It is just so dang hot!!!

We left Harper's Ferry this morning about 7:45 and decided to have breakfast in Brunswick, MD. We ate at Mommer's Diner, where we met a potential American Idol competitor. We'll keep you posted about whom to vote for if she shows up. Apparently we have a propensity for running into reality show contestants on our trips, since we met one of the Biggest Losers in Kansas in 2008.

We continued down the Towpath Trail and the highlight of the day was a stop at the Great Falls on the Potomac. Our first glimpse seemed less than great; we persevered, however, and were rewarded with a view of a truly impressive series of waterfalls that definitely outdid Ohiopyle.

Though the river seemed to have plenty of water, we were told that the flow was low. Periodically, the snow melt and gushing rains swell this large river until it rises 10, 20, even 30 feet above its banks, tearing out large trees, flooding towns, and washing out large sections of our C&O Towpath Trail. Apparently, not much has been done with flood control on the Potomac or it tributaries.

There really isn't too much to say about this day except that it was way too hot. The trouble with trail riding is that eventually it becomes monotonous. We were away from traffic, but it does mean that the scenery is more or less the same for a long time. We experienced the same thing last year on the Katy Trail in Missouri.

A problem particular to the Towpath Trail is that since it is basically a very small dirt road, the two choices are mud, which we're grateful we didn't experience, or dust. Everything within a foot of the trail surface gets covered in dust. That includes our trailer, bags and feet! And the hot weather has meant lots of dust.

I must admit that the scenery issue certainly was changed by entering the Great Falls area of the Potomac. Almost never deep enough for commercial navigation, hence the existence of the canal, the function of the river seems to be mainly decorative and recreational, and that it is. Our occasional swims to wash off the dust and lower our temperatures were some of the best moments of our progression toward DC.

We didn't get to see Mile 0 on the Towpath Trail, since at mile 3 we cut off at the Capital Crescent Trail to get to our friend Alan's in Kensington, MD. We were welcomed royally with cheese, bread, vegetables and wine, and the best thing of all, a garden hose to wash the bike. The last few miles were on an asphalt trail, which felt absolutely luxurious.

We are taking a rest day today, getting laundry done, etc. and regrouping for the trip across Maryland. The Atlantic is almost in sight!