Off-Road from DC to Pittsburgh Riding George Washington’s route west … and then some

by Michael McCoy

The air, cool and humid, was thick with bicycle adventure. And it only got better. this point to avoid getting lost in the city. the pungent odor of organic decay. Eight or Nancy and I and the rest of our group By following his instructions, we created nine turtles, all snatching a few rare rays of would spend the first four of seven riding a bike jam involving both group members sunlight, lined the top of a log protruding days on this towpath running alongside the and non-members as we funneled onto the above the surface of the green, algae-cov- C&O Canal. The canal, in turn, parallels the narrower dirt-surfaced . ered water filling the 150-year-old trench , stretching 185 miles from “I’m Larry,” Larry had said by way of to my right. From an unseen perch deep the District of Columbia to Cumberland, introduction at the orientation meeting within the adjacent forest of maples and . Conceived by the father of our the previous evening at our motel. Then sycamores came the distinctive call of an country and constructed between 1828 and he added, “And this is the other Larry,” American cardinal. The moderately fat tires 1850, the canal served until 1924 as a water acknowledging Larry Hodgin, one of his on the hybrid bicycle I was riding purred highway for barges hauling coal and other three co-leaders (the others were Arlen Hall along the C&O Canal towpath’s dirt surface, goods from the mountains to the Tidewater. and Chris Mullins). I couldn’t help thinking occasionally splashing through a puddle It never was hugely successful, though, as a of the gag involving the three backwoods remaining from the Hurricane Hannah- growing web of railroad lines rendered the possum-eating brothers on the 1980s tele- induced rainstorms of several days earlier. slow-going barges virtually obsolete before vision sitcom Newhart. “This is my brother I could see no one ahead of me; and, when the canal was even completed. Darryl,” character Larry would say, “and I stopped to turn around and look the other Later the towpath came close to being this is my other brother Darryl.” Only here way, there was nobody behind me. I felt converted into a parkway for cars. The it was “This is my leader Larry, and this like I had bicycled into Daniel Boone’s own scheme faltered only after U.S. Supreme is my other leader Larry.” (Unlike the two eastern forest primeval. Court Justice William O. Douglas organized Darryls, who were speechless, Larry and “Is it really 2008, and am I really just an eight-day hike along the towpath in the other Larry liked to talk.) 30 miles from the nation’s capital?” I asked 1954 in an effort to reveal to the public its The group quickly spread out as we myself. special and unique qualities. Participants headed west, and the more miles we put Our group, 60-some strong and coming included conservationists, scientists, and between ourselves and Georgetown, the from as far away as Alaska, had pedaled Washington Post editors who earlier had fewer other trail users we encountered. onto the towpath earlier that day. To get supported the government’s parkway pro- But, to our left, the lower Potomac was there, we rode en masse from Arlington, posal. Largely as a result of Douglas’s hike, alive with scullers and kayakers. We found Virginia, past the Iwo Jima Memorial and in 1971 the canal bed, towpath, and associ- the trail to be nearly flat except for where Arlington National Cemetery and across ated structures became the Chesapeake & it dipped down to pass an aqueduct or set the Potomac River via the Arlington Ohio Canal National Historical Park. of locks. In all, more than 1,200 historical Memorial Bridge. At the west end of the From the Lincoln Memorial, we wound structures remain along the canal, includ- we gathered for a group our way through bustling Georgetown ing lockhouses, feeder dams, and 74 lift photo on the steep stairway leading up to along the Capital Crescent Trail, passing locks. Each lock raised or lowered a barge the Lincoln Memorial. As I sat on those sto- dozens of city cyclists and hundreds of jog- approximately eight feet, cumulatively ried steps, I looked past the Reflecting Pool gers. After about three miles, we popped overcoming the elevation difference of 605 and the World War II Memorial at the lofty onto the C&O Canal towpath — where, just feet between Georgetown and Cumberland. Washington Monument and, beyond that, like that, the city seemed to end and the Some sections of the canal excavation held the U.S. Capitol, residing high on the hill. forest began. We’d been instructed by our murky water, where we spied not only It was an unforgettable way to begin a leader, Larry Brock, to stay together until turtles, but ducks, muskrats, and great blue Todd Williams herons. Most of the time, though, the bed Kick-started the next morning with history took place there on September 17, was a waterless trough, long ago reclaimed strong coffee at the Book Crossing book- 1862. As another group member reminded by timber, vines, and underbrush. store in Brunswick, Nancy and I proceeded me, however, “It was probably just as About 15 miles outside of Georgetown westward, riding a short stretch where peaceful as it is today on the day before the we stopped at the famous Great Falls of the towpath shares itself with the legend- battle took place.” the Potomac, where the river drops 76 feet ary . After locking our The following day’s ride involved a in less than a mile. White water frothed bikes to the footbridge near the confluence pair of leader-recommended attrac- over rocks and flushed through narrow of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers, tions: Weaver’s Restaurant and Bakery gaps between big boulders. Not far west of we hoofed it over the Potomac to historic in Hancock, whose homemade pies are a there, the wild-ometer clicked up a notch Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It was here in staple of C&O regulars, and — at the end or two, and the towpath surface devolved 1803 that Meriwether Lewis outfitted him- of the day — Bill’s Tavern (and bait shop) into a two-track with a grass strip lining its self with weapons for the Lewis and Clark in Little Orleans, where the beer was cold middle. It occurred to me that it probably expedition, and where abolitionist John and the front porch perfect for kicking feels wilder along the towpath today than Brown briefly took over the U.S. Armory back on. Now that was living! But the next it did a century and a half ago when mule and Arsenal in October 1859, planning morning at the Little Orleans Campground, teams toiled along it, pulling barges at a to arm an uprising of slaves — earning I felt as though I’d wandered onto the set pace of three or four miles per hour up and Harpers Ferry the slogan of “Where the of Night of the Living Dead. In the thick down the canal’s timber-cleared waterway. Civil War Began.” fog of dark, unidentifiable creatures wear- “Sweet, huh?” asked a grinning fellow Later we climbed steeply away from the ing headlamps ambled slowly, groggily — group member as he zipped by, yanking me towpath on rural roads through farmland almost aimlessly, it seemed — toward the

