The day started overcast and windy, but rain was not predicted. Our first 10 miles will still be on asphalt. The Western Maryland Railroad ends at Big Pool, but about a mile earlier, you are redirected to the towpath. The smooth surface is over and the bumps are about to start.
Our first stop was Fort Frederick State Park (mile 112). To get there we needed to get off the trail and climb a small hill. Fort Frederick was built during the French and Indian War in 1756. It was abandoned until the American Civil War, when it was used as a gun emplacement to protect the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, which paralleled the canal. In 1922 the property was acquired by the State of Maryland for use as Maryland's first state park. The walls had deteriorated but were standing up to 8 feet in places. Archeological investigations and the discovery of the original plans allowed a complete reconstruction. Much of the restoration work of the 1930s was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
When we were done at Fort Frederick, we found that our bikes had fallen, slightly bending the front wheel and causing it to go out of true. The bikes could be ridden but the front brake had to be loosened. We planned to get to Williamsport and get off the trail to visit the local bike shop. Before that we stopped at Dam 5 along the canal.
Williamsport is on mile 100 of the C&O Canal. From now on, we were done with triple digits! Unfortunately, the bike shop was closed for vacation (in summer really??) and we could not get our bikes fixed. We carried on.
We arrived at Big Slackwater. This part of the towpath was washed out during the floods of 1996 but finally rebuilt in 2012. No need for the dreaded detour anymore! Now, you ride on a concrete platform near the river. Be careful though, or you’ll end up in the water.
There are multiple campsites with old fashion water pumps. The water is iodinated, so drink it at your own risk of hating it.
And then Kiko had another puncture! Luckily we had tons of tubes and replacing the punctured one was smooth; we had to hurry up because the mosquitoes were hungry! We were planning to get off the trail and visit the lovely town of Shepherstown in Mile 73; however we decided against it for the sake of time and began to ride the last 13 miles that we had to do to get to Harper’s Ferry. We did a lot of extra miles with all the detours and we still had to get to our destination.
Miles went by slowly in the last section of the trail. It started to get crowded with tourists. We knew that we had to carry our bikes up the bridge over the Potomac to West Virginia. One last obstacle before we got to the Bed and Breakfast. And still we had not had the opportunity to coast today. The good news was that the trail was mostly dry; another day with no significant mud. We were getting dusty, though.
The Town’s Inn is a historical house but it is not a great place to stay. Rooms are over the restaurant and the noise is constant. Private bathrooms are private for each room but are outside the room. There was no secure storage for the bikes. We tried to eat there but left after being ignored for a while. And the food pretty much sucks in downtown Harper’s Ferry. This was our least favorite evening, but we managed to find some local beer to mitigate the disappointment.
Beer of the day: Mountain State Brewing Co. beers, Thomas, WV
Dinner: The Potomac Grill
Bird of the day: Red shouldered hawk