Same approach this morning did not go as well. The stairs are iron grating and because of the rain last night, the stairs were wet and very slippery, even with my sports-tread Ahnu sandles. So I was being very careful, even putting both feet on a stair before going to the next one. Did not stop me from slipping and falling though, a few steps from the bottom. It happened so quickly I am not even sure what went wrong. But I saved the bike and gathered a few more leg bruises (not like I was going to be wearing skirts the first week back to work as it was). And the bike helmet saved my head from a good whack on the handrail.
Harpers Ferry does not have biker-friendly access. From the trail you have to carry your bike up a significant number of steps, landings and turns to get to an elevated walkway over to town. They do provide a bike rack under the bridge so day-trippers can leave their bikes on the trail and walk over. But most overnight bikers (me included) would never leave their bike there overnight. So climb I did. I was OK going into Harpers Ferry, stopping at landings to re-grip the bike. Thought about making two trips (1 for the bike, 1 for the gear) but I did OK.
Same approach this morning did not go as well. The stairs are iron grating and because of the rain last night, the stairs were wet and very slippery, even with my sports-tread Ahnu sandles. So I was being very careful, even putting both feet on a stair before going to the next one. Did not stop me from slipping and falling though, a few steps from the bottom. It happened so quickly I am not even sure what went wrong. But I saved the bike and gathered a few more leg bruises (not like I was going to be wearing skirts the first week back to work as it was). And the bike helmet saved my head from a good whack on the handrail. Slippery came in other forms too -- I rode to the middle of the wooden bridge below, stopped the bike, and when I put my foot down, it slipped on the wet mossy wood, causing my elbow to whack that railing. And then I fought to control my bike as my imbalance took it off balance too. Sigh. I am so graceful.
The trail was like an agility course today. The puddles were bad in some places and I had to go slowly enough to assess: Left? Right? Through? Even at the edges, if not careful, that back tire can get away from you. Had to dodge the usual stick and roots and today, a preponderance of walnuts in their free shells -- looking like tennis balls left on a court, and some Osage oranges (they are the size of softballs) and paw-paw fruit. It was like running the gauntlet, but there were no further injuries/bruises!
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Sunrise at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomic rivers in Harpers Ferry. Emphasis on sun -- rained last night and trail will be muddy, but at least I will not be rained on. Yea!
Might find a window without rain to ride tomorrow, but for now I hide out with a beer at a place in Harpers Ferry known for its outdoor deck and view. Bummer. It is good to be out of my B&B for a while. It is not just rustic/historic; it is a bit schkeevey to me. I will save the details of that for a Trip Advisor review. But suffice it to say, it is the B&B low point. I wish I had pressed on to the next town. Among other things, the innkeeper is a ditz. But on a good note, there is a great deadbolt on my door!
On the whole, my itinerary has been good, but if I were going to ride the trail again, I would change the C&O Canal path parts a bit. I discovered that a mileage chart I had relied on for distances between towns had an error. That error is one of the reasons I am overnighting in Harpers Ferry. I should have pressed on to Leesburg today. No matter; part of the adventure. It was a short ride today, so I went real slow, enjoying the forest and the Potomic River. With just 2 days left to ride, I have the first tinges of vacation-is-almost-over melancholy. I want to inhale a reservoir of forest air and etch the great memories from my ride deep so I can retrieve them and revisit them in the stressful moments of the real life I have to return to. While taking my time along the canal path today, I saw many animals. My Critter Report includes another 2 herons, a deer, a box turtle and a 3-foot long camera-shy black snake! The pic below provides a great view of a canal lock alongside my trail. This was leaving Shepherdstown.
I spent several hours doing the history tour of Harpers Ferry. As you know, it was an important Civil War town. Also established in the 1700s, and on a hill, the walls, buildings and their foundations are quite interesting. The Appalachian Trail crosses through here too. To leave the Canal Path and get over to Harpers Ferry though, I had to carry my loaded bike up to an elevated walkway across the river. That was not easy, but I did not want to take my gear off and make two trips. We will see about that tomorrow.
