I had wanted to ride the C&O towpath for many years, and indeed had done the sections closer to Washington, D.C. many times. I decided to ride from my home, then in the Lake Linganore area of New Market, MD, to the path, and then follow the towpath to it's terminus in Cumberland, MD. Then I intended to continue on as far west as I might get until I would rendezvous with my wife somewhere and catch a ride to my parent's home in Ohio. I had some leave saved from my job, and my wife had no objections to my taking a tour, so off I went.
I started off in typical July weather for Maryland. Hot. Temperatures were in the upper 90s (f) during the days, with frequent afternoon thunderstorms bringing high humidity, but I had been riding in these conditions all summer. My route took me through Frederick and along Rt 180 through some low hills on the way to the Patomac River. As I reached the river at the small town of Brunswick, I stopped for lunch at a Hardees, then found my way onto the towpath proper. The towpath was a pleasant change from the hot asphalt roads, with the overhanging trees doing a nice job of providing shade. I set up the evening camp at a hiker bike sight between Harpers Ferry, WV and Willimsport, MD, I think Horseshoe Bend, but I don't remember exactly.
The next morning found me continuing along to the west northwest, following the towpath and canal. In one section just before Williamsport, MD, bicycle riders need to leave the path and follow a short road detour to Williamsport. Hikers can continue along the path and hike a short section of hiking trail where the towpath and canal are washed out. Some folks have carried their bikes alon it, but I chose not to. Further along, I stopped for some time to explore Ft. Frederick, a fortification from when Western Maryland was still the western frontier of the colonies, built during the French and Indian War. Once back on the path, the shade and lack of hills made the miles go by fairly quickly. The path does follow the winding course of the river, which adds considerable distance to the ride, as opposed to the straight line distance. I stopped for lunch in Hancock, MD. As the afternoon progressed the thunder clouds started to gather and I picked up my pace. The rain began and I stopped at another hiker-biker site as the scariest thunderstorm I've ever been in broke over me. As I huddled under a poncho waiting for it to abate, an earsplitting crash sounded and a tree nearby came crashing to the ground. Then I was really worried, but I had nowhere to go. Finally that wave of storms passed through, and I took stock. The fallen tree was less than 30 paces from where I was sitting. Since more storms seemed to threaten, I decided to camp right there. The campsite was called Devil's Alley. Seemd about right to me. I set up my tent and waited through two more rounds of thunder, lightning and torrential rains before the weather let me pass into a fitfull, humid night of sleep.
Morning brought clear skies once again, along with slightly cooler weather. Once I broke camp, I found myself having to lift my bike over fallen trees a number of times. Soon I was at the Paw Paw tunnel, and the light of my mini-mag flashlight was pretty usless after the bright daylight, but I got through. The riding was steady and pleasant, with no more fallen trees, and I didn't take a break until Oldtown, when I got off the path to find some cold sodas. The final miles into Cumberland were what touring is all about. After a photo or two I started climbing the ten mile long climb to Frostburg, MD. The initial section just leaving Cumberland was narrow with no shoulder, but soon there was a shoulder, even if the sun remained hot, the traffic remained heavy and and the climb remained constant. I stopped for another soda halfway in La Vale, and the last stretch to Frostburg was really difficult. I was hot and tired enough to decide on a motel, but it turns out the Redskins training camp was there and all the rooms in Frostburg (there aren't that many) were booked up. I ended up turning around and loosing half of my hard earned elevation but going back down to La Vale and staying in the nice Scotsman Motel. Dinner was at the Pizza Hut, and sleeping in the Air Conditioning was blissful.
The next morning I packed up and rolled out to Dennys for breakfast. After that I waited to meet my wife on her way out to Ohio. I wanted her to spend the night in Morgantown WV, but I wasn't sure if I could make it there in one day through the mountains. She convinced me to just continue on to Ohio in the car. The forcast thunderstorms helped me make my decision and I accepted a ride over the mountains.
The photos were scanned from film photos I took on the trip. If I get access to a scanner again I'll add more.
| Leaving my neighborhood. |
| 1st night's camp. Horseshoe Bend (I think). |
| Ft. Frederick. |
| Big Pool. |
| One of the several aquaducts along the canal. |
| The morning after the Devil's Alley thunderstorms. |
| Approaching Cumberland. |
| The terminus. |