out of my reverie. supporting corn and other field crops, M c C oy x2 distant restrooms. After the sun rose, but “Yes!” I responded with even more aiming for the town of Sharpsburg and with the sky still unusually dark, we could Regional landmarks. Bill’s Tavern (and bait shop) is a must stop on the C&O.

enthusiasm than intended. nearby Antietam National Battlefield. It M ichael see that tents were drenched with a heavy We ended up at Brunswick, Maryland, was a pleasant reprieve to rise above river dew wet enough to be called rain had we ranger Rita Knox. headlamp-aided push through the brick- after 59 miles of riding, making it the I was awakened throughout the night by level and pedal through uplands where the been in Montana rather than Maryland. She explained that it took a staggering 14 walled tunnel, which we entered in a cold longest day of the trip. After a filling din- the rumble of approaching trains, each landscape opened and a refreshing breeze And they’d have to be loaded into “Bubba” years — from 1836 to 1850 — to burrow fog and, like magic, exited awash in warm ner dished up by caterer Anne Steinbach warning of an impending cacophony of stirred. Yet I found the serene atmosphere at the baggage truck that way too. through the hill and complete the tunnel sunshine. of Culinary Insider, sleep came easy — clanking, squeaking, crashing, and whis- Antietam unsettling, after re-learning that At the mouth of the 3,100-foot Paw “with the most common tool the Irishman,” As we resumed riding, I worked the though it didn’t necessarily stay that way. tle-blowing. the bloodiest one-day battle in American Paw Tunnel, the C&O’s most impressive Rita said, “which worked sometimes, and crowd, starting up conversations with vari- man-made structure, we met up with didn’t at other times.” It was a cool, damp, ous group members. More than one told me

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28 adventure cyclist march 2009 adventurecycling.org adventure cyclist march 2009 adventurecycling.org 29 Cumberland a delightful place as well, with Rockwood, where they’d arranged for us to historic storefronts lining a pedestrian mall sleep in a city utility building. Still, several on Baltimore Street, formerly the main car The Scoop: Adventure Cycling’s C&O of us chose to set up our tents and chance thoroughfare through the business district. sleeping outdoors. (It worked out fine; the The final three days of the trip we The Trip: Adventure adventure cycling.org/tours and bring a bike that ide- storm blew over.) Before hitting the hay, we spent on the Cycling Association is for additional information. ally has front suspension. listened to a C&O/GAP history presentation (GAP), going from Cumberland to Boston, offering two trips on the Combined with the Great by Professor Michael Comiskey of Penn Pennsylvania, not far outside Pittsburgh. route in 2009: the C&O The Route: The Allegheny Passage, this State University at Fayette. One tidbit he A rail trail following the abandoned grades Canal/GAP-supported Chesapeake & Ohio is a terrific trip for first- dispensed is that the infamous Watergate of the Western Maryland Railway and the tour (as described in this Canal National Historical timers and saddle-proven Hotel in Washington, DC was built on a Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad, the article), September 19 Park protects a national veterans alike. (But be sure plot of land on the out-of-commission C&O GAP’s crushed limestone surface dished through 26; and the new treasure that any cycling to pack along earplugs, Canal — and, in fact, the name Watergate up a ride much smoother than we’d experi- Steeltown to Georgetown history buff will love. The or, better yet, some high- refers to the canal locks formerly located enced on the relatively bumpy C&O. self-contained trip, May 9 surface is rather rough quality sound-reduction at the site. On the long, gradual climb out of through 16. Consult the so you’ll want to build up headphones. Loud trains Early the next morning, we rode Cumberland into the Allegheny Mountains Adventure Cycling Travel some calluses on your are common at night.) through Ohiopyle State Park with its beau-

