imagined possible, with 2 cats in crates to boot! The man that owned the bike was biking cross country. He does it every year with his 2 cats. The cats seemed very content to patiently wait for him to finish eating. The owner told us later that he stops by her cafe every year on his cross country trek, which he finances by washing windows. He offers to wash hers for $35 plus a meal. The windows looked really nice and clean and he got a good meal plus $35!

They took great care of us at the little cafe, keeping our ice tea filled and asking about our trip. The owner, Rose kept coming out with refills and was very knowledgeable about the bike trail. She was a delight to talk to and the food was excellent. We seriously considered coming back for dinner, but decided to try the Italian restaurant nearby and come back to the cafe for dessert.

After lunch, we checked in to our cute little B&B (Bay Farm B&B ) in another historic home, dropped off our bikes and gear and took a walk around town before getting cleaned up for dinner. Williamsport is a friendly little town with old buildings, some civil war history, a statue of Douglas, the town mule (of canal fame) and very nice people.

donkey

One of the storefronts on the main street had a massive calendar for the month of July that filled the entire store window. On the calendar were listed the names of people in town that had birthdays in July. How awesome is that?

calendar

A police officer making rounds stopped us as we walked along and chatted with us a bit. He noticed my bike shirt that listed Bikeworld in Paducah, KY and asked us about our trip. We talked for a few minutes then parted ways. We strolled on down the main street checking out shop windows and killing time. We came to an intersection and were waiting to cross when the same police officer came down the side street in our direction. He’d walked around the block trying to intercept us because he’d forgotten to tell us about Doubleday Hill. Once he pointed it out to us, we could see it from the intersection but would have missed it otherwise. We thanked him and said we’d walk to the hill right then and see the civil war site. It was a beautiful view of the Potomac River and the town from on top of the hill.

After our little walking tour of Williamsport, we headed back to the B&B and were able to meet the owner. When we arrived, she wasn’t in but told us to let ourselves in and to make ourselves at home, she’d be by later. Jessie is a young woman who bought the old house, built in 1835 and restored it, deciding to try her hand at running a B&B. She has done a beautiful job of restoration and it is charming. Our room was super cute and on the top floor of the old home that overlooked Main Street.

We had an excellent dinner at Tony’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant. And after dinner, we walked back to Desert Rose Cafe for dessert. Rose was still there, and after we ordered homemade cookies and a milkshake, she asked about our plans for riding tomorrow. We told her we’d be heading toward Hancock, and weren’t sure if we were going to be able to find a place for lunch since the trail is less populated in that direction. As you may have noticed, much of our trail riding revolves around food! Jimmy asked her if she had anything we could purchase for our lunch tomorrow, mentioning that even a baguette and a chunk of cheese would suit us just fine. She laughed and said she didn’t have that on hand, but was planning to grocery shop in the morning and she’d pick us up a baguette and a nice wedge of cheese. She further said we could take what we wanted of the baguette and cheese wedge, and she’d keep the rest to eat it herself, joining us in our cheese/baguette lunch, if in spirit only. What a sweet gesture! So the plan is that we will meet her back at the cafe at 8:30 am tomorrow morning to pick up our baguette and cheese wedge!

There are good people everywhere you go. We were blessed with the encounters we had today, and we will carry fond memories of each person we met, the guy trying to reassure his wife, the police officer that wanted to make sure we saw everything his little town had to offer, and Rose, the gracious cafe owner who went out of her way to make our trip everything we wanted it to be. If you’ve thought that good people are a thing of the past, just grab a bike and get out there. They’re everywhere!

 

 

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The Great Allegheny Passage/C&O Canal Towpath Bike Trip 2019-Day One

6 Jul

Connellsville B&B

We’ve prepared as best we can for the longest multi-day bike trip we’ve taken up to this point.  This trip is a bucket list item for me. I’ve heard about the Great Allegheny Passage for years and we decided to ride it, and the connecting C&O Canal Towpath this summer. We will be away from our vehicle for 9 days for the longest portion of our trip, and will have to have everything we’ll need for those 9 days packed in our saddlebags and panniers.