Shepherdstown, WV was formed in the 1700s. I went out for a walk early this morning to look at the beautiful architecture and take pictures. It had rained a little last night; the air was sweet; the sun was rising and the town was coming to life. Found a place to get my morning diet fountain soda -- breakfast of champions for elite distance bike riders you know.
Draft
Today was the first day I really felt tired after my ride; I had to do quite a few hills to get off the trail and to my inn. And after a long ride, that was hard. Last night I also had a bed that squeaked everytime I moved and it sagged, so I woke with a backache. The good news is that there was still no rain today and tonight I am back in another wonderful 1800s house in Shepherdstown, WV. Lots of old homes and shops here. I chose to wander town for a few hours this afternoon instead of getting another history dose at nearby Antietem.
The ride out of Williamsport was similar to what I have been doing the past few days. I began by passing mile marker 100 -- 100 miles to go. That seems like nothing now. Today the forest smelled really good. I am relaxed enough at this stage to notice I suspect. I laugh every time I see one of these signs shown below. I suppose it is good information to have but I always wonder what to do with it. Pedal fast? If I hear a cracking sound, pedal faster and hope for the best? There was an area just outside the Paw Paw Tunnel where the risk was not boulders on the path, but very sharp shards of slate from the mountain cut. They would have made a great defensive weapon in a pinch (I think too much I know) and I was really glad I had my hardcase tires as I rolled over them.
Turns out herons along the trail are less skittish than turtles. I got very close to another one. There are many turtles sunning themselves on logs in the canal but as soon as I stop my bike to photograph them, they plink right into the water. I think I caught sight of a beaver too.
For dinner, I sat at the bar of a nice local place and made conversation with some locals. One guy just returned from Guam where he was on a carrier and then a submarine testing sonar equipment for the Navy. Another couple was a retired doctor and nurse from Long Island who just got back from Russia, and then Annie came in. She's an artist who just got home from hiking the entire Appalachian Trail. Her stories made me feel like a pansy in comparison! She blogged her adventure too and I am looking forward to reading that.
Meanwhile, 3 days of riding left. After two weeks of deeply inhaling clean forest and mountain air it will be hard to go back to an office where I cannot even open the windows. But hey, happy to have a window! Got on the trail in Hancock at a leisurely 9:30 am this morning. The B&B life is a good one for travelers and I am glad I am not doing so many miles per day that I cannot really enjoy the inns I am staying in. I have typically arrived in my towns about 3-4 pm, showered, walked around some to see the town and use a few different muscles, and then had dinner. I mentioned "small town America" in a previous blog and this ride is giving me increased awareness of how this economy is hitting small towns -- in a way not quite so obvious in NJ. Every one of these towns has next to nothing going on and their Main Streets are like an old string of Christmas lights, with every other bulb out. I gather that with a car I could find more restaurants about 10 miles away, but within walking distance, I have two choices -- a pizza/Italian place or a Sheets convenience strore. OK; one choice.
Innkeepers tend to be chatty and personable. I am always interested in how long they have been innkeeping. A recent survey of innkeepers showed that the highest percentage of innkeepers got into it after taking early retirement deals from their companies. I usually ask if they have hosted any celebrities. Most have, but they are vague about whom. I also ask for 'worst guest' stories. Some are doozies. The man who built an altar to his dead parents on the mantle and tucked his teddy bear in the bedcovers stands out. As does the high-strung businessman who could not get into a real hotel and acted like a petulant child while his amazingly sweet wife made gracious conversation with other guests and lingered over coffee, presumably to torture him further.
My trip appears to be in between Summer Season and Leaf-Peeping Season -- only one B&B was full. Tonight I am the only guest. Most of the B&B guests have been retired people wandering somewhat aimlessly without a solid itinerary. For that matter, the age curve for the other people I see bike touring skews to the right; lots of grey hair. Guess they are the ones with time. Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. I think B&Bs compete with each other based on breakfast. All I can say is good thing I am burning thousands of calories a day! The ride today can be best summarized as, ride a couple miles under heavy growth, see an aqueduct or lock, repeat over and over. It is, after all, a towpath. More of the same tomorrow, but sounds like rain will change it up. My prize today for all that riding was to see a huge barred owl up in the trees. He stopped Terry and I in our tracks with his hoots as we were passing by and we had to locate him. Got a fair picture of him, but not one the blog can pick up. Sorry about using this pic below twice. It was a mistake but the stupid app will not let me delete it!
