CnO_Day3

Day 3

Sunday, 7 August 2005
Indian Flats Campsite, MD to Washington, DC
44.8 miles, 3h45m, 12.0 mph
Elapsed Time: 5h40m, Max speed: 18.4mph
Total mileage: 203.2

All the extra riding has left us with a short day to finish.

The impressive Monocacy River Aqueduct

The group we passed at the Calico Rocks Campsite appeared on the trail before we got started in the morning. They took care of the spiders so it was nice for us.

Once again we got going at about 7:30. It was less than 10 miles to Whites Ferry where we stopped for the breakfast special: a cup of coffee and breakfast sammich for $3. We also stocked up on Gatorade and fresh water. Water would be an issue the rest of the day. We only passed one functioning pump at all the campsites the rest of the way down the river.

At Whites Ferry we met a woman who was finishing a ride down from Pittsburgh on the various rail trails and the towpath. She said that the rail trails in PA are much smoother riding than the towpath. She was planning on catching a train back to Cumberland when she reached DC.

As we approached DC the towpath surface turned rougher and more annoying. It was just a little harder to keep up the same speed and there was constant vibration coming up through the handlebars and seat.

The scene looks idyllic, but that towpath is all bumpy.

The considerably less impressive Seneca Creek Aqueduct.

There is a store about a mile off the towpath at Seneca Creek, but it was closed on Sunday--that's what we were told anyway. I was starting to fade when we reached the snackbar at Swains Lock about 8 miles down the road. Next was Great Falls where we stopped and walked out to look at the falls. The crowds were much thinner than in the past and hardly anyone got in our way. I was a little disappointed that I didn't have anyone to be annoyed with.

The Great Falls of the Potomac.

Downstream from Great Falls was the final detour. Up some stairs and across to a parallel road, then down and across and back to the rough towpath. This section of towpath is currently under repair and will be reopened in the fall after at least 10 years.

The most fun part of the day was the screaming descent through the Seven Locks area. Each lock has a drop of about 8 feet, so the seven locks provide a thrilling ride that cannot be found anywhere else on the 185 mile canal (it's almost twice as thrilling as Four Locks).

The Seven Locks starts right under the Beltway so after that we were really smelling the barn. But the trail seemed to go on and on, until finally we came around a bend and the buildings of Georgetown appeared. We crossed the canal one more time and rode through Georgetown with surprisingly little interference from tourists and pedestrians. At the end of the towpath we turned right along Rock Creek and headed for the watergate (or tidelock). The watergate, by the way, is right behind the Watergate Hotel, which is naturally named after the watergate.

Approaching Georgetown.

I take a very dangerous stunt photo.

We encountered crowds of fans in the parking lot at the Thompson Boat Center, but we could not stop. We rode to the south end of the center and along a narrow dirt trail to mile marker zero. I was the first to touch it, so I won. We formed up for a victory photo and retired to the parking lot for refreshments provided by Melissa's folks. Yummy.

The summit photo.

Then we all went our separate ways promising to do it again in five years, whether we want to or not.

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