June 11, 2025
60: what fish want, a key crossing, a capital mistake, turtles, lockhouses, no formal training, tarzan's place, red fox, falls, the wrench and a weird vibe, poison ivy, 120 bucks to poop outside, complete servicing, the mouse and his ancestors
Alexandria to Poolesville
Because of expected high temperatures today I decided to wake up at 5:30 in order to finish before the heat became oppressive. Consequently, I was up before Trixie, and missed her mistaking my face for a trampoline.
The ride to Pittsburgh covers the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath (commonly known as the C&O), which is 184 miles long, as well as the Great Allegheny Passage (the GAP), which is 150 miles long. They connect in Cumberland, MD, and allow passage over the Allegheny mountains with an average grade of less than 1%. The internet claims the maximum grade is 1.75%, but I'm highly skeptical.... I'll let you know.
Regardless, it's apparently a wonderful trail, traveled by thousands of cyclists every year, and a fantastic way to get over the Allegheny mountain range.

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To gain some perspective, the overall amount of climbing to get from Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh is 6,888 feet*. The 2025 Tour de France will have an average of approximately 8,200 feet of climbing per day (this includes both flat and mountain stages), and there's one day of the tour which requires 18,000 feet of climbing. In one day. I'll be doing one third of that, 6,888 feet, over twelve days.
*6,888 feet of climbing doesn't mean I end up at that elevation. It's the total amount of feet climbed: If I go up 10 feet, down 20 feet, up 10 feet, then down 20 feet, I'll be lower than I started but will still have climbed 20 feet.

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https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39776-Trachemys
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https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39776-Trachemys
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https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/39682-Chelydra-serpentina
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I won't be writing much about the locks and the lockhouses because there are plenty of other journals and online resources which have helpful information about them, but I will include some information, as well as few pictures of the lockhouses.
One of the items that I found most interesting is that the engineers for the C&O Canal, headed by Benjamin Wright, had no formal training. Maybe that was more normal in the 1800s, and maybe the informal training was just as good, but it still blows my mind, especially when you consider that they designed 74 lift locks, 7 dams, 11 aqueducts, 1 tunnel, and over 200 culverts. And that doesn't include his work on the Erie Canal Towpath. The fact that most of it remains standing is a testament to their skills.

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Here's what much of my day was like:

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Near DC there there were a lot of cyclists, all going fast and all going in the opposite direction on gravel bikes that weigh about the same as my handlebar bag and its contents. Ummm... or maybe your handlebar bag and its contents, unless you're carrying a bowling ball in it.
After getting away from the city I saw very few other bicycling tourists, but did notice a guy packing up his gear as I rolled by one of the campsites. About thirty minutes later he passed me, and I felt a weird "leave me alone" vibe emanating from him. Unlike most people, he didn't say hello or good morning as he glided by, instead staring straight ahead with an intense, stony expression as if he was afraid I’d say something to him. I did, in fact, say hello, but he didn’t respond.
My curiosity was piqued about his set up.... he had what looked like a wrench sticking out of his pants pocket. Why would he carry it in his front pocket, as opposed to somewhere on the bike? I tried to get a good picture but was too slow on the draw with my camera and figured that at his speed I'd never see him again.

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As I was researching places to stay along the C&O I found that you can rent some of the lockhouses. Thinking that it could be interesting I dug a bit further. However, as it turns out, what you get for your money is a bed with four walls and a ceiling. No electricity (although they provide an electric lamp), no potable water, and no restroom. What kind of idiot is gonna pay 120 bucks only to have to go outside to take a poop??
Well, me, apparently.
The hook was the historical value of the place. Staying in an actual lockhouse is definitely kind of cool…. you know, for reporting purposes, so I can save you the cost of doing it yourselves. Plus, I can briefly pretend I’m philanthropic since 100% of the money goes into restoration of the lockhouses.
So, here I am.

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The website makes this statement:
Please note: These historic homes will differ from a typical hotel experience. Canal Quarters are intended as unique interpretive opportunities where guests can experience Canal history firsthand.
A "unique interpretive opportunity" is how they spin it, so a person can see what life was like back then.... which is exactly what I did. I had no electricity so, like them, I used my power bank to charge my cellphone, watch, and laptop. When it got dark I had to dig out a headlamp like they did, and cooked my dehydrated meal on a campstove like those 19th century lockdwellers. They, like me, had a filter to remove impurities in the water.
I jest, and staying there that evening and night did indeed give me a small sense of what it was like living in a lockhouse. I found it interesting, and plan to do it again should I ever repeat this route.
Just in case you're interested in renting one, numbers, 6, 10, and 21 are considered "full-amenity" lockhouses, with electricity, indoor plumbing, heating, and air conditioning. Lockhouse 49 is a "half-amenity" lockhouse, and comes with electricity and heating, but no air conditioning or indoor plumbing. The "rustic" lockhouses are 22, 25, and 28, and they have no electricity or running water. Here's a link to their website.
When I arrived at the lockhouse there were three cyclists taking a break at the picnic table behind the house. We chatted a few minutes and I showed them the inside before they headed off towards DC.
The guy with the wrench in his pocket was also there when I arrived, sitting on the other side of the canal under a tree about 50-60 yards away. He was probably playing with his phone, but it appeared he was using it as a prop and staring at the house. I was still getting that weird vibe, so I didn't open the shutters on that side until he left over an hour later. As he was leaving, he came over and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Granted, there wasn't a bike outside and all the windows were shuttered, so the place appeared vacant. I would have done the same thing, especially since he probably saw several people go inside and several people come back outside.

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Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 1,578 miles (2,540 km)
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