June 16, 2025
Day 3
A damp misty morning, both of my previously used gas canisters ran out of fuel as I prepared breakfast. I tried to get a head start on the boys. We had a big day ahead since we had to make up yesterday's mileage deficit and get to Cumberland where we had reservations in the Ramada Inn. As I pushed into the chippy-chippy, I wasn’t feeling it.
We knew the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail ran parallel to the C&O and we hoped to make up some time and mileage on this path. I pedaled along at a leisurely pace and eventually saw a sign for Fort Frederick. I went to check it out.
Out in a field was a large stone fort rebuilt by the CCC (the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal program during the Great Depression). Inside was a man in costume who educated me about the history of the frontier fort built to protect the people of future Maryland during the French and Indian War.
While we were speaking my bike fell over by the entrance, a group came into the fort and were standing around looking at my bike on the ground. I walked over and picked it up and overheard two employees saying there were no bike racks on the grounds. This surprised me because the Western Maryland Trail ends in the park and the C&O rolls by 100 yards away, but no bike racks.
I asked the employees where I could access the paved Western Maryland Trail. One employee said the parking lot and the other said to ride the C&O north, pass under the train bridge and hang a right, then go up the road a couple hundred feet. That’s what I did.
The paved route was faster but noisier being next to a highway. I passed a bunch of feral cats and some signage for grocery-type stores. A woman said there was a cat house in the woods. I let that pass and kept pedaling.
When I got to Hancock, the boys were eating lunch on the ground floor of Buddylou’s Eat’s Drinks and Antiques. Apparently, the ground floor is served by the adjacent food truck and upstairs is a restaurant. I ordered a prime rib sandwich and got some over-grilled, sliced roast beef on a hoagie (as they say in Philly). It was greasy and tasty; I was pretty hungry. After waiting a while for my change–did the gap-toothed waitress really think I left her a $19 tip when I had to ask for a napkin, ketchup and a fork?--I got back on the road.
We rolled down the path to check out the bike shop. The boys got some things while I forgot to inquire about a fuel canister. C&O Bicycle offered screened-in bunks behind the shop with an exterior sink and Port-o-Sans. (Think Stalag 17.)
I rolled on the paved path for another 20 miles, eventually reconnecting with the occasionally-waterlogged C&O.
My fenders on Betsy were a big help, although the Schwalbe Marathons got a little squiggly in the deeper mud. I continued to stop every 10 miles to snack, rest and re-hydrate. By now, the boys were way ahead of me but the mosquitoes were still around, so the stops were short.
As I approached the Paw Paw Tunnel, I paused to snack. A couple with a child walked by. The man inquired about where I had come from. I said DC. He said something about a path back through the woods. I said there weren’t any paths. His wife yells at him, “He said there weren’t any roads between here and DC.” I gently corrected her. The guy was lost but he wasn’t going to admit it. He kept walking. The mosquitoes were vicious. I assume he was looking for the path up and around the tunnel that I’d taken previously when the tunnel was closed. But the guy had passed that. Hopefully, he and his wife are speaking by now.
I connected a light and attempted to ride through the tunnel, ignoring the “walk bike” signs. I quickly dismounted and walked the bike because the path was undulating concrete. I didn’t feel like getting pitched into the wall or the fence. I rode on for a few miles after the tunnel.
I came to the decision that I wasn’t going to ride until 9 pm to make it to Cumberland. At this point it was more than a 60-mile day and I was beat. So, I stopped at Potomac Forks Hiker-Biker Campsite. Amazingly, there were a lot less bugs. I set up camp and ate the salad mix my sister had given us, knowing some of the boys were veggies. It was pretty good. Thanks, sis. Thanks, Wegmans. I was out of stove fuel, so it tasted especially delicious.
Croaking frogs, mooing cows and distant train whistles were the evening's sounds.
Today's ride: 65 miles (105 km)
Total: 122 miles (196 km)
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