8/5/05 Frostburg, MD to C&O Canal Milepost 116, 92 Miles

The ride from Frostburg to Cumberland was truly fun, and as advertised in the flyer at Meyersdale, downhill all the way.

I had breakfast in Cumberland before heading onto the trail. The trail is the towpath of the old canal and each section of it, unlike a railroad with grades, is *totally* flat. There are occasionally locks that provide a short, but exciting thrill down steep little grades, but its mostly just flat. It's also, very interesting, from a historical perspective. Riding the Allegheny Trail and the C&O, I'm just amazed an 19th century engineering — or moreso, 19th century economics, that had so much hand labor paid so little.

There is a 3000+ foot tunnel that warns about using a light. I went without it, as I didn't want to dig through the BOB. This was an interesting endeavor. Holding onto a handrail with my left hand, a handrail that was the only thing between me and a 15 foot plunge into the canal, and manuevering the bike and trailer with my right. The only light was thousands of feet away, and served only to make it hard to see anything close by. I could only hope that the handrail was continuous and intact, because I sure couldn't see it. Hard to imagine maybe, but it was fun.

The rest of the canal trip was again exhausting, but really beautiful. There were so many deer I lost count. Right on the towpath; in the canal; or in the Potomac.

I also met a group of mountain bikers from the DC area who were on a work outing that they did every 5 years. They gave me a few tips about finding food — a wonderful real turkey sandwich at the Sweet Magnolia restaurant in Paw Paw, WV among them — and I continued to run into them throughout the day, eventually camping at the same trailside camp.

I also got a tip from a guy at Bill's Tavern in Orleans that there was a "real" rail trail that ran to Hancock and that it was blacktop — not the packed limestone of the C&O. That was a great tip. I was so tired and the smooth surface really helped. Had dinner in Hancock, and made it to the camp just before dark. I missed my original goal of Ft. Frederick State Park, but that was only 5 or so miles. The trailside camps have pump wells, and the water is of varying quality, although supposedly potable. I didn't count on that, and took a quick "shower," chatted with the DC folks a bit and went to sleep to the sounds of tree frogs, trains, and I-70.