Sep/099
C&O Canal Ride 2009 from D.C. to Cumberland
"Behind us lay the whole of America and everything Dean and I had previously known about life, and life on the road. We had finally found the magic land at the end of the road and we never dreamed the extent of the magic."
-- Jack Kerouac, On the Road
Friday, September 19, 2009 at 6:31 a.m. Andrew and I started loading our bicycles on my truck. We packed tons of Gu, power bars and bottles of water. We piled into my FJ Cruiser and headed to Pete’s house. Our plan was simple (they always start that way)… We would drive down to DC, park my truck and my buddy, Jerry, would pick it up that evening and drive it home for me. From there, we would ride 184.5 miles up the C&O Canal Towpath on our bicycles. Months of training had culminated to this event.
We picked up Pete and drove downtown. Once there we searched for parking near the Thompson Boat Center, which is mile zero on the canal. Downtown parking is hard for my FJ, because I need 6’9” of clearance. Most garages down there are under 6’6”. We finally found the perfect garage at the Kennedy Center. It was 7’ tall!! Tallest one I have ever seen in DC. Parking was solved… Ahhhhh.
We each had