Well, I didn't keep dry today, but at least I only got wet for the last 8 miles. In order to try and beat the rain I was rolling before 8AM. I didn't mind the early hour as much as I did the temperature - it was in the low 50's. For the first couple of miles I kept thinking about turning around and getting my long finger gloves, because my hands were so cold. Eventually it warmed up enough that I could think about something other than how cold I was, and the ride became more pleasant.
You may be wondering why the locks are numbered 62 - 63 1/3 - 64 2/3 - 66.
According to Wikipedia: The fractional numbering arose because locks 70–75 were completed in 1842, before locks 62 and 66. It was found that the level of the canal between locks 62 and 66 could be raised in three steps instead of four. So the additional locks through there were numbered 1+1⁄3 steps apart (62, 63+1⁄3, 64+2⁄3, and 66) so that the other locks, already completed, did not have to be renumbered.
Now you know :-)
The Paw Paw Tunnel is between locks 66 & 67. However it is closed due to a rockslide and you have to detour over the mountain, and I mean OVER! Going up the mountain towards Cumberland they have cut an access road for the construction equipment, so at least the detour was wide. Pushing a LWB recumbent up a steep hill is not a lot of fun. One problem is that on loose dirt the front wheel keeps wanting to kick out, so I couldn't get in a good rhythm as I had to keep jerking the bike back in line. At the steepest grades, I was stopping every 100' or so to catch my breath.
The detour is MUCH steeper than it appears in the photo.
Going down the mountain was a very different story. The path down was a single track with lots of tree roots and large rocks to get your attention. At one point, as I dropped over a rock ledge, the bottom of my front fender caught the rock and pulled the stays completely out of their clamps. It was a lot of fun trying to hold the bike on a steep incline with one hand while trying to reattach the stays with the other. After that experience, I rode the rest of the way down at a much slower pace.
The following video shows the ride down, up to the point I has to stop to reattach the fender.
I was just past Lock 75 with 8 miles to go, when my hopes of staying dry were dashed. Although I did not get drenched, I did get very wet, and the bike got very muddy. It took me about an hour to get the bike cleaned and lubed, but it was still a GOOD DAY!
Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km) Total: 1,632 miles (2,626 km)
