Day 5: Frostburg MD to Hancock MD

Today’s Highlights:
Today was our longest ride of the trip so far (76 miles), so we were up early and prepared breakfast in our rooms before the café was open. We were on our bikes at 7:00 and enjoyed the cool morning air and the sight of mist rising off the mountainsides. The fifteen miles from Frostburg to Cumberland were all downhill, which was a fabulous way to start the day. We cycled on a crushed stone surface still, and this time followed the Western Maryland Rail line, which is still operational for tourist rides. We passed through the Brush Tunnel about half way to Cumberland, and passed by some pretty farms too.

We reached Cumberland one hour later and stopped for a photo op at the junction of the Great Allegheny Passage and the Chesapeake &Ohio Canal Tow Path. This was the finish of the 150 mile long GAP ride and started our 183 mile C&O ride.

The tow path is a little more rustic than the GAP trail. In general, it is narrower and has more dirt than crushed stone. There are occasional ruts, roots and stone, but it is overall a well maintained trail. For short distance rides, one can be quite comfortable on it, but for longer rides like the sixty miles we did on it today, it can wear out a number of body parts. The tow path follows directly along the old canal, of course, and the Potomac River is a short distance on the other side of the path. The canal bed is completely dry in some spots, swampy in others, and algae-covered ponds elsewhere. Ducks and turtles were very common, and we saw a lot of deer along it today also. There were very few street crossings and few towns, so we still have the feeling of being very remote on our cycling adventure.

The old stone lock walls and some wooden lock doors are still in place, and it is interesting to see these old structures. Just as impressive are the remaining lock houses. We saw several today. Some further down the trail are actually open for overnight guests. We also passed several campsites today, as many cyclists tent camp on these trips.

Riding through the 3118-foot Paw Paw tunnel was one of the highlights today. It is not lit, and is very dark inside. Chris and Stacia had bike lights and that helped a lot. The narrow path through the tunnel was very bumpy with lots of puddles. We had a lot of fun there.

There was only one place to get food along the way, and it was not easy to find, but we did. It was Bill’s Place in Little Orleans. The people were really nice there and we were very happy to get something to eat besides the bananas and energy bars we snacked on for sixty miles. Just as we finished there a thunderstorm rolled through and we got a bit wet. We rode another five miles on the muddy trail, which just added to our fun adventure. For the last twelve miles, we moved off the old tow path and onto the Western Maryland Rail Trail all the way to Hancock. It was paved, and that felt a lot better on our bike seats!

We reached our hotel around 4:00 – almost nine hours of biking. This was the longest distance and time that both Stacia and Joe have ridden! Another milestone achieved. Congratulations to both of them! We were greeted by Bill, the very friendly inn keeper. They are very experienced with cyclists here. We started off at the bike washing area, and hosed down our very muddy bikes and bags and legs, and were even given towels to dry things off. There were energy drinks and cookies and other snacks for us. They even had laundry room use, which was appreciated after our dusty, muddy day. And the rooms and supplies are very nice here.

Once again, Stacia’s friend Terri spoiled us with a gift of wine and bike ornaments. She’s the best! We have another long day tomorrow to get to Harpers Ferry for the 4th of July.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Here is a link to Joe’s pictures:
http://www.aimlesswanderings.com/Travel/2014-GAP-CO-Tail-Ride-1/Day-5-Frostburg-to-Hancock/

Statistics:
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