Wednesday, June 30, 2010
More post from Day one to Harpers Ferry
As you can see I don't have the protocol on this blogging business down pat yet so here is more to the ride on day one:
We stopped for lunch at White's Ferry, a working ferry at about the 40 mile post. Prior to that Barbara met us at Great Falls with a smile and some fruit and took a couple of pix I hope to be able to post later. I took several shots too but my cable isn't working so I'll get that fixed and post those later.
This trail is easy to ride, well maintained and busy with hikers and bikers. We stopped briefly for photo ops and to check the scenery or read the many signs several times, chatted along the way and made pretty good time. The average was around 13 mph for the time we were in the saddle so it wasn't a race, but a ride. The surface is crushed stone with occasional mud puddles from rain a few days ago that we dodged easily. There was one section near Brunswick where we shared the pathway with vehicles and it was pretty dusty. That area also has a 7 mile train yard, one of the largest in the country when it was built. Lots of frieght trains were being put together. Ralph raced nearly every one we saw and lost everytime. We went into Brunswick for a quick visit but went back to the trail after seeing a pretty little town but not much else. When we got to Harpers Ferry about 7 miles later we had passed throught the Blue Ridge Gap of the Appalachian Mountains and crossed the Appalachian Trail. We had to walk up a metal staircase to the crosswalk adjacent to the train tracks going into Harpers Valley, a climb of about 3 or 4 stories and then walk across the bridge over the Potomac to the WV side. There were scores of rafts, canoes, kayaks and tubes in the water riding over the minor white water rapids below the town. Harpers Ferry is a quaint town kept in the 1800's period and was filled with tourists. We rode uphill, really uphill!, to the Comfort Inn where we washed the bikes and checked in before a great dinner.
I rode Barb's new bike today to try it out. The guys at Clemmons Bicycle set it up for me and it worked great for this ride. It is a Raleigh bike with 29" wheels, shocks on the front and more like a hybride that a mountain bike, but it is perfect for a ride like this. The guys did a great job and it performed flawlessly.
Tomorrow I'll ride my Scott mountain bike as we tour the battlefields of Sharpsburg and Antietam before travelling the relatively short distance to Hagerstown, MD.
All in all a great day for riding and a wonderful start to our 7 day trip.
We stopped for lunch at White's Ferry, a working ferry at about the 40 mile post. Prior to that Barbara met us at Great Falls with a smile and some fruit and took a couple of pix I hope to be able to post later. I took several shots too but my cable isn't working so I'll get that fixed and post those later.
This trail is easy to ride, well maintained and busy with hikers and bikers. We stopped briefly for photo ops and to check the scenery or read the many signs several times, chatted along the way and made pretty good time. The average was around 13 mph for the time we were in the saddle so it wasn't a race, but a ride. The surface is crushed stone with occasional mud puddles from rain a few days ago that we dodged easily. There was one section near Brunswick where we shared the pathway with vehicles and it was pretty dusty. That area also has a 7 mile train yard, one of the largest in the country when it was built. Lots of frieght trains were being put together. Ralph raced nearly every one we saw and lost everytime. We went into Brunswick for a quick visit but went back to the trail after seeing a pretty little town but not much else. When we got to Harpers Ferry about 7 miles later we had passed throught the Blue Ridge Gap of the Appalachian Mountains and crossed the Appalachian Trail. We had to walk up a metal staircase to the crosswalk adjacent to the train tracks going into Harpers Valley, a climb of about 3 or 4 stories and then walk across the bridge over the Potomac to the WV side. There were scores of rafts, canoes, kayaks and tubes in the water riding over the minor white water rapids below the town. Harpers Ferry is a quaint town kept in the 1800's period and was filled with tourists. We rode uphill, really uphill!, to the Comfort Inn where we washed the bikes and checked in before a great dinner.
I rode Barb's new bike today to try it out. The guys at Clemmons Bicycle set it up for me and it worked great for this ride. It is a Raleigh bike with 29" wheels, shocks on the front and more like a hybride that a mountain bike, but it is perfect for a ride like this. The guys did a great job and it performed flawlessly.
Tomorrow I'll ride my Scott mountain bike as we tour the battlefields of Sharpsburg and Antietam before travelling the relatively short distance to Hagerstown, MD.
