June 14, 2025
Day 1
Saturday
I set the alarm for 5 am, got dressed and rode the bicycle to 9th Street and 7th Avenue in Brooklyn to utilize the elevators with my packed bike. It was drizzling. I checked the MTA schedule the day before to make sure I would get to Moynihan/Penn Station for my 7 am train to DC. The elevators at 34th Street/Herald Square to got me to street level.
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I pedalled down 34th street in a rain-free Manhattan. I should have entered Moynihan on 33rd Street and 8th Avenue instead of the middle of the block. The main area was a level down. Betsy and I rode the escalator.
Previously, I’d booked a seat and prepaid the $20 bicycle supplement. The train, the Carolinian, had a baggage car. I checked in at customer service. My bicycle was tagged and I was directed to Track 14.
There, I was told the bags would have to come off and that the luggage car would be in the rear of the train. I was also informed of an elevator to the track. I found Amtrak personnel pretty helpful. Amtrak’s phone app is definitely better than their web site.
After I rolled my bike to the porter it got loaded on the rear of the train. Washington DC passengers got loaded on the front of the train.
I gazed out a dirty window for a few hours and arrived in a humid, fenced-off DC. Apparently we have our parades behind fences now. Eventually, I worked my way down I street to Mile Marker Zero, the start/finish of the C&O Canal Trail and a geo-cache site.
I attempted to follow the C&O Trail. But it was under reconstruction with multiple detours. So, I rode busy M street to 34th Street and found a way to access the trail.
In retrospect, the adjacent, paved Capitol Crescent Trail would have been a better move. The Philly Boys were behind me, driving to town. I texted my reconnaissance.
I had asked my sister who lives in nearby Leesburg to meet me at Point of Rocks with some food and refreshments. It was a little over 50 miles to Point of Rocks.
The high humidity, sometimes, soft, sometimes muddy trail was slowing me down. The extra weight of food and camping gear wasn’t helping my speed and progress. (I wasn’t carrying camping gear on my cycling trip through Europe a month earlier so my load was a lot lighter.) It drizzled occasionally and the trail was busy in spots , especially near Great Falls and Riverbend Park. For a linear park in the middle of an urban/suburban sprawl, the trail is very scenic.
After passing numerous locks and lock houses, stopping for a quickly-made lunch, numerous snacks and water replenishment at one of two water fountains, I arrived at the rendezvous spot, my sister Susan and her hubby Richard patiently awaiting my arrival. They had a cooler and a bunch of food options for me and the Philly Boys. I figured the Philly Boys would have caught me during the day, but they ran into problems with a recalcitrant GPS and detour hell.
An hour after I got there, they showed up. We ate and drank some beer and chatted. We were all pretty beat up from the travel and ride. I bid my family farewell and we made our way two miles to the Bald Eagle Hiker-Biker Campsite. The free hiker-biker sites have a porta potty and a water pump. The water is non-portable and has to be treated in some way.
When we got there, it was getting dark and started raining. I was the last to arrive and saw a six point buck on the trail. I scoped out a site I hoped wouldn’t flood. After setting up my tent, sleep system and getting into comfy clothes, I went out to talk with Jay and Eddie in the rain. Smart Bob stayed in his tent. I didn’t last long outside and quickly hit the hay. About 3:30 I was woken up by what sounded like a derailed train crashing through the campground. It was only a freight train rolling nearby on the poorly-maintained tracks. It was still raining.
Today's ride: 57 miles (92 km)
Total: 57 miles (92 km)
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