|
The Brickheads do another Epic Ride !
Eddie
Murphy
David
Wally Dawg
Ross
Swede
On Friday, May 14th, 1998, six of us (Ed Andres, Dennis Murphy, David Morris, Paul
Glynn, Ross Hickman, and yours truly) departed from Traverse City, Michigan for Cumberland, Maryland to ride the C and O Canal Towpath.
What is the C and O Towpath ?
The Towpath is a hard, gravel and clay path on the west side of the C and O Canal and
it follows the Potomac River from Cumberland to Georgetown/Washington, DC falling
approximately 600 feet over a distance of 185 miles. Originally this path was where the
mules walked as they pulled barges laden with coal and other goods. The canal took 35
years to build and by the time it was fully operational in the 1880's the railroads had been
built over similar routes. The barge operators struggled to remain competitive up until the
mid-twenties when it closed. In the 1950's there was a plan to build a freeway along the
towpath/canal route. A big supporter of this plan was the editor of the Washington Post.
William O. Douglas (the Supreme Court Justice) challenged the editor to hike the towpath
over the summer and if the editor still thought that the road was a good idea then Douglas
would also support it. Well, the value of the towpath as a National Park was
wholeheartedly agreed upon by both and so we now have a fantastic linear park to hike,
camp and bike on.
Here is a very large map from
University of Texas Map Collection
Saturday - Could we ride 125 miles to Harper's Ferry today ?.
It was just under 700 miles by car to Cumberland where we stayed in the Holiday
Inn, ate a great Cajun pasta dinner, stocked up, bottled up, suited up and rode out on
mountain bikes at 7:30 am on a beautifully warm Saturday morning. We couldn't have
planned it better, as the East had been blasted with rain and cold weather for most of the
early Spring. We were carrying food for at least half of the day, shorts and a t-shirt for
Saturday night, sneakers, Excedrin, Tums, tubes, patch kits,etc. Most of us were using one
of those new rear seatpost racks. The first water was reportedly available at 22 miles, the
first store was at Williamsport at 80 miles, and our lodging for the night was at Harper's
Ferry, WV - a very long way from Cumberland - 125 miles. There were some doubters
among our group about THAT distance on a mountain bike, but everyone in our group has
ridden at least a double-century on the road.
Well, it would be impossible to relate all of the great miles that we rode, suffice to
say that we could have ridden in just about one gear all the way - a 48 x 15 - just about like
riding on the road, except along a lush, canopied, practically untraveled 2-track that
seemed to just go on forever. The occasional sound of the railroads made an eerie
backdrop to the remoteness of the towpath - on our left was the canal, sometimes full of
water, sometimes barely recognizable. On our right, as we traveled east, was the Potomac
River. One could see why the canal was built, the river would be a challenge in many
places even in a whitewater kayak (and in many places, extremely dangerous.)
The Paw Paw Tunnel.
One highlight on Saturday was the Paw Paw Tunnel, a 3,000 + ft tunnel for the canal
with the towpath being just a 6 foot lip on the side. And yes, it was dark. My penlight
allowed me to barely ride it, but many exclamations we heard from those behind me. (I'd
told them to bring some kind of light !) We stopped to drink, eat, and laugh at the far end.
We stopped for lunch at Williamsport (80 miles), and there were some weary legs
and faces that started out on the remaining 45 miles. At about 8:30 (13 hours) we hike-a-
biked up the circular stairway to the railroad trestle at Harper's Ferry and rode the three
miles up to The Comfort Inn, where we'd booked some rooms. After a quick shower, and a
change of clothes we were off for pizza at Mama Leone's. Walking back after dinner,
another dillema - no beer - and no car. An inquiry at the front desk produced a big surprise.
Desk clerk Shelly said "No problem, just take MY car". When pulling into the 7-11 about a
mile from the Inn, David remarked "What do we say if one of those two guys happens to be
Shelly's boyfriend?" After a beer or two with your best friends there certainly was no trouble falling asleep that night !
The second day - 70 miles to DC.
After a great 4-Course Continental Breakfast in the lobby at the Comfort Inn, we
looted the remains (our lunch) into jersey pockets, filled bottles and we were off down the
hill, across the trestle, and back into Maryland for Sunday's ride of 60 miles plus another 7
or 8 over to my father-in-law's home in Arlington, VA where we were to stay the night.
Another incredible tree-lined 2-track along the Potomac, and we were able to just fly along
in the big ring, often drafting as close as on roadbikes. There are no road crossings, no stop
signs, no houses - along any of the 185 miles of this trail. We all owe thanks to Justice
Douglas for his vision.
As we neared Georgetown, trail use increased and our speed decreased as we
shared the towpath and canal with people and families on bikes, walkers, and canoes.
People from all over the world live near Washington, so it's not unusual to hear passing
conversations in Japanese, Italian, German and Spanish all in a few minutes. We stopped at
the overlook at Great Falls to catch a glimpse of the falls and the usual kayaks, but recent
rains apparently made the waters too high - and fast. As we neared Georgetown the
crescendo of background noise from the big city increased and increased - after the quiet of
the past two days we could tell that our route was drawing to an end. And what an end - the
towpath ends just one block from downtown Georgetown, with it's Starbuck's, Banana
Republic, bagel shops, and every kind of retail store and restaurant. We ate our lunch amid
the din of commerce and the sweltering 90+ F temperatures.
Downtown DC at 95 F.
No trip along this trail would be complete without the requisite monument tour. I've
visited Katy's parent's home here many times (and nearly always with a bicycle) so today's
well-guided tour included the Watergate Hotel, and the Jefferson, Washington, and Viet-
Nam Memorials. We rode along past the Reflective Pool, past the Smithsonian, the
Hershorn, the Air & Space and eventually to the Capital where it was a reluctant (I think) 5
other mountain bikers that followed me in riding up the Capital steps - and back down the
other side. "why did we just do that?" was heard from the rear. "Culture, it was for culture"
they were told. We rode back along the east side of the Reflective Pool and then around the
White House, wondering if we'd see Monica trying to get in through the front gates.
Back to the Jefferson Memorial, across the Memorial Bridge to the Mt. Vernon Bike
Trail, past the Pentagon, past National Airport (where the planes nearly clip your helmet)
and up the hill to Bill's house. O, did I forget to tell you about the hill? Some of us actually
walked up that hill, but I won't tell who.
We made it !.
After lying in Bill's shady front yard in the 90+ F temps at 3 PM for awhile, we
finally got the energy to shower, change clothes, and head down to a local sports pub on
23rd Street for a welcome dinner. It was sad, yet happy dinner - our adventure was nearly
over.
And reluctantly back to home.
Up for breakfast on Monday morning, and a 125 mile expressway ride (provided by
Katy's brother) back to our truck at Cumberland , where we headed towards Traverse City.
With 4 of us driving, the 700 miles flew past (well, sort of flew) and before we knew it,
we were back home. With your best friends traveling 1,500 miles in a car and 190 miles on
a mountain bike is an absolutely great way to spend 4 days.
It you're interested in this wonderful park, let me know - I have maps and lots of
information. There's even great places to stay along the Towpath - in just the right places
for a three - or four - day trip. Or you can camp at designated hiker-biker campsites.
For every bit of info you could possible need (and other stories of bike trips, hikes, historical
facts, and photos) visit the C and O Homepage at http://www.fred.net/kathy/canal.html
Dennis Bean-Larson
May 30, 1998
|