All in all a great day for riding and a wonderful start to our 7 day trip.
Day one to Harpers Ferry, WV
We rode 69 miles today from the hotel where Ralph and Tom were staying across Key Bridge via the Iwo Jima Memorial to the C&O Canal trail and up the Potomac. I'll have to say this was a ride that was much easier than I thought it might be and filled with wonderful surprises. The locks we saw along the way, the wildlife, the views of the Potomac as it rolled over the bedrock and the shade covering nearly the entire trail made the 7 hour ride today a real treat. It is uphill all the way but not so you would notice. It is such a gradual rise the it is unnoticeable.
We left at 7:30 and arrived in Harpers Ferry at 2:30. Interesting moments included seeing the mighty whitewater at Great Falls, the many locks in varying states, some just a shadow but several in working order including the one at Great Falls where barge rides pulled by mules were an option we didn't choose today. Fawns, herons, turkey vultures, turtles, fish,
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Night before we start
We arrived in DC and went to our daughter's house for dinner with our granddaughters and Ron and Andrea. Have both bikes on the truck, one I'll ride and one for Wynn when he arrives from St. Petersburg on the third day of the ride. Checked in with Ralph and Tom and found they have ridden a portion of the trail as a warmup this evening. Ralph doesn't have shocks on his bike and said it is a challenge. I think he'll do fine though. We are meeting near Key Bridge at 7AM and will be pedalling as soon as Barbara takes a picture to post...kind of the "before" to get ready for the "after". The weather forecast is great for the week, even cooling off a bit from the mid 90's we've been subject to so that will make for a wonderful 7 days. First day is the longest at about 70 miles from Georgetown to Harpers Ferry. George Washington established the national armory at Harpers Ferry in 1790 taking advantage of iron deposits and water power. The Civil War brought more fame and trouble to the town with John Brown's ill-fated raid and the disastrous battle at Antietam and Sharpsburg, We'll ride along the Potomac on the Canal pathway that Washington wished for and Jefferson encouraged and launched. Almost lost to history until Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas led a walk up the canal in 1954 that ultimately resulted in scrubbing the Corps of Engineers plans to create a series of Dams all the way to Harpers Ferry and saved this wonderful bit of American history for generations to enjoy.
We'll ride over acqueducts, locks, dams, past ferries and through more than 200 years of American history and centuries of North American history on our trip up the Canal. And we'll be helping the Winston-Salem Symphony guarantee its future when you give to the Jack and Bobbye Salt fund to benefit the Symphony Endowment. Our mileage total for the week is 340...that would be a wonderful gift amount, don't you think.
I'll post tomorrow after the ride and hopefully have some photos to add as well. See you then.
We'll ride over acqueducts, locks, dams, past ferries and through more than 200 years of American history and centuries of North American history on our trip up the Canal. And we'll be helping the Winston-Salem Symphony guarantee its future when you give to the Jack and Bobbye Salt fund to benefit the Symphony Endowment. Our mileage total for the week is 340...that would be a wonderful gift amount, don't you think.
I'll post tomorrow after the ride and hopefully have some photos to add as well. See you then.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Preparation time
We are loading all the stuff for the ride from DC to Pittsburgh that begins on Wednesday morning. Getting bikes checked and putting the gear together. We have already raised $3,000 for the Jack and Bobbye Salt fund to benefit the Winston-Salem Symphony Endowment and look forward to adding more to this total for the 7 day ride. Barbara is driving the support vehicle (much praise to her for this!) and the riders are friends from around the country including a two who rode across the US last year. We'll drive to DC Tuesday morning, check out the starting point with Ralph and Tom, stay with our daughter and her family Tuesday night and pedal up the C&O starting Wednesday morning. Wynn will join up with us on day 3 in Hagerstown. When we finish on July7 we'll have covered more than 320 miles plus some side trips to Civil War sites and other scenic and historic locations enroute.
I'll try to post at least once a day with some pictures so check back...and give to the Endowment fund in honor of a wonderful couple who have supported and volunteered for the Symphony for years.
I'll try to post at least once a day with some pictures so check back...and give to the Endowment fund in honor of a wonderful couple who have supported and volunteered for the Symphony for years.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)