Well, yesterday's ride made us sleep very well. Plus, the inn we were staying at did not offer breakfast till 9:00 AM, so no reason to rise much before 8 o'clock, which is what we did. It was an excellent breakfast too, so I felt well-fueled for the 64-plus-mile ride I would be doing today. Mark was going to head east for Arlington, and Tom, west for Hancock.
So after breakfast we said our goodbyes to the proprietor and made our way out of town, stopping briefly to get pictures in front of the arsenal that John Brown holed up in and also to check out the bike shop to see if Mark could get a replacement spare tube for his ride home. No luck there, so we made our way back across the railroad bridge and down the winding staircase to the C&O Canal towpath, where we made our goodbyes to each other with promises to ride later in the summer once I return.
Back into Harpers Ferry proper, the downhill way. Our inn was actually located in Bolivar, WV, but you would never know.
If yesterday's towpath riding was bad, today's was worse, at least for the first 20 miles or so, particularly close to the crossing for Harpers Ferry since apparently many people park on the Maryland side and walk across the railroad bridge into town. So the Park Service has maintained and repaired these parts of the towpath with gravel and stone, making for an unpleasant ride.
The road ahead. Ugh, gravel. When will those maintenance forces learn?
But beyond that section, the towpath is just rough in general with many mud holes and areas that have washed out. These sections appear to have been previously repaired with large stones and then probably covered over with finer material that has since washed away.
So that made for the first 20 miles or so not a pleasant experience unless you enjoy technical riding. Maybe in drier weather it would have been better.
One of the more "rare" types of lock, one to control flow into the canal in order to maintain water levels.
Another example of the eroded towpath. You can just see the end of the buried pipe that usually carries the water across the towpath, but at some point, serious water overtopped the canal and eroded the fill with it.
Another lockhouse and lock in a very bucolic setting. Typically, these areas are well maintained, and there is usually parking and access to the towpath.
One of the dangers to always be vigilant about is the possibility of running off the towpath and down a steep slope and into the canal or the Potomac River. This is not typical but happens often enough, and if you're focused on avoiding rocks and mud holes, avoid the steep slopes as well.
Here's a good example of a washout that was repaired using larger stones and then probably covered over with finer material that has since washed out again. I would hit these spots unexpectedly as I was tooling along at 12 mph or more. Shadows and sunglasses can make it hard to discern the towpath conditions ahead sometimes.
At about MP 24, I came onto Dam No. 4, a very impressive structure built to feed water into the canal. From there, the towpath improved significantly. I was still about 40 miles from Hancock, and between the late start and the slow going, I wanted to pick up my speed a bit.
Dam No. 4, apparently the original structure. The dam created what is called the Big Slackwater, the large pool of water behind it.
In addition to the dam, there is also the gatehouse, which contained winches for lowering and raising gates to protect the canal downstream from floodwaters.
I have never visited the canal this far north and was pleased to see that many of the structures are still in good condition. Beyond Dam No. 4, and I'll have to do some research on this, there is no canal, but there is a towpath. The reason there is no canal is because the dam has created a large pool of water that I presume the canal boats could use in lieu of a canal. So the towpath follows the shoreline of the Potomac River, and, in some places, you are riding between a sheer rock face on one side and the river on the other.
The towpath along the Big Slackwater. Note that there is no railing! Steer carefully.
I had to deal with one closure and a short detour through Williamsport. Apparently they are replacing a bridge or aqueduct and reforming the canal. It felt good, though, to ride on hard pavement!
The rest of the trip was uneventful but bucolic. Oh, it did rain about 20 miles out, and that lasted for 5 or 7 miles, making a mess of the bike. As if the mud holes and puddles were not enough! Fortunately, it cleared before reaching Hancock, and the hotel I stayed at had a hose, so the bike got a well-deserved washing.
Dam Number 5. The Confederates tried multiple times to destroy it, as doing so would flood the canal, an important supply route for the Union.
Some of the other works adjacent to the dam. Here, you cross over to the Maryland side of the canal for a short distance before returning to the Potomac River side.