we gained roughly 1,750 feet of elevation M c C oy 2009 catalog or visit www. behind before striking out, tiful bridges, waterfalls, and abundant over 22 miles. The views seemed especially timbered footpaths. A lot of group mem-

stupendous, coming as they did after four M ichael bers opted to jump on a bus and ride to Seeing red. A beautiful historic home provides a welcomed break from the abundant green. days of timber submersion. By now I’d and the long-distance views splendid, with sheds, and passed through another lengthy Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous become acquainted with a lot of our fel- the colors of fall beginning to burn the hole in the earth, the 3,300-foot-long Big Laurel Highlands architectural masterpiece they’d had enough of the soggy bottoms of whatever came next too. low participants, and I was struck by their heavily timbered mountain slopes. The Savage Tunnel. We also pedaled across the lying just six miles away from the town of the C&O, that they wanted to get up above We reached the small city of Cumberland, range of cycling experience — or lack uphill cruising was almost effortless. “This well-signed Mason-Dixon Line, spinning Ohiopyle. Nancy and I arrived too late for the river and trees and into the wide open and the end of the C&O, late in the day. thereof. I chatted with one fellow who is about as good as it gets,” I said to Nancy, from Maryland into Pennsylvania. Husky the 11 a.m. departure, so we consoled our- spaces. As for me, I couldn’t get enough of Nancy and I opted to forgo camping this had never slept in a tent until this trip, who nodded in agreement. On reflection, it Haven Campground was our intended des- selves by wolfing down Philly cheesesteak the towpath. I loved the way riding along it one evening, overnighting instead at the for instance, and another who had ridden was my favorite day of the trip. tination, but because of a predicted wind sandwiches and drinking strong coffee at lulled me into a Zen-like spell of “spin-the- Bruce House Inn, a four-room bed and cross-country several times among other We crossed the Allegheny Divide/Eastern and rain event coming our way from the the cozy Firefly Grill. pedals/be-the-trees/see-no-cars.” breakfast occupying a gorgeous red-brick cycling feats. Continental Divide, which separates the coast, the leaders decided to move us out Continuing on, we sensed that autumn But what the heck? I was ready for home built in 1840. We found downtown The temperature was refreshingly cool Chesapeake Bay and Gulf of Mexico water- of the timber and across the tracks into was getting even closer as we breathed in

