Day 9, Tues: Harpers Ferry, WV to Leesburg, VA - 25 miles

Since today was a low mileage day, we did not set our alarm.  We spent the morning touring the very unique and historical town of Harpers Ferry.

Harpers Ferry is situated in a gap of the Blue Ridge Mountains and at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and from its beginning functioned as a natural avenue for transportation.

Rail transportation in the United States began in Baltimore, MD on July 4, 1828 and on that same day President John Quincy Adams turned the first spade of earth along the Potomac River for the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.  The race was underway as the progressive railroad and the traditional canal struggled to become the first to connect the Ohio Valley with the east coast.  Harpers Ferry was one of the first milestones of that race.

As the railroad streaked westward from Harpers Ferry, the C&O Canal fell hopelessly behind in the race to the Ohio.  Made obsolete by the faster and less expensive iron horse, the C&O never attained any great measure of economic success, but did transport coal, flour, and lumber to Washington for nearly 90 years.  Canal operations ceased in 1924 when a flood devastated the Potomac Valley, leaving the canal in ruins.

Historical part of Harpers Ferry.

Historical part of Harpers Ferry.



This view of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers has changed little from what Meriwether Lewis saw in 1803 when he collected supplies from Harpers Ferry hoping to find a similar accessible trade route on rivers passing through the Rocky Mountains.

The bicycle/pedestrian bridge across the Potomac into Harpers Ferry.

What goes up, must come down.

Although we are still bouncing and shaking our way to D.C., we did not have to contend with puddles, protruding stones, tree roots, and mud.  There were several miles where we had to dodge sink holes and some mud puddles, but neither our bodies nor our bikes got splashed, today. 

The view along the Potomac River never ceases to amaze us.

Part of the C&O joins the Appalachian Trail, so now we can say that we have also been on the A.T.  The Appalachian Trail is a hiking trail of approximately 2,200 miles crossing 14 states. 

 

Lockkeepers were available any time of day or night to operate this lock.  Tending locks was often a family venture and the canal company preferred family men.  Lockkeepers were paid as much as $600 a year, and were provided a lockhouse with a garden plot.  The couple that lived here had 4 children and operated the lock from 1917 until the canal closed in 1924.  For nearly 40 years they continued to live in the lockhouse after the canal had stopped operating.

 

This kind of vacation is our favorite and most enjoyable way of learning history.

Today we went from WV to MD to VA.  We have now bicycled across 4 state lines - PA, MD, WV and VA.  This is exciting!

In order to get to Leesburg, where we are spending the night at the Hampton Inn, we crossed the Potomac River via White's Ferry, the last operating ferry on the Potomac.

Day 8, Mon: Williamsport, MD to Harpers Ferry, WV - 41 miles



This day was a different kind of experience and very challenging.  We started out in the rain, although the rain did stop by mid-morning.  It was a day of constant and continual dodging of puddles, partially protruding large stones, large tree roots, and of course lots of mud.

Mud covered bag.

Big Slackwater

In recent decades this section of the towpath suffered major damage and became impassable due to severe erosion and multiple floods.  In 2012 the National Park Service completed the largest engineering project in its history here.  2.7 miles of the towpath were renovated and eliminated the need for the long standing detour.  The $19 million restoration project included drilling into bedrock and erecting a concrete pathway along the river.

 

 

 

These are the remains of an ingenious water control system.  Although sealed shut today, the lock once allowed boat passage between the canal and the river, protected the canal from flooding, and provided another path for river water to feed the canal.

This 1904 photo shows the lock in operation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dam 4, one of the finest masonry dams of its day, was built in 1856 after the first rubble and brush dam proved vulnerable to flood damage.   The dam created Big Slackwater, a pool reaching 13 miles upriver, where we have already traveled.  Because of rocky cliffs that reached down to the water's edge, canal boats entered the river at the inlet lock located 1 mile upstream.  Dams and inlet locks were the engineering devices used to provide water for the canal.

