Cumberland to Hancock

We had a great breakfast this morning at our hotel in Cumberland, MD and set off down the C & O Canal Towpath Trail toward Hancock, our destination for today.

The Trail runs between the Potomac and the canal that was built for transportation in the early 1800's. The upside of trail riding, especially in this situation, is that the trail is thickly tree-lined, which means that we had shade for most of the day. Since the weather has been unseasonably hot (we're beginning to think it's us!) the shade has been most welcome. So did the turtles: we almost ran over a tiny one about the size of your palm, then one as big as a frying pan ran across the trail in front of us.

Unlike the GAP Trail, which is crushed limestone, the Towpath is essentially a narrow dirt road. Again, the upside is that it hasn't been raining so there is no mud; the downside is that the trail is extremely dusty. The chains, pedals, our bags, and our legs up to the knees were thickly covered with the fine dust of the trail.

We had a great pizza lunch in Paw Paw, WV during a surreal situation. The television was broadcasting the US/Algeria soccer game from South Africa in Spanish, no less! We rode along for a while and then ran into some National Park Service employees resurfacing the trail. We had a very pleasant conversation with them and got a map of the trail with mileages and services, then went on our way.

At just about the time we were both fondly recalling a cooling swim in the Yough at Ohiopyle, We happened upon one of the campsites along the trail that are placed every five miles. Since this one had a little beach and access to the river, we enjoyed a refreshing swim and felt ready face the rest of the ride.

We arrived in Hancock about 4:00 and decided to get a motel room, based on the fact that they have air-conditioning and our tent does not -- and it's nearly 100 degrees today. A quiet dinner at Weaver's in town is being followed by - what else? An NCIS marathon!!! Life is good.

Tomorrow we head for Harper's Ferry, WV.