GAPCO - Day 3 July 6

We rode out of Cumberland Maryland this morning without a drop of rain hitting us!  That is a first for the trip.  We are now on the C&O Canal towpath trail.  We have left the Great Alleghany Trail and started on a new section.  The Great Alleghany was a very well groomed and maintained trail.  We didn't know how good we had it until we started riding the C&O.  The history of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) started in 1828.  It was devised as a great waterway to connect the growing nation with the promising west.  It was to be a vehicle of commerce to bring coal and natural resources to the east and Washington.  It took until 1850 to finish and by that time railroads had surpassed the usefulness of the canal.  It never made it to its original goal of connecting to the Ohio River.  The canal runs 184.5 miles along the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland Maryland and has a system 70 some odd locks that keep its path level.

It fell into disrepair and was saved when it was listed as a National Heritage Scenic Trail in 1971.

The trail is a rough jarring path that has not seen repairs or upgrades in many years.  It was a series of mud puddles that were tough to avoid.  It was stren with potholes and bumps that made for rough travel.  Much worse than its counterpart the Great Alleghany Trail.  Yet the C&O did take us through some very beautiful and serene topography.

    The good part of the trail! 😊

    As you can see, the trail is not groomed or maintained well.

    A picture of one of the 70+ locks that kept the waterway level.  The canal and the locks were designed to be 15 wide.  The barges that were built to traverse the canals were built to be 14.5 feet wide.

   The Paw Paw Canal tunnel is one of the longest waterway tunnels in the US. It is 3,191 feet long.  The walkway is only about 3 feet wide.  As you walk through the tunnel it is so dark that you can't see your hand in front of your face.  I did say walk through the tunnel as you cannot ride it.  If you tried you would become disoriented and end up in the canal.

    Here I am getting ready to venture into the darkness of the tunnel.

    A rock slide that came down on the far side of the tunnel and completely covered the canal.

    The towpath along the canal that at times is only about two feet wide.

    One of my buddies I met along the way.

Lastly, the view from the B&B where we are staying tonight...