 Today was a day of many cave sightings.

  As we followed the Potomac all day today, we crossed over from MD to WV.

Getting to Harpers Ferry to spend the night was a little bit of a challenge.  Mighty Man had to carry both bicycles weighted down with baggage and mud up a spiral staircase so that we could cross the foot bridge into town.

 

Our place of refuge for the night, EconoLodge, had a hose available for us to wash down our bikes and bags.

 

 

We skipped our lunch stop today, since it was another switchback into the only lunch town available and we don't do switchbacks.  We just used our snack foods and kept on pedaling since we were eager to arrive at our destination.  Papa John's delivery service came through for us tonight as well as a motel washer and dryer.

Day 7, Sun: Williamsport, MD - 0 miles

On the 7th day God rested and so did we.  It has been a very relaxing and refreshing day. 

 

After breakfast we received our spiritual nourishment.  It was a very refreshing traditional service.  Loved the music, the choir, the sermon, the friendliness of the congregation, and the small town feeling.

No bicycling today, but we have walked several miles touring the town and visiting the historical sites.  We have enjoyed listening to many stories about the town's history while visiting two museums.

The Town Hall

Such a quaint little town.

The town of Williamsport, like many of Maryland's small towns, furnished scores of citizens for the war effort.  The boys of Williamsport served with distinction in many of the states finest units and participated in the wars largest battles and campaigns.  Among the battlefields of Antietam, Gettysburg, Manassas and many others, the roughly 125 boys of Williamsport clad in both blue and gray proved their valor.  Like other towns across Maryland, and across the country, many of these boys paid the ultimate sacrifice for the cause they believed in.

 

This replica of a lock and boat, along with a show and tell demonstration, helped us to understand how the locks, along with the men who manually operated them, functioned with the raising and lowering of the boats in the canal.

 

This large water basin of the canal, now algae covered, was used for boats to turn around since the canals were too narrow to do so.  Some boats only wanted to go as far as Williamsport and not the entire length of the canal. 

 



We do have a knack for finding the best ice cream in any given town.  This was not our first indulgence, but a very nice ending to a wonderful day.

Day 6, Sat: Little Orleans, MD to Williamsport, MD - 42 miles

We started our day on top of the mountain (1680 ft) with a very elegant and elaborate breakfast, 46 degree weather, and a flat tire.  Harold was able to take care of the flat AND have time to eat breakfast.

We gather much trail information from other bikers and the B&B owners where we stay.  Although, it was another long day, we were blessed to learn of a bike trail that ran parallel to the towpath trail for 21 miles.  This other trail was 8 feet wide, asphalt, and pure luxury.

Half way down this trail there was a very big downed tree branch which completely blocked the trail.  Two guys were struggling to pull it off of the trail, then we came along.  It took 3 guys with all of their strength to get it off of the trail.  It also took one women to assist by cleaning the leftover debris off of the trail.

No snakes today, but our excitement was almost getting knocked over by running deer.  We heard a loud rustling of noise in the woods beside us and then suddenly two big deer ran in front of us within a few feet.  It was a close miss.

Part of the trail along the Potomac.



 

 

The C&O Canal was watered from a series of feeder dams built on the Potomac River.  Dam #5 is located just upstream from Williamsport, MD.  Originally constructed in the early to mid-1830's of stone with wood cribbing, the dam was replaced with a masonry structure in 1860.  This was fortunate, perhaps, since in 1861 Stonewall Jackson and his troops attempted unsuccessfully to destroy the dam with cannon fire.

 

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Maryland became a border between the Confederacy and the Union.  The Confederacy knew that the canal and the railroad were important Union supply lines.  Stonewall Jackson's Brigade made several attempts to destroy Dam 5 and cripple the canal.  On December 7, 1861 Confederate artillery "commenced throwing shells and shot at the dam and houses on the Maryland shore."  Jackson's troops then tried digging a ditch to undermine the dam; Union troops fended off the attempt.  On December 17 Jackson attacked again, and again Union troops prevailed.  After minor dam repairs, boat traffic resumed on the canal.

