I think the folks that made the sleeping bag I bought were a little, shall we say, optimistic in the comfort/temperature ratings. I froze my ass off last night! It took me two cups of hot coco, a bowl of hot oatmeal, a campfire, and an hour of standing in the sun with every piece of clothing I had just to stop my teeth from chattering. So, I got a little later start then usual today and I am pooped tonight. It was almost noon before I took off my coat today.

Oh, the hike/bike campsite (North Mountain) was less then a mile further down the trail – oh well. The guide I was using as well as the park service map is off on the location of the site. They state that it is at milepost 110.0 but it is more like 109.6. I was coming down the trail so I found the McCoys Ferry site where the North Mountain site should have been.

Well, barring any major problems, I should be home tomorrow. I think I will take a long hot bath. A rabbit just ran through camp and a squirrel is running in the branches overhead.

I saw a little of the train wreck at Point of Rocks on my way through. From what I hear, 21 cars were derailed, but no one was injured. It happened about midway between where I camped the first night and where I am camping tonight.

From where I am camping tonight I can see one of the local power plants with it’s two tall smokestacks. They are all lit up so the planes don’t hit them. Kind of pretty in a “What in the hell are they doing in my sunset?” kind of way.

I guess I have not said much about the ride today. I am still trying to figure out how I feel I guess. On the one hand, I know I have several days left to get home and there is no hurry. On the other, I have seen this trail (especially the part I will cover tomorrow) and I am going home. What do I gain by taking my time? But hey, I bet that after a good nights sleep, I will feel like taking my time in the morning.

Hey! It’s after 8:00pm and someone forgot to turn the frogs on! I guess that they don’t like the moving waters of the Potomac, just the still water that collects in the canal channel. Well, it’s off to bag with me, it’s getting to dark to see.

Yesterday, on the way in to Cumberland, I passed a guy riding out on an upright that looked like it had a hundred pounds of stuff on it. Well, today I passed him again (both heading towards Georgetown). We got a chance to talk for a while and it turns out that he is on his way from Indiana to New York to sell his LOAD OF BOOKS. He did indeed have a hundred pounds of stuff on the bike. We rode on for a while, then he stopped to chat with some folks doing construction work on the trail and I continued on.

Well, I am stopped for the night at McCoy’s Ferry. The trail guide I am using says that this should be a hike/bike camp site called North Mountain. But, I guess that has changed. Still, this is a nice drive in campground with 14 spaces and a great view. And, it’s completely empty. There is, however a $10.00 fee. I guess if you average it out, $10.00 for 5 or 6 nights of camping is ok (but free would have been even better:) Well, It’s off to bed with me, the sun is going down.

You know, it sure is tempting to call the wife and arrange for her to pick me up somewhere further down the road. I hear there is some good riding from Cumberland northwards and I have 4 or 5 more days…

I just walked up to the trail and stood there listening. Try as I might, I could not hear a human sound. No motors, no banging or clanging, not even a passing airplane. Other then the details of the trail, there is no indication of anyone passing those place in years. I know that thousands of people have passed through this very place but, for now, I am alone. I don’t think I have felt this for years, probably the last time was when I was growing up in Montana.

Saw about 6 beaver looking things (with furry tails) in about a miles stretch. Must have been a convention I guess. WOW a couple just road by. Only the 4th and 5th people I have seen on bikes today. Not counting trips into towns, I have only seen about 10 people today. Its Monday I guess everyone is back at work. Stopped at Hancock, MD for snacks at around 9:30am. At 10:00 I stopped at the bike shop there. This is a new shop and the owner has great plans to build a bike shop/grill/lodge. I wish him the best. Some of the few folks I met on the trail turned out to be the parents of someone @ yellowbikes.

We sat and talked recumbents for a while. Nice couple from Vermont taking short rides on several trails. Scouting for a longer tour. Perhaps on ‘bents. I Made it to PawPaw tunnel at last. Ran into some mud on the approach to the tunnel and put my hand out to brace on the rock wall. Ended up cutting my finger open and bleeding all over.

