Biking the C&O Canal Towpath II Aug. 2011

Jim Roberts, Jane Butler, Nikki, and Dave enjoy a nice dinner at City Lights restaurant in Cumberland, MD, the evening before our big 62 mile ride to Hancock, MD.

Here we are, ready to go on our big adventure.

Jane preps her camera for the group photo below.

Here we come.

There we go.

East portal of the famous Paw Paw Tunnel. Bikes need to be walked through this 3200' very dark tunnel.

Rest stop at the site of the remains of the Round Top Cement Mill along the canal. It had already rained very hard and we are wet and the trail is very muddy.

But WE DID IT!

A well earned fist pump!

Biking the GAP

Yesterday I rode the 37 miles from Ohiopyle to Smithton on the GAP to stay in shape for the big ride coming up at the end of August. The first 10 miles are down hill heading toward Connelsville on the west side of Laurel Ridge.

Ready to go. Nikki dropped me off and will retrieve me in Smithton in about 4 hours.

This is the Youghiogheny River just downstream from the falls in Ohiopyle. Great white water rafting here.

Typical trail down the ridge. River is pretty "noisy" here but hard to see through the trees.

Trail is much more level here as is the now very quiet river.

Here we are in Connellsville, a little less than half way to Smithton.

The trail from Connellsville to Smithton was very flat and much more open. It was also in excellent condition. There were several bat houses along the trail.

Anyone home?

Arrived in Smithton after 3.5 hours, a good ride! Smithton is the birthplace of Shirley Jones and used to produce Stoney's beer at their brewery. The place hasn't recovered since Shirley and Stoney's left. Of course, the demise of the coke, coal, and steel industries along the river just clobbered so many of these once thriving small towns.

Biking the GAP

It was a perfect weather day here in SW PA today and the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) was calling me for our normal 20 mile ride from Ohiopyle to Confluence and back. It was a good day for sights. Somewhere in the photo below is a doe with two fawns.



This is 6 Mile Island, so named by me because it is 6 miles from the starting point. Not very creative but a good progress marker.
This little stream valley is one of my favorites along the trail. There is always a blast of cool air coming down the hill -- very refreshing!

There were several fly fisherman in the river today.

The big picture -- Confluence, PA.

This snake caught my attention as I rode by. I stopped and went back in the hope that it was a rattlesnake, which I had never seen in the wild. It wasn't. Appears to be a Black snake.

Nikki came with me and read her book club book while waiting. Had a good lunch together at the Ohiopyle House Cafe.

2600 Miles

My biking exercise program continues to go well and I greatly enjoy it. My goal is to complete the ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC this summer. This will need to be done in several segments with Nikki playing the key role of dropper-offer and picker-upper. Biking companions are always welcome!

Biking the C&O Canal Towpath

On July 30 and 31 Dr. Jim Roberts, his wife Jane Butler, and I biked the C&O Canal Towpath trail from Brunswick, MD to Hancock, MD, a biking distance of 77 miles. Nikki played a critical role in this endeavor as our driver, meeting us at the end of each section to take Jim and Jane back to their car at the access points. Both Jim and Jane are experienced bikers so this was a great learning opportunity. The night before our scheduled start we met for some final planning while enjoying some wine and snacks in our room. Main topic was where to access the trail. The intended access point at Sandy Hook did not, in fact, exist. Brunswick was selected, but that added 5 miles to the day's ride. Having settled that matter we went for dinner at Firestone's in Frederick, MD. Excellent meal with great service in a very lively town!

At the access point in Brunswick, MD.




The towpath and canal opposite Harper Ferry, WV.
Antietam Creek aqueduct where the canal flowed over the creek.

Time for some trail mix -- or a hand inspection?

Typical lock and lock master's house.

How I spent my 66th birthday -- 50.66 miles.

End of the first day!

Cushwa Basin in Williamsport, MD, our jumping off point on day 2.

Dam #5 on the Potomac. The line of rock in front of the dam is the remains of the dam which was there prior to the Civil War. To deny the Union the use of the canal, Stonewall Jackson tried without success to blow it up.

The lock at Dam #5.
End of the trail in Hancock, a total of 77 miles in a day and a half. Thanks Jim and Jane. We did it!!

Biking on the GAP

Nikki dropped me off in Garrett this morning for a 27 mile ride to Confluence along the GAP, hard by the Casselman River. The town of Rockwood lies about a third of the way there and offers a most interesting bit of trailside sculpture, shown above.

The trail crosses the river at least 3 times, offering some great views of a rather remote area.

The ride took about 2.5 hours and was capped off with a nice lunch with Nikki at the River's Edge Cafe.

Biking on the GAP

Biking on the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) is great exercise and great fun. The photo above is typical of the trail between Ohiopyle and Confluence, the section nearest our house, a 22 mile round trip which takes about 2 hours. My usual turnaround spot is on the bluff above the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Casselman Rivers -- always pretty.
There are usually interesting things to see along the trail -- birds, deer, unusual bikes and people, fishermen, hikers, and so forth. This week it was rhododendron in bloom and a kayak stuck on the rocks of one of the rapids near Ohiopyle.