GAP - C&O Canal - Day 6

 Saturday, 17 October 2020

Little Orleans to Williamsport, 42 miles

The Western Maryland Railroad Trail closely parallels the C&O Canal and towpath for almost 30 miles between Little Orleans and Fort Frederick State Park. We chose to ride the paved asphalt rather than the towpath in this section. We missed a few sights along the river by doing this, but we also got great views of aqueducts from the WMRT.

A beautiful, but cold, sunrise at the Town Hill Overlook. The Inn provided an unforgettable gourmet breakfast.

We hadn't gone very far when we realized that Lon's front rack was no longer attached to his front fork on the right side. Duct tape works wonders -- and held until we got back home.

The Western Maryland Railroad Trail is paved and usually about 20 feet above the canal and towpath.

Sideling Hill Creek Aqueduct

Licking Creek Aqueduct. In this area, I-70 parallels the WMRT for about 5 miles. In this stretch the (former) canal, (former) railroad, and the (modern) Interstate closely follow the north side of the Potomac, illustrating the change in transportation over the last 200 years.

Fort Frederick State Park. Fort Frederick was built for the French and Indian Wars in 1756, and was crucial for protecting the canal in the Civil War.

Restored barracks inside the fort. Visitors can only stand at the main gate to look into the fort.

Dam 5. For a half-mile above the dam, canal traffic used the river rather than a canal. This was known as "Little Slackwater".

Sue and the view downstream of Dam 5.

Just above Williamsport is the Conococheague Creek Aqueduct.

Lon on the Conococheague Creek Aqueduct.

The Conococheague Aqueduct has been recently restored, and is the only aqueduct that currently holds water.

GAP - C&O Canal - Day 5

 Friday, 16 October 2020

Cumberland to Little Orleans, 44 miles

Today was forecast to be cold and rainy. We got lucky. Cool it definitely was (50°s), but the rain was very light -- mostly drizzle and mist. This was our first day on the canal towpath, and we were introduced to locks, aqueducts, and the one tunnel on the path.

75 locks raise the canal a total of 600 ft. That makes each lock an 8-ft rise. Each lock, or set of locks, has a lock house to house the workers that operated the locks. Sometimes there was just a stone foundation remaining. Closer to Washington, a few of the lock houses are available for overnight stays - bring your own bedding, food, and cooking equipment.

Typical canal scenery. Canal on the left (here with water in it, many times it was swampy or filled-in), towpath in the middle, Potomac River on the right.

Another towpath scene. This time the canal is merely a depression running along the towpath. It's interesting to note that all the trees between the canal and the towpath must be less than 100 years old - the canal was in use until 1924, when yet another flood was the final straw that forced it to be abandoned.

Who knew that a canal could go through a tunnel? This is the 3118 ft long Paw Paw Tunnel that bypasses 5 miles of river bends. The towpath is a narrow ledge alongside the canal. Fortunately, today it has a fence for safety.

Inside the Paw Paw Tunnel. It's lined with 6 million bricks!

One of several surveying benchmarks in the tunnel wall. Light provided by Lon's phone.

The eastern end of the tunnel.

After exiting the tunnel, the path continues through an open rock cut on a cantilevered boardwalk.

At the end of the boardwalk, part of the facing rock wall has collapsed into the canal.

The path through the rock cut is quite narrow.

In addition to the tunnel, the canal traverses several aqueducts. The upper end of the path has smaller aqueducts, such as this one over Fifteenmile Creek. In the lower part of the path, approaching Washington, the aqueducts are longer and go over full-sized rivers.

The view from Town Hill Overlook "near" Little Orleans, Maryland. This was across the road from our night's B&B (the Town Hill Inn), which was a 7-mile shuttle ride from the towpath. (And serves a spectacular breakfast - truly "the best breakfast on the trail".)

GAP - C&O Canal - Day 4

 Thursday, 15 October 2020

Meyersdale to Cumberland, 32 miles

A short memorable day: crossing the Eastern Divide, three tunnels, one long viaduct, the Mason-Dixon Line, a 23-mile descent, and stunning views. What more could you ask for?

The 909 ft long Keystone Viaduct is just a short distance from Meyersdale.

The highway underpass at the Eastern Divide shows the profile of the GAP.

At the Divide. On this side the waters flow to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean. On the other side the rivers flow to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Big Savage Tunnel is the longest tunnel on our route, 3294 ft. Note that the tunnel has lights inside. This was the first rails-to-trails tunnel we've been through that was illuminated.