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PygmyPygmy pack: pack: $44.99 $44.99 + s&H + s&H I-800-281-0197I-800-281-0197 www.pygmypack.com www.pygmypack.com PygmyPygmy pack pack 2: $69.95 2: $69.95 +s&h +s&h the hearty essence of duff decaying on the Bicycle Tour Operators / Advertisers forest floors and the delicious scent of hard- wood smoke wafting from the occasional Bicycling Tours Listed below are the bicycle tour companies that advertise in Adventure Cyclist. Besides supporting this magazine and Adventure Cycling farmhouse chimney. We pedaled alongside Association with advertising dollars, they’re willing to invest money to be seen by Adventure Cyclist readers. We can’t necessarily vouch for the Youghiogheny (YOCK-uh-gay-nee), a for Seniors 50+ them, but feel their support makes them worthy of highlighting here. A comprehensive listing of tour operators, advertisers or not, is available river that not long ago was severely pollut- at www.adventurecycling.org/cyp and will be printed in the upcoming 30th edition of The Cyclists’ Yellow Pages. ed from acidic coal-mining runoff, but in recent years has undergone a massive and Adventure Cycling Association Carolina Tailwinds Freewheeling Adventures Saddle Skedaddle successful cleanup. Otters, painted turtles, www.adventurecycling.org/ www.carolinatailwinds.com www.freewheeling.ca www.skedaddle.co.uk tours (888) 251-3206 (800) 672-0775 +44 (0)191 2651110 smallmouth bass, and other wildlife species (800) 755-2453 have returned. Cascade Huts Hermosa Tours Siciclando Adventure South www.cascadehuts.com www.hermosatours.net www.siciclando.com At the outskirts of the coal-mining town www.advsouth.co.nz (971) 322-3638 (877) ROLL MTB +39-091-7541626 of Connellsville, I stopped to read a eulogy (866) 479-9827 from the local newspaper that someone had Classic Adventures Historical Cycling Senior Cycling Tours America By Bicycle www.classicadventures.com www.historicaltrailscycling.com www.seniorcycling.com tacked to an information kiosk. It reported www.abbike.com (800) 777-8090 (402) 499-0874 (540) 668-6307 that 66-year-old Terry “Murph” Murphy, (888) 797-7057 a retired Connellsville fireman, had died CrossRoads Iguana Mama Sockeye Cycle Co. INC Bicycle Adventures www.crossroadscycling.com www.iguanamama.com www.cyclealaska.com suddenly in May 2002 while biking on the p o k e s n s www.bicycleadventures.com (800) 971-2453 (809) 571-0908 (877) 292-4154 Yough River Trail (as this portion of the GAP s o o l d f o l k (800) 443-6060 is also known). “His friends remembered Cycle America Independent Tourist TGFT / Bike The West Bike 2 Bike www.cycleamerica.com www.independenttourist.com www.bikethewest.com him as a daily biker who loved the trail,” the www.seniorcycling.com www.bike2bike.org (800) 245-3263 (866) 269-9913 (800) 565-2704 piece read, adding that he had logged over (877) 264-7876 Erie Canal - C&O Canal - Allegheny Passage Cycle Canada Iron Donkey Timberline Adventures 40,000 miles since the trail opened in 1986. Bike Switzerland www.cyclecanada.com www.irondonkey.com www.timbertours.com Sounds like my kind of guy. Lake Champlain - Florida Keys www.bikeswitzerland.com (800) 214-7798 +44 2890 813200 (800) 417-2453 We spent the final night out near 011-41-22-342-3857 Florida Trails - Le P’tit Train du Nord, Quebec Connellsville at the River’s Edge Cycle Japan Tours Latitude 45 Nord/Ekilib Top Bicycle [email protected] Bike Tours Direct www.cyclejapantours.com www.ekilib.com www.topbicycle.com Campground. At our post-dinner awards www.biketoursdirect.com +81-6-6369-0502 (888) 713-3311 +420 (519) 513 745 ceremony, I was stirred listening to people 540-668-6307 (877) 462-2423 www.latitude45n.com/en Cycling Escapes Véloroute des Bleuets talk about what this trip had meant to Bird Service www.cyclingescapes.com Mountain Beach www.veloroute-bleuets.qc.ca them. For Nancy and me, it was a ter- www.cycling.pl (714) 267-4591 www.mountain-beach.co.uk (418) 668-4541 rific but fairly tame adventure; for others +48 12 2921460 +44 (0)1159 215065 Dakota Bike Tours Wild at Heart Cycling (including a former skeptic persuaded by Blue Marble Travel www.dakotabiketours.com Pedal & Sea Adventures www. www.wildheartcycling.com her husband to participate), it had opened www.bluemarble.org (605) 359-5672 pedalandseaadventures.com (541) 815-0748 (215) 923-3788 (877) 777-5699 their eyes to the beauty and potential of bicycle travel. Afterward I joined a jovial Experience Plus! WomanTours You may be alone, but never lost. www.experienceplus.com Pedaltours www.womantours.com gang hugging the group campfire, where (800) 685-4565 www.pedaltours.co.nz (800) 247-1444 (888) 222-9187 far into the night we nursed Pittsburgh- brewed I.C. Light beers. In Boston, most of the group hopped aboard a big charter bus for the ride back to Arlington. But Nancy and I motored back in the group van with Chris Mullins at the wheel. (Later we agreed that Chris was certainly a Mario Andretti wannabe.) Entering the city, we drove along a park- way with the C&O immediately to our right. It was Saturday afternoon, and there Ride the globe using the most were hordes of joggers and cyclists. As the modern tire technology. The new expedition lofty Washington Monument — dedicated tire that combines contrasts: Excellent puncture to the man who envisioned the C&O Canal protection but with low weight, deep grippy tread — came back into sight, I knew we had but easy rolling. All this with outstanding durability. www.schwalbetires.com come full circle. And what a great circle it was. Technical Features: Folding, Triple Nano Compound, Double Defense (HD-Ceramic Guard + SnakeSkin)

Michael “Mac” McCoy has been with Adventure Cycling Association since 1976 and has served the organization well and admirably over that time. His Schwalbe North America | Ferndale | USA “Waypoints” column for this magazine and his Bike Bits e-newsletter provide us with constant joy. AA R O N T EASDALE

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