 

Janet spotted some pawpaw trees on the trail.  She knew what they were due to being exposed to them, as a young child, by her grandfather.  A pawpaw is a little-known native of the eastern United States. The fruit has yellow-green skin and soft, orange-yellow flesh and a delicious, sweet flavor.  A pawpaw tastes like a cross between a banana and a mango with a custard like consistency.  It has multiple seeds about the size of a date pit. 

They were shared at Sunday breakfast by the B&B owner to the guests, who like Harold, had never heard of them or been exposed to them.

 

100 miles to D.C.

Our Williamsport greeter.

William's Port lay on the edge of the Maryland frontier in 1787 when founded by Revolutionary War hero Otho Holland Williams.  In 1790 this river town nearly became the capital of the United States when President George Washington personally visited before selecting the current site of Washington, D.C., 100 miles East. 

 

In 1832 Williamsport changed as the C&O Canal reached the town.   This town became a major place of transfer for goods transported by canal boats. 

 

The Candlelight Inn B&B, our Williamsport lodging.

 

Day 5, Fri: Cumberland, MD to Little Orleans, MD - 45 miles

Today we began a very different biking adventure as we started our ride on the C&O Canal Towpath trail.  Long before the invention of the railroad, canals were the best means of transporting goods over long inland distances, with mule or horse drawn boats passing through a series of lift locks.  A towpath is where mules would walk as they pulled boats along the canal.  Canal laborers dug out the ditch that paralleled the Potomac River with picks, shovels, and gun powder.  The remnants of many locks and lock houses still remain today.  Seventy-four lift locks adjusted the water levels for the 605 foot difference in elevation.
 
Today the water in the canal is algae covered in some areas, lily pad covered in some areas, and dried up in other areas.

This biking trail is unlike anything that we have ridden.  It is truly an adventure.  We felt like pioneers.  We might be bouncing and shaking all the way to D.C.  Our eyes must intensely watch the path with each turn of the wheel for hazards.  The path is like a farm equipment path at its best and 12” wide at its worst.  BUT, it is very do-able and we are glad and proud that we are doing it.  The area is quite remote, VERY remote.  We used some of our emergency food supplies for lunch today.

Obstacle #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Canal path

 

Obstacle #2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The canal

 

Lock house & lock

 

 

Another lock house & lock

 

 

 



Yes, it is safe to drink.  It is iodine treated.  Thirsty bikers in a remote area cannot be choosy.



 

 

Today we went through the Paw Paw Tunnel, the longest tunnel on our trip and one of the world's longest canal tunnels at 3,118 feet and unlighted.  This tunnel goes through a mountain.  There is very interesting video on-line regarding the building of this tunnel.

The completed tunnel was only wide enough for one boat to go through at a time.  When a boat arrived at a tunnel entrance, a boy would be sent to place a lantern at the other end to signal to oncoming boats that the tunnel was already occupied.

Although, we could see the opening at the other end, it was totally pitch black within.  We walked our bikes very slowly, with lights shining on the narrow path.  It was barely wide enough to walk our bikes through.  There was a guard rail to protect us from falling into the canal.  We had to carefully step over large and small puddles on the wavy path.  

 

Before entering

 

 

Safely on the other side

 

Potomac River

 

Janet almost ran over this snake.  Janet claims that her snake was much more intimidating and frightening than  Harold’s snake.

Finally arrived at Little Orleans.  Bill's Place is the ONLY place in town.  We were finally able to get food and have a refreshing cold soda.

 Every inch of the entire ceiling is covered in signed dollar bills where people leave their mark.

 

Last night it was the Holiday Inn, tonight our lodging is at Town Hill Hotel B&B.   It is located on top of a mountain 6 miles up from Bill’s Place.  Fortunately, they offer shuttle service up and down the mountain.  They picked us up at Bill's Place and hauled us, our bicycles, and our luggage up to the mountain top.