I rode 50 miles, almost all on the C&O, to Brunswick, Maryland. It’s the second to last day, and I’m very much back in familiar territory. The morning was rainy, so several people opted to shorten the ride by going on roads part of the way. Six riders, including me, stayed with the canal route the whole way. As we ride at very different speeds, Sharon and I didn’t see any of the group until we got to Beans in the Belfry, a wonderful coffee house in an old church in Brunswick. Even with some rain, the trail wasn’t nearly as muddy as the other day, as much of the surface around here is crushed limestone. We did one detour out on to roads for a couple of miles around some major reconstruction work on the towpath. Fortunately today’s route didn’t involve hiking.
This photo is from yesterday, but I didn’t get it until this morning. It was wonderful to see my friends Ziva and Susan on yesterday’s tide.
We were greeted by a gaggle of napping geese as we got on to the trail this morning.
This view greeted us as we returned to the trail after the detour. It is a section of the river known as Big Slackwater. For approximately three miles, the river is calm and the bank is lined with cliffs, making it impossible to dig the canal. The answer was to enable the barges to enter the river, with just a narrow towpath constructed for the mules. Of course, this section was very vulnerable to floods, and for many years after the recreational trail was opened, this section of trail was impassable, requiring a long detour on roads. The largest reclamation project in the park was undertaken to rebuild the towpath here, requiring footing down into the river. We were able to ride most of it, but one stretch is again being repaired, forcing our detour today.
Looking down at the Potomac River from our lunch spot. I love riding in sight of water, one of many reasons I enjoy the C&O so much.
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