A great story got relayed to me today as I was talking about the 1-mile long Paw Paw Tunnel. I was remarking that it was pretty neat to build a tunnel for a canal in the first place and then thinking about how the canal boats navigated in the dark, surely with lanterns. It seems that long before there was road rage, there was canal rage. The story is told that long ago, two canal boats met in the middle of the tunnel. (I can confirm that it is impossible to see a lantern light that far.) The two boat captains, as stubborn as the mules pulling them along, both refused to back out. It is told that the nearby lock-keeper had to come and smoke them both out!
I did only 22 miles today, so it was quite easy. I would rather be doing 30-mile days, but the B&Bs are in 20-mile gaps. I am amazed at how good I feel to be honest. My legs might be tired at the end of a day, and I expect to be hurting the next morning, and it never happens. And I am surprised by that every morning. My legs are stronger too. I cruise right up some of the hills in these towns. I am probably in the best shape if my life right now. Yesterday's trail markers that seemed like headstones to me today seemed better. Snapped a pic with the iPhone so you can see what I mean:
Amazingly, I have run into Terry for the third time. He was the guy touring and mostly camping, with his wife meeting him at various places. We are going to swap trail stories over dinner and then ride out together again tomorrow. I have to say, all of the campgrounds have looked very nice; pretty settings, a hand pump for iodine-treated water, a portapotty, a picnic table and a fire ring. I cannot even imagine how dark it must be at night.
The lockkeeper houses are very picturesque. This is Number 56. At this lock I was able to leave the gravel tow path and switch over to a paved rail trail for 15 miles. Pedaling became so easy! It parallels the tow path so it is still a pretty ride.
Hancock, MD is a bigger town than most I have seen in the past week. It even has a stop light, a gas station, a knife shop and an archery store. I woke up very refreshed this morning and I am watching the sun rise! The Town Hill Hotel sits at the top of a mountain with a view of three states and the Potomic River. It is run like a B&B, but it has 29 rooms. They are able to cater to the retreat crowd because of their size but also are super bike-friendly. There was only one other couple at the inn last night. The place gets extra credit for having the first feather pillows in a week of traveling and like my internet research promised, the best breakfast you could imagine. Hosts Dave and Donna are really nice. Dave did much of the inn restoration himself.
This picture below is typical of the tow path I was riding yesterday, but less densely forested than most of it. The canal is dry in many places, but where it had water, the water was covered with a heavy carpet of blue-green algae. This made it feel like a Louisiana swamp to me and I spent a bit of time expecting an alligator to appear and then wondering a) if bear mace would stop an alligator and b) if so, where to aim it. What can I say...I had the lions, tigers and bears oh my anxiety going on yesterday. This leg of the journey was the most remote I will face. The tow path is interesting because of all the locks you pass. Many of the lock keeper houses are restored. This is the first one closest to Cumberland and it happened to be open for visitors. Isn't the clapboard construction interesting? Only one like that evidently and I think there are about 70 locks.
Part of the ride yesterday included going through the one-mile long Paw Paw Tunnel. This photo shows the end I came out (western end). Interesting to me that they ran the canal through the tunnel, with just the narrow tow path. Fortunately they maintain a handrail on the tow path; it is very disorienting in there, even with a lamp.
The ride on the C&O is indeed rougher than the GAP -- loose gravel, ruts, some tree stumps -- but not too different from parts of the Columbia Trail at home that I trained on. Still, it was a lot of bouncing around and slower in parts. I was lucky that it was dry. From here on out, my hops are shorter and closer to civilization.
Critter report: nothing other than a fantastic heron that posed for my pictures for several minutes. |
DorkyBikeShortsFour months from now I intend to ride 334 miles in 10 days -- from Pittsburgh to Washington DC -- by myself. This blog will document the journey. Archives
October 2012
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