GAP and C&O Day 3

the story continues...

Waking on Thursday, I got to making coffee and trying to figure out where the nearest bike shop may be to get my broken pannier taken care of.

Very long paved section just barely clinging to the cliffs.

The first town I came across was Shepherdstown, WV, which requires a very long and fairly steep climb up a twisty path to reach the bridge to cross the river

about half-way up the climb

 Once into town, I found the map that listed most of the services cyclists would need, including a bike shop, Shepherdstown Pedal and Paddle, where I got hooked up with a bolt and nut and tools to fix my pannier. This was not the first of these panniers to suffer this same problem (the rivet on the lower hook rail pulling out), but the other was in a crash, so having it happen while riding was a bit of a surprise, but one I knew how to deal with. After getting that taken care of, I thanked them, bought a new pair of gloves (my others has shredded themselves), and a couple energy bars, and went across the street and had some breakfast/lunch at Shepherdstown Sweet Shop Bakery before heading on my way

After a while it was time to seek out lunch, which ended up being a two pronged affair, as the lunch at the pizza place in Brunswick was so foul, I couldn't eat it and just left. Happily, Deli on the Rocks in Point of Rocks, MD was much better. Really highly recommended.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail (width-wise, not length-wise)

people keep telling me that this is a bad spot for the light, but with the exception of bug splatter from traveling hundreds of miles on the roof of my car, not a single speck of dirt has landed upon it.

these herons let me get rather closer than I'm used to

this was an owl I disturbed who was feeding next to the trail, who then flew up to the branch to give me the eye

This last section of the days riding was really filed with wildlife: juvenile red fox, turtles, heron, deer, and many different owl calls. It was also really a joy to ride fast. Sadly right as I crossed to road to Whites Ferry, I realized I had a flat. Upon closer inspection, I found the tyre had failed, as the casing cords were broken and had rubbed holes in the tube. Luckily I was carrying a spare tyre, and could be quickly on my way.

The flat took a bit of the wind out of my sails, and I decided to stop at Horsepen Branch Hiker/Biker for a quick snack. That snack turned into a decision to quickly set up camp, as my phone started going crazy with severe weather alerts. It turned out to be the worst lightning storm I've ever been out in, with lightning striking so close, I could make out the bolts through the solid tent fabric, and there was zero delay between the strike and the thunder. It went on like this for over an hour, the whole time during which I'm also battling a cloud of mosquitoes who managed to follow me into my tent. My hands were stained red with my own blood by the time I'd manged to take care of the horde.

It was really one of the most miserable nights I've spent camping.

Up next: D.C.

Addendum to Day 1 post (NEW BIKE!!!)

I just realized I did that post without ever introducing the bike.

This is my new Van Dessel Whisky Tango Foxtrot.

This will be my new commuter bike, and will double as my touring bike.

Honestly, I wasn't planning on building this bike when I did, but I contacted Van Dessel to ask a couple questions about this frameset, assuming it was out of stock and I'd be waiting to get one when the next years' stock came in, but they happened to have a frameset, with a mis-applied decal that they'd give me a great deal on, and it happened to be my size.

So, with that, late January the frameset arrives, orders begin, customs bags are specced, hard to find items are searched out and procured, and by mid-May everything is ready, and with less than 200 miles on it in testing, I load it up and take it on tour.

The build out is probably overly nice for a commuter, but considering its double-duty nature, I felt it not unreasonable.

Specs:

59cm WTF frameset
Deore LX FC-T671 Crankset 3x10-speed 48-36-26
Shimano 105 ST-5703
Shimano Deore LX FD-T671
Shimano Alivio RD-T4000-SGS
SRAM PG-1050 12-36
KCNC PF30 Adaptor Bottom Bracket
Thomson Stem
Lynskey Seatpost
Brooks Cambium C17 Saddle
TRP Spyre Calipers
Deore XT rotors
Deore XT Dynohub/Velocity Dyad/ 36 DTSwiss Competition 2.0/1.8/2.0
Alivio Rear Centerlock hub/Dyad/ 36 DTSwiss Competition 2.0/1.8/2.0
B&M Lumotec IQ Fly Premium RT Senso Plus
B&M  Secula Plus
42cm Salsa Cowchipper bars
SKS fenders
Conti SpeedRIDE 42mm tyres *

Luggage:
Framebag: Rogue Panda custom
TopTube Bag: Rogue Panda
Panniers: Carradice Universal
Seatbag: Carradice SuperC Saddlepack
Porteurbag: Swift Industries Polaris custom
Front Rack: Specialized Pizza Rack

* A note about the Conti tyres: I can no longer recommend these, as they both had failures during my tour, with the cords in each of them failing in near identical spots.

GAP and C&O Day 2

Day 2

Ha, when I just dumped all the pics from the day into this post I had over 70 pics. That's a bit much, so we'll see how they get pared down.

After falling short of my Day 1 goal, I had miles to make up on this day. I still wanted to check out the sights, though, so I was making good speed when moving, while stopping often. The roughness of the trail meant this was taking a toll on my body, and I would also find out my equipment. I put in around 86 miles this day.

this was also my biggest day for photos.

I started out the morning with a quick freeze-dried meal, as I'd decided that with the number of food options available I just didn't need to carry them, and would just eat them. then I proceeded to second breakfast at the Trump-loving Schoolhouse Kitchen in Oldtown. I considered skipping it, but considering the mileage I wanted to make up, spending time looking for other options seemed like a waste.

Morning on the Potomac

campsite was ForageReady™

Lock 75, the final lock on the C&O

lots of the watered areas looked like this, but some were clear, but even more was de-watered

these gates are really not all that different than the ones on modern locks like the McAlpine Locks in Louisville

many of the locks were in various states of disrepair

with my bike on the bridge it starts to give an idea of how tiny these locks were

I ran across this family many times this morning, including at breakfast

damn turtle started coming after me while I was taking its picture

creek level in an aqueduct. hard work to get bike down for this pic

Paw Paw Tunnel West

Paw Paw Tunnel East

One of the cooler Hiker/Bikers sites. Down the hill on the Potomac behind these remain of a building

 About this point in the day, I stopped for lunch at Bill
s Place a friendly biker bar in Little Orleans. As I arrived, there was already another cyclist there, just getting off his bike. Hey, lunch company! Turns out he was doing way more than just the GAP/C&O, he'd come from California, and was on his way to New York.

This teeny tiny lockhouse was part of the Four Locks complex.

All pretty an manicured, but I bet this was a hell of mud with so much action going on so close with all four locks in operation, wide areas for putting boats to the side as some went upstream and some downstream.

The last stop of the day before heading to camp was Williamsport, where I ate at a little cafe, filled up on water and headed out at sunset. As I arrived at my campsite and started setting up, I realized the toll the terrain was taking on my equipment: a broken pannier hook. Luckily a lower hook, and I knew how to fix it, I just needed to find the right tools and a nut and bolt. But that would have to wait until the next day, as I was tired, sore and in need of rest.

Up Next Day 3