Wind turbines atop Mt Savage at the exit of Big Savage Tunnel. The bench at lower right suggests a great view (next photo).

The view at the eastern end of Big Savage Tunnel.

About a mile later, the trail crosses the Mason-Dixon Line and we pass from Pennsylvania into Maryland.

Second tunnel of the day, the 957 ft long Borden Tunnel, also illuminated. These lights were motion-activated, which was a little weird. It would have been nice if they had come on a second earlier than they did (that is, as you were approaching them rather than just after you passed them.) The "sparkles" in front of the tunnel are falling leaves.

For the last 14 miles, the trail is side-by-side with the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad.

A better view of wind turbines on Mt Savage. Somewhere up there in the trees is the Big Savage Tunnel and the Mason-Dixon Line.

Final tunnel of the day (and final tunnel on the GAP), the 914 ft long Brush Tunnel, also illuminated.

The end of the GAP and the beginning of the C&O Canal Towpath in Cumberland.

GAP - C&O Canal - Day 3

 Wednesday, 14 October 2020

Ohiopyle to Meyersdale, 41 miles

The fall colors continued to intensify as we rode up the trail and gained 800 ft in elevation today. While we went by several small towns (notably Confluence and Rockwood), today's riding was in the heart of the remote (for Pennsylvania) and rugged Laurel Highlands. Tunnels and bridges/trestles/viaducts are the highlights of most rails-to-trails, and the GAP does not disappoint.

The Pinkerton Tunnel was only recently reopened (2015), eliminating 1.5 miles of the trail with an 849 ft long tunnel. The tunnel had been closed since 1879(!) when a fire destroyed its wooden timber supports.

The tunnel is flanked by bridges over the Casselman River on either side.

The bridges gave a superb view of the river. Fall colors were at their peak.

The tunnel appears to be very short, but riding through it took longer than I expected.

More fall color along the Casselman River.

Typical trail scene.

Once we got tunnels on our mind, we kept on seeing "fake tunnels" along the trail. It looks like there's another tunnel ahead, but it's just a dark background against an arch of sun-lit trees.

Just before reaching Meyersdale, the trail goes over the Salisbury Viaduct. The bridge is 1908 ft long and offers an impressive view of the Casselman valley.

A closer look at the wind turbines along the ridge-top behind the Salisbury Viaduct. This area of Pennsylvania has tried to transition from coal mining to wind energy. A number of the high ridges have wind farms.

GAP - C&O Canal - Day 2

 Tuesday, 13 October 2020

West Newton to Ohiopyle, 42 miles

We had a beautiful ride along Youghiogheny River today. The fall colors were at their peak, the trail was smooth (for the most part), and until we got near Ohiopyle, we pretty much had the trail to ourselves. The first part of the trail, from West Newton to Connellsville passes a number of very small mining towns, but after Connellsville the route is remote.

Cedar Creek Park is only a few miles upriver from West Newton.

Just a bit downriver from Connellsville an old railroad bridge has been transformed into the Youghiogheny River Overlook. It goes half-way across the river and ends in a nice viewing platform.

Selfie at the observation deck.

Typical trail scenery between Connellsville and Ohiopyle.

Overlooking the Youghiogheny Gorge near Ohiopyle.

The falls on the Youghiogheny at Ohiopyle.

Fall color just upstream of the falls.

GAP - C&O Canal - Day 1

 Monday, 12 October 2020

Pittsburgh to West Newton, 34.5 miles (+ 2.5 miles to the start)

We're on our way to ride bicycles from Pittsburgh to Washington DC on the "GAP-C&O" trail -- a rails-to-trails trip that combines the Great Allegheny Passage (149 miles) and the C&O Canal towpath (184.5 miles). The combination makes a great bike path between the two cities over the Eastern Divide.

The trip starts at Point State Park in Pittsburgh where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers converge to become the Ohio River. Amos is the background looking at the fountain.

David and Amos joined us for the start - from the Point to the Hot Metal Bridge.

Crossing the Monongahela on the Hot Metal Bridge.

Crossing the "Mon", again, at McKeesport.

Fixing a flat tire after riding through broken glass on the trail in McKeesport.

Acid mine drainage gives the runoff waters along the trail a distinct reddish hue.

I tried to add this image nearer the top, but the new interface from Blogger won't let me do it. (Sometimes "new" is not "improved".) Regardless, Lon liked this photo of three generations of bicycle riders.