Mile 126 - The Round Top Cement Mill (ruins) |
Day 4: It rained off and on for most of the night, so I was in no hurry to get moving the next morning. Since I only planned to ride 30 miles today, I decided to hang out in the room and read my book for a few hours and give the towpath a chance to dry out. Around 10am, I made use of the motel's continental breakfast. While eating, I noticed that someone had left a bound report booklet on one of the tables. I opened the booklet only to discover that it was a complete printing of this website! (I'm finally published <grin>). Soon after, a couple from Britain rolled their bikes up to the front desk. I correctly guessed that the booklet was theirs, which I gladly returned without mentioning my true identity.
Mile 130 - One big muddy mess |
After enjoying a relaxing morning, I finally pushed off around 11 am. It was still pretty cloudy outside, but the cold front had the desired affect. It was about 20 degrees cooler this day. The Western Maryland Rail Trail continues to run parallel to the towpath for the next 10 miles or so, but I decided to stick with the towpath. Unfortunately, the towpath was still pretty soggy, and there were a few miles where the path was just a muddy mess. With the extra weight of my panniers, I found it to be safer to just slowly ride straight through the occasional mud holes than to try an swerve around the edges (this also causes less damage to the path).
Mile 140 - Hanging out at Little Orleans, MD |
When I reached lock 55, I noticed that work was underway to extend the Western Maryland Rail Trail, so a spent some time investigating (this has since been completed). From this point on, the towpath conditions greatly improved so I was back to my normal rhythm. Eventually, I rolled into the "town" of Little Orleans (there are maybe four shacks) and made the obligatory stop at Bill's Place. The bar was fairly crowded with folks from the local campground. As tradition holds I pinned a one dollar bill to the ceiling (in case I might need it on the return trip). I then had a snack break on the porch swing.
A lock in the woods |
By the time I left Little Orleans, it had really turned into a beautiful afternoon. The next few miles are probably the most remote on the trail, with the high mountains on the right and the winding river below on the left. Every once in a while, I would pass under a abandoned trestle of the Western Maryland Railroad as it snaked back and forth across the river between Maryland and West Virginia. There are plans to extend the Western Maryland Rail Trail over these trestles (that would be awesome), but as is usually the case this plan is being block by local landowners.
Mile 155 - Lock 63 1/3. |
Before I knew it, I was nearing the Paw-Paw tunnel. My plan was to set up camp in this area, so I started to scope out locations. I decided that the Sorrel Ridge campsite (Mile 154) is probably the nicest campsite on the entire towpath, but unfortunately someone had already taken the location. There is plenty of room at this site (it's huge) and I'm sure they would have let me stay if I asked, but I decided to push through the tunnel and check out locations on the other side.
But first, it was time to get a picture of the elusive Lock 62. This lock does not actually exist, but it makes a good practical joke (Meet me at Lock 62). The original plans called for three locks at this locations, but the builders decided they could make due with just two locks. This explains the unique numbering scheme you will find at this location.
Mile 156 - Looking back through the Paw-Paw Tunnel |
This is probably my third trip through the tunnel, so I did not linger very long to take photos (how many picture of a hole can you own?). I strapped on my LED headlamp (which also works great for reading in the tent) and pushed my bike through. The more adventurous might try to ride through, but there were many pedestrians inside at the time and so I felt that walking through would be the safer bet.
Mile 157 - Purslane Run Hiker/Biker Campsite |
About a mile past the tunnel, I setup camp at Purslane Run (which is also very nice). About an hour later, a Judy and her 10-year old daughter Libby arrived and started pitching camp. It turned out that these were the same folks with the broken trailer I heard about at the bike shop the previous night. Judy had about two weeks of provisions (mostly MREs, which is actually a pretty good idea), and the old trailer was just not up for the task. They were planning on riding down to Harpers Ferry (about 20 miles per day), but they had so much fun they decided to extend the trip a few more days and go all the way to DC.