You know, I thought I was imagining things, but this is the third night in a row that the frogs all turned on at 8:00pm sharp. I guess I wont be needing this watch any more. Oh, there at least one deer grazing in the field. Cool, I have neighbors. He sees me but he doesn’t seem to worried. Ok, it’s now the morning of day four – still writing about yesterday though. Going through PawPaw tunnel yesterday, I dropped my new bike light (hadn’t had a chance to mount it in the bike yet) and broke it. In the ensuing darkness, I ran against the side wall and scraped up my arm and managed to knock the computer off my bike (yes, I am a klutz). I didn’t even realize the computer had come off, I just happened to see it as I was looking for the light parts. Lucky.

Found out I can go just over two miles in the time it takes to sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall. Started to use it to measure distances. I now hate that song. Bugs hurt and the don’t taste very good either! Bike detour at dam 4 (84.4) is fairly well marked northbound. But the road starts out then takes a 90 degree bend and immediately stats about a 12% climb.

Fell over trying to climb when bike would not shift to low chain ring. Right after detour rejoins the path @ 88.1, the trail runs right on the river. Narrow in places, beach in others. Lots of loose rocks for a while. (1 mi)

Lots of different wildlife today. In addition to the bunnies, turtles, squirrels, and frogs, I saw 11 deer, 2 snakes, and one beaver(sunning though the weeds) I have a squirrel sharing the camp with me. He has been running around the treetops for a while but he just went into the nest up on the side of a tree.

Stopped in Williams Port MD for dinner only got ice water and chips – not hungry I guess (probably the heat) I am not hungry but I made myself eat some pasta for dinner.

About 11:30am stopped at Great Falls Park for a snack. Found out that I have already managed to lose one of the memory cards for my digital camera. Passed about 1000 walkers for the MS walk. Nice so far, but crowded.

Stopped for the night at Bald Eagle Island hike/bike camp site. Not my first choice as the train track is only about 50 feet away. But next camp site is 12.5 miles away and it’s already 6:00 pm. Odometer says 299 so about 57 miles for the day. Quiet so far except for the passing aircraft. Stopped at Whites Ferry for food, but they were closed for the season. Had to wait till Point of Rocks, MD. I wonder what I will have for breakfast in Brunswick, MD (only 5 miles away).

Oh, here comes another train (lots of tanker cars). Even with the trains, I think I will sleep well tonight. Well, I guess I should have brought cards or something else. It’s about 7:00 pm and I am kind of bored. I am tired, but I don’t want to go to sleep yet or I will be wide awake in the middle of the night. If I go into a town tomorrow, I will get a book. I was planning on riding all day till near dark then setting up camp and going to bed. But that is not very realistic when you are camping and the campsites are 45 minutes or more ride apart.

You can not be sure if the site you show up at around dusk will be available.. I haven’t seen another cyclist since about 5:45pm.. The recumbent is a great road bike and does fine on the dry sections of trail. But it takes allot of work to ride in the wet/mud. I met a pair of cyclists on the trail headed for Shepardstown, WV. We passed by each other several times during the day. They stopped at Point of Rocks, MD for the night.. Good ice cream and sub sandwich at Point of Rocks..

I am still planning on staying the night in a hotel in Cumberland when I get there to do some wash and take a real shower. I am sure I will need one (or two) by then. The pumps are hand operated and set up in a way that makes it hard to get under one to wash off the grime. I guess I will be sponge bathing it for a while.. Thats weird, when I got the tan (pseudo chamois) towel that I have wet from the pump, it turned a dark inky blue. I think its time to find a different towel. This thing has been weird from the start..

Well, it’s 8:00pm and I have retreated to the tent. I am slowly giving in to the urge to sleep, but I want to stay awake till 9:00pm or so. I guess it doesn’t really matter though.. The frogs are louder then the trains.

The text for this article is taken directly from the travel log that I wrote while on the ride. It is more a bunch of somewhat random personal thoughts than a story. I hope that doesn’t make it too hard to follow.