posted by Steve Largent at 6:32 PM
The C&O trail, an old tow road that ran next to the C&O Canal up the Patomic, was a great experience, and we finished that section today. Rain fell everyday, sometimes as squalls which drove us to shelter, but the rain in the South is warm, so most of the time we just rode through it. The old canal is generally filled with water, but some sections are dry. The tow road is always right beside the canal. Riders are sometimes close to the river and sometimes between the old canal and river. Most of it is overhung with eastern hardwoods.
Two days we left the canal, which is a gravel, sand, clay mixture, for the highways to escape the mud. Twice with the loaded touring bike, I fish tailed severely. Glad those mountain bikers have taught me to ride Maguire Gulch. Generally, the two main tracks are covered in water but have a soid feel; getting in the grassy middle isn't wise as it's soft!
We spent last night in Paw Paw, West Virginia in a youth hostel, though none of us are youth. The place was clean and well run. Dinner at a neighboring establishment was terrible; they'd run out of hamburger, couldn't serve chicken. That left a steak sandwich as the only menu item available, but it was soooo greasy that 4 small bites was enough!
We had very hard rains early this morning which kept us in bed until 7:00 a.m. We didn't ride away until 11:30. Our ride today was only about 40 miles through the rolling hills of western Maryland ending in Cumberland. We did go down to view the end of the C&O. I really enjoyed the C&O tow path, the solitude, the deer, the trees. David especially didn't like the mud. Chris dislikes the hills when we get onto these highways which are always up or down. David rides at the same pace Rosetti rode last year- a bit faster than me on the flat, and a bit slower than me on the hills, so we make good riding companions. David most of all did enjoy the 3,000 ft tunnel we passed through yesterday and the 3 waterfalls at its entrance. Apparently, the 3 falls don't usually exist. It's just a treat for those of us riding this wet year. It was too dark for my film, but the companions digital photos look pretty good.
Yesterday, a friend of Chris' joined us for what will be 4 days. We're spending the night in his home, catching up on e-mail etc after a short ride today mostly in rain. We got to a 24 hour Wal-Mart too late for the 1 hour processing of the digital film my companions are using, but I hope to send Corrie or Pete photos soon.
