Bicycling from Washington DC
Through:
Maryland, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Delaware & Virginia
2007 - August - September
August 17, 2007
Washington DC to Harpers Ferry WV
Distance: 65.3 miles
Elevation climbed: 620 ft
We loaded our bicycles this morning and as we prepared to leave Jim decided to add more air pressure to his rear tire. As he finished putting in the additional air and was removing the pump the tube valve blew apart. Immediately the rear tire was flat. We had not left the motel and we had our first flat tire. We removed all the weight from the bicycle, took off the rear wheel, installed a new bicycle tube and put everything back together. This process took 20 minutes but now we were ready to start our bicycle ride.
We headed west out of Washington DC toward the Georgetown area, and the C&O canal towpath. The towpath is made of finely packed gravel and is not always smooth. Immediately below the C&O canal towpath is the paved Capital Crescent bicycle path. However there is no way to get from the C&O canal towpath to the Capital Crescent bicycle path. After traveling 4 or 5 miles on the C&O canal towpath at speeds not exceeding 12 miles per hour and most of the time around 10 miles per hour we were finally able to get to the Capital Crescent bicycle path and suddenly we were traveling at 15 miles per hour. However, after just a couple of miles the bicycle path and the C&O canal towpath no longer paralleled each other and we had to get back on the gravel towpath.
The towpath was great in that it was very flat except for steep, very short climbs at each lock. The bad news was that the path was constantly slightly uphill and just rough enough to keep the speed below 12 miles per hour almost all the time. We worked hard all day to keep going 10, 11, 12 miles per hour.
The highlight along the trail, was watching a barge go up the canal. The barge was pulled by two mules, led by people in period clothing. The barge was full of tourists, enjoying the canal while they listed to music played by a harmonica. We could hear the music long after the barge passed. It gave us a real taste of what the area was like when the canal was in use.
We had gone about 10 miles when George and Jane had a flat tire. It would be the first of several flat tires they would have during the day. They replaced the tube and found that the replacement tube would not hold air. The bad tube was replaced and we started traveling again. A short time later the phone rang and Jane informed us that they had another flat tire. When they caught up with us, we were informed that they had two flat tires in less than a ¼ mile. Due to all the flat tires, we were now 2 hours behind schedule. The biggest surprise of the day was the finding that the only connection between the towpath and Harper's Ferry was a bridge WAY above us and the only connection to it is an iron grate circular stairway up 40 feet - requiring the bikes to be carried. A bit of a challenge, especially our heavy awkward cycles. The scenery was beautiful but we arrived in Harpers Ferry at 7:00 PM. We went straight to a restaurant and ate a very quick supper. George and Jane got instructions on how to get to the motel. The bad news was it required going up over a very high hill in the dark because by the time we ate supper it was dark outside. Mary Kay and I walked up this very high hill and had to ask people twice for directions in the dark before we got to the motel.
We only climbed 370 feet the entire day before we headed up that hill. This was the latest we have ever arrived in the motel while traveling via bicycle.
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