Day 3 Starting the 'C&O'

Cumberland, MD to Hancock, MD (62 miles)
Today we woke up refreshed and excited to check out the new part of the trail.  We would be riding along the 'Chesapeake and Ohio Tow Path' which stretches from Cumberland, MD to Washington, DC.  It was built a LONG time ago when the main way to haul freight was by boat.  The dream was to tow them up the canal using a series of locks. Unfortunately, it took way longer to build than planned and by that time the railroad had taken root in America, which had proven to be a more effective way of transportation.  The tow path was forgotten by time for a while.  Then it was 'rediscovered' and set apart as a national park to be used by bikers and hikers. 

  We hit the trail around 9:30 and pedaled away to find Tannon's campsite.  We found him (probably board and wondering why it was almost 10:00 by the time we got to him- but we just couldn't resist a nights rest without having to wake up to a child needing to be taken care of. :) )  The towpath was quite primative compared to the GAP trail.  It definately looked like it had been 'lost' in time.  It was narrow with big ruts and huge puddles* and tall wild green things (also known as plants) growing in the median.  It was pretty awesome because the Potomic River was on our left side and the canal was on the right.  So it felt like we were on this little plateau/island path.  It was incredible scenery.  I should have taken better pictures of the crappy parts of the trail.  I think we all became very focused in these areas because it was so rough and we just wanted to get though it.  So the pictures you will see are when the trail had brief periods of 'niceness'. 

*About the puddles-  We ended up aquiring fenders on our bikes the day before the trip.  I can't tell you how many times they saved us!  I have no idea what they cost.  (Bryan told me I was better off not knowing)  All I know is that they proved to be a great investment and a must have for anyone else planning on doing this trip.

Hanging out on one of the locks

  We rode in single file, riding in the ruts and unsuccessfully trying to avoid the huge puddles of water for about the first 20 miles.  My goal was not be behind Tannon.  His rear fender wasn't too affective.  Anytime I got too near him I found myself eating dirt.  The path may have been a little rough, but boy was it flat.   I love flat.  We stopped for pictures alot today as well because it was just gorgeous.  And the weather was warm.  I found myself wanting to ditch my long pants and jacket by lunchtime.  
  The locks were pretty cool.  The waterway on the canal was shallow and extremely murky and nasty looking.  I have never seen more turtles in my life.  Or ones that looked like this:

  We were thinking about stopping in one of the little towns we would find on the way for lunch.  We didn't realize that there really were no little towns.  There was a whole lot of nothing.  I didn't realize that you could really be in 'the middle of nowhere' on the east coast.  I learned otherwise today. 

The most anticipated event of today was 'The Paw Paw Tunnel'.  I had been talking this bad boy up since day 1.  It is a 900 foot tunnel with a narrow path on one side and a drop to the canal that takes up 3/4 of the volume of the tunnel.  With no lights.  Flashlights are necessary. The tunnel lived up to the hype.  It was dark, wet and not maintained well.  At all.  It was like riding on a roller coaster.  I was disoriented, slightly dizzy and enjoying every second.  My little flash light couldn't take all the bumps in the tunnel and kept flickering off, which made me want to fall off the bike or crash into the stone wall.  It was freakishly cool.  As usual, the boys were in front of me.  (I am happy to say this changed during the afternoon today)

  We peddled on.  It was a beautiful day out and the miles were going by quite quickly.  We could fully appreciate the non-inclined surface as well as the fabulousness of the GAP trail we had left behind the day before.  We took very short breaks to eat our Cliff bars and fruit.  We arrived in Hancock around 4:30 and made a quick stop at the bike repair shop.  Bryan's pedals had been grinding for about 40 miles.  Some tephlon tape and 15.00 dollars later we were good to go.  
  About Hancock... It is not much.  It was the ONLY place on the map we could stop on the trail without going on about 35 more miles.  There was a bike repair shop, a Shop and Save, two hotels and a pizza hut.  That was about it.  We checked into our local roach motel and after an internal debate with myself I decided I was in fact dirty enough to consent to get in the shower.  But after getting in I decided it was a mistake and the shower was dirtier than I was.  (I did shower, but very quickly)  The boys were unaffected by the state of the hotel.  I guess I am just high maintenance.  
  We headed to dinner at Pizza Hut.  I should have taken a picture.  We ate alot of food.  Then we hobbled over the the Shop and Save to find some ice cream.  (Did you know there aren't many options at this grocery store???)  We found some drumstick wanna be cones for 2 bucks and Bryan downed the majority of the package.  We also stocked up on some bagels and lunch meat for the next couple days.  
  Bryan and I headed back to the hotel at dusk.  I have no idea why Tannon wanted to camp instead of sleep in our cool hotel.  He found himself a nice place to camp (is there such a thing?) about 11 miles up the road.  I am amazed that he found the energy to put in another 11 miles after 3 days of hard riding! 
  To sum up day 3, it was another really great day on the trail.  We were a little more beat up from the terrain, but it was worth the scenery.  And if anyone decides to to this trip I have 2 pieces of advice. 
    A) Buy fenders for your bike.  Nice fenders that cover the majority of your wheels.
    B) Don't stay in this hotel.  Go with the other option.  I assume that the Super 8 would have been the better choice.