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...