My Bike Trip - Harpers Ferry to Leesburg

The owners of the Stonehouse B&B have a young boy (maybe 12 months?) named Charlie who I got to meet!  Another couple was staying there; fellow was going to start a long hike on the Appalachian Trail.

I left Harpers Ferry at about 8:20 AM after a nice breakfast at the B&B.  I got to the Leesburg Colonial Inn in Leesburg, VA, about 1:50.  It was a really nice ride, and the sky was almost cloud-free most of the day.  I'd expected a muddy trail after the rains the day before, but it wasn't bad at all.  It was warm, so perhaps the water had dried up, or maybe the storms just did not hit this section of the trail.  The first five miles of the tow path out of Harpers Ferry were super - crushed stone and on par with the Pennsylvania portion.  But then a washout had closed the trail!  There had been really bad flooding in 2018 on the Potomac, and they were still trying to repair the damage.  Lots of cyclists were wading through, but I took advantage of a shuttle that the communities had provided, and bypassed the washout.  This also cut seven miles from my ride.  After that, the towpath reverted to the packed dirt surface, but again, very few muddy spots.

Toward the end of the ride, I reached White's Ferry a short ferry ride across the river for cars, pedestrians, and bikes...

Then I took some surface roads to Leesburg.  I visited the library to get my bearings for Saturday's ride, and checked in at the Inn (brick building, second story)...

I borrowed a phone again to text Laura, and called Mark and Karen to let them know of my status.

On the shuttle, I met a guy from Brooklyn who is an editor for the NY Times.  He had visited his father for a day, who lives in Pittsburgh, before starting the bike trip with his son.  His father is a retired dentist and a well-known Model Railroader!

My Bike Trip - Williamsport to Harpers Ferry

In the previous post, I put up a picture of a strange critter.  Those who guessed that it's an autonomous lawn mower were correct!  I was so amazed I knocked on the door of the house there, and a nice lady graciously answered my questions about it.  It runs all the time, though I'm not sure about when it rains, and it docks itself when it needs recharging.  It takes about a 1/8" off the grass blades as it rolls along, and leaves the cuttings on the lawn.  Here's a video of it trundling along...

I had a tasty breakfast at Bay Farms.  The nice young lady who owns it does a great job.  There was another lone cyclist there who is a writer, Jim Hodgson.  He has written books about mountaineering, like on Kilimanjaro.  His trip was similar to mine, and he also wrote a blog about it, Pittsburgh to DC: Riding the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Towpath.

I left Williamsport at about 8:30 AM and got to the Stonehouse in Harpers Ferry at 4:20.  As usual, lots of RR equipment and bridges to see, which I loved...

This was a tough leg.  The trail was good for a while, then went muddy for a couple of miles, and then was ok again.  There were also stony patches which I hadn't seen before...

I stopped at Shepherd's Town for some lunch, which means I was in West Virginia instead of Maryland for a little bit.  On the way I rode through the campus of Shepherd University, which was a treat.

But when I got back on the trail, it began to rain.  It wasn't bad at first, so I put on my rain gear and kept going.  I caught up with the nice group I'd met at Towne Hill, and rode with them.  It started raining hard and we all got soaked.  This would not have been too bad, actually - you get used to it - but my iPhone had gotten wet and stopped working!  😭  I borrowed other people's phones to leave a message for Laura.  Riding with the group helped a lot, taking my mind off the rain, and it was fun when they started singing.  I could join in on some of the songs, like Singin' In The Rain, but didn't know the words on some others, like Annie.  I introduced them the Grateful Dead's version of I Know You Rider!
I wish I was a headlight, on a northbound train,
I wish I was a headlight, on a northbound train,
I'd shine my light through the cool Colorado rain.

We all made it to Harpers Ferry, where I was staying at the Stonehouse B&B (gray house on the left in this photo, which came from Yelp)...

Of course, this photo was not taken on a rainy day!  

Harpers Ferry also has a famous RR tunnel...

(This is actually a painting of the tunnel, by Michael Flanagan.  He changed the name at the top - it really says "Harpers Ferry".  I like this because it depicts how the tunnel looked before part of it was ground away to accommodate new larger RR cars.)

I was able to have my soaked shirt and socks laundered at the B&B, and my soaked short pants dried overnight.  I also tried a suggestion from Rusty, to put the iPhone it in a zip-lock bag with rice to soak up the moisture, which often works - but not this time.  Major bummer.

I ate at the Rabbit Hole restaurant near the B&B, where a young waiter, Jacob, very nicely let me borrow his phone so I could send more messages to Laura.  I was also able to call Harry and talk with him a bit.  

Stonehouse is rustic and charming, and I could watch trains go by from the back patio.

A highlight of this leg was a Black Snake (Eastern Rat Snake) that crossed the path while I was riding by.  Other cyclists had told me they'd seen some, but I had not until now.  It made my day!

I also saw what looked like strawberries along the path, and some folks who know how to spend a sultry morning when living near the Potomac...

My Bike Trip - Little Orleans to Williamsport

The folks at the Towne Hill B&B had an incredible breakfast for us, about eight dishes, all really interesting and tasty. There was a group of 10 bicyclists staying there besides me - five siblings, their spouses, and one daughter. They were a really nice group. And one of the guys works at Northrop in Long Beach!

After being shuttled to the trail, I set off from Little Orleans at 9:45 AM, and reached the Bay Farms Inn in Williamsport, MD at about 5:15.

Starting out, I went the wrong way! I soon got to the spot where the trail seemed to end. I was trying to figure out why, when I heard a voice behind me. One of the members of the Towne Hill group was kind enough to track me down and set me straight. I ran across them a few times on this segment.