We’ve both done our homework. I’ve watched Youtube videos of others biking portions of both trails, and read everything I could find online. There’s a significant amount of information available about the Great Allegheny Passage, it’s one of the most popular bike trails in the U.S. There’s quite a bit less on the C&O Canal Towpath. I’ve read the guide book cover to cover, and spent some time with the trail map.

Jimmy has researched all of the logistics of the trip; lodging options, restaurant options, train schedules, etc.  and has made recommendations on mileage based on our desire to see the sites, take lots and lots of pictures, and have time to stop and explore little towns as we pass through them. He’s the one that does all the research beforehand, and he’s an expert at this! 

The Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) and the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath combined run from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington DC. The two trails meet in Cumberland, MD. That is a combined distance of 333 miles of car free bike riding! We aren’t going all the way to Pittsburgh and we are not travelling all the way to DC. Instead, we prefer to keep with the more rural areas and the smaller trail towns. The GAP is a converted railroad (rails to trails) and has a packed pea gravel surface. The C&O on the other hand, follows the towpath that mules used to pull the flatboats up the canal from Washington DC to Cumberland, MD. It has a dirt surface. It rained most of the day as we traveled from Kentucky. Though there was not a great deal of information about the C&O Canal Towpath Trail, there was a consistent message in the information I was able to find. And that was, that the condition of the trail is largely dependent on the amount of rain. So we may be in for a muddy mess because we’ve certainly had a wet spring/summer so far…

One of the challenges with any overnight bike trip is how to get back to the vehicle without having to ride the whole trail back to where you began. In the past, we’ve used shuttle services, or we’ve ridden trails both ways with no other options, but this is the first time we’ve been able to use Amtrak. Amtrak makes it easy! Because of the train schedule, we decided it would be best to use the train to start our trip, rather than taking the train back to our vehicle after our bike ride.  The Capitol Limited runs from Chicago to Harper’s Ferry (and beyond). We will start our day early since the trains leaves at 7:00 am, (hopefully). When we checked in to the B&B, the owner suggested we verify departure time with Amtrak. Amtrak does not own the rails on this section of track, (surprisingly), so they have to coordinate with CSX, who owns the track and uses the same line for freight. Hopefully they will be able to work it out tomorrow morning and we will get to leave on time. Apparently a couple that stayed here last week had a 3 hour delay because the lines were being used by CSX.

The second challenge to an overnight bike trip is what to pack. Since I will be carrying everything I need over the next nine days with me on the bike, I’ve had to think carefully about what is really required. You can get by on a lot less than you might think. We plan to find one place to do laundry about mid-trip, so that enabled us to cut our clothing needs in half. I have a ziplock bag of clothing a ziplock bag of bike clothing, a Chromebook in a padded case, a small bag of basic toiletries/first aid supplies, portable charger/device chargers, snacks, and a trail guidebook. I estimate that my saddlebag, fully packed, weighs about 15 pounds.

I packed everything in ziplock bags in case of rain. My saddlebag is water resistant, but could still get wet in a downpour. This brings up another challenge. When you commit to a multi-day overnight bike trip, you also commit to ride rain or shine. We have all of our lodging reservations made in advance, and there’s really no other option except to ride in the rain if you are going to keep your reservation. Because we planned lower daily mileage with this trip so that we could really explore the area, we do have some freedom to wait out a thunderstorm if we have to. But if we have a day that is a complete wash out, we will have to ride. That is part of the adventure though, and some of our best memories are made in less than perfect conditions, with lots of laughter.

We chose the town of Connellsville, PA as the place to start. It’s got easy access by bike to the Amtrak station, (just 3 blocks from our B&B) and it allows us to explore both south and north. It’s also a small town with a safe place to leave the vehicle. The owners of the Connellsville B&B were gracious enough to allow us to leave our vehicle for the duration of our trip. We will ride back here and stay 2 more nights after pedaling from the south. We will then have the option of exploring further north toward Pittsburgh, covering more of the trail. 

So we will see what tomorrow holds and what type of adventure awaits!

 

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