Trail conditions today were wonderful. Starting out, the trail had some black stuff on it. Asphalt!

 From Little Orleans, the state of Maryland has been converting the railroad route to a trail, and has paved it! I started the day with over 20 miles of paved trail, with only a short segment of the mucky towpath trail used to route around s RR tunnel where some endangered bats have a colony. And where the paved portion ends, the towpath further was dry and mud-less! Unlike yesterday, today’s ride was very fine.

At one point it looked like it was going to rain, so I put on all my rain gear to prepare for the mud. A half hour later it was apparent the storm had bypassed me, so at a campground I found a restroom, pulled off all the rain gear, and also put on shorts instead of jeans. I had intended to wear the jeans for the whole trip, But it's been so hot, the shorts really are the better way to go. And hosing mud off my legs would be easier than trying to hose it off the rain pants.

Another reason for the short pants was that other cyclists had been telling me about a swimming hole along the trail. Indeed, I came across a group of young adults jumping into the water. They showed me where there were some steps in the rocks to get in and out, and said they guessed the water to be about 70°. They were right! I went in, and it was cool and refreshing and super fun.

On this trip I saw some more RR bridges, a turtle, and also another little strange critter trundling by. See if you can guess what it is! I’ll give the answer tomorrow.

Along the trail there are a number of lock houses that are maintained as structures, but not used. But there are a few that are available for rent!  

I think it would be nice and peaceful to stay in one a couple of nights.

My Bike Trip - Cumberland to Little Orleans

Today I left Cumberland at 6 AM, and reached Little Orlean, MD at 1:30, where I did not have cell service.  Some cyclists came by who kindly called the Towne Hill B&B for me. I had to wait a bit for a shuttle they have, since they are about 8 miles off the trail. I worked on my journal while waiting, and rested. Town Hill is an old hotel from the 1920’s, on the old National Highway, and is really neato...

The shuttle is on the right in the above photo.

The GAP trail ends in Cumberland, and the path continues as the C&O Tow Path. This was not a real pleasant ride, because the trail is rough, had many mud puddles from a rain last night, and goes along the old canal which has stagnant scummy water in it. Lots of mosquitos too. Here is what the trail looks like, very different from the nice GAP trail...

Other cyclists I had met warned me about the trail conditions, so I'd prepared by donning my rain pants and galoshes when I set out. More to protect from muck than from rain. The trail definitely lived up to its advanced billing. Here is how I looked setting out, and at the end...

On this leg of the trip I went through the Paw Paw Tunnel, which was not built for trains, but instead for the canal.

There were also a number of old locks and RR bridges to see...

I also saw a turtle going along the trail, and s deer!

They had both stopped to regard me for a little while. Probably I was the second orangest thing they’d ever seen!

Leaving the B&B in Cumberland, a sweet little kitty came by to bid me s safe journey! His name is Cinders...

My Bike Trip - Meyersdale to Cumberland

I left Meyersdale this morning at about 6 AM, and got to the Inn on Decatur in Cumberland, MD, at about 1 PM. 

I wanted to leave early again this morning, to avoid afternoon rain and heat. I was able to reach Frostburg a bit early, and spent some time there having breakfast and coffee at a place called Clatters. I had intended to eat at a place in Meyersdale that opens early, but it turned out they were closed for Memorial day. In Frostburg I found out the Western Maryland tourist train was also not operating today. 😭

This segment of the trip is probably the most interesting (which is saying a lot). It has the most tunnels and bridges.

It also crosses the Eastern Continental Divide and the Mason-Dixon line.

There was also a fossil cave along the way, with stalactites lining the entrance...

During the night in Meyersdale, I heard a pretty strong squall blow through. On the trail leaving Meyersdale, there was a tree across the path. Luckily, it was easy to get by.

Cumberland is a truly special place, surrounded by green hills and full of great old buildings and churches wherever you look. Here is the train station as the bike trail enters the city...

The Inn is really charming, and seated on the rear patio, I can look out at a scenic city vista and watch trains roll by, one after the other.

On my bike early in the morning, when nobody is around, I like to sing songs. On this leg I decided to go ahead and use the iPhone to also play some songs, to sing along with. Orbital Bebop ended just as I got to the Continental Divide, and Running Blues, by the Doors, started. Through the Big Savage Tunnel, it was This Town, by the Go Gos. I was listening to Banda Zarape further on, when I encountered my first hiker. Thus ended the music.

My Bike Trip - Confluence To Meyersdale

The Hanna House has a small pond next to it, so I got to hear some bullfrogs calling, as well as a bit of thunder from a passing storm, during the night.

I left Confluence after s great breakfast at the B&B, about 7:45 AM. I got to the Morguen Tool Company in Meyersdale, PA, at about 1:05 PM. This is in an old brick building converted into a restaurant and a funky hotel. Quirky and fun.

The bike ride was great, though it did rain a little bit at one point. It was warm though, so I dried off pretty quickly. I saw a couple of deer cross the path in front of me at one point and also at another time there were some chickens on the trail. I've also seen a lot of tiger swallowtail butterflies on this trip.

I rode through my first tunnel on this trip, the “Pinkerton”.

Here is the view from the bridge leading into the tunnel, and one of the spider webs on the bridge railing...





I also rode across an amazing viaduct coming into Meyersdale, the “Salisberry”

Here is a caboose they have next to the trail, coming into Meyersdale...

And here is a pretty trail rest spot...

I went through tunnels of another type on the trail...

Meyersdale was pretty shut down for Sunday, so I just took it easy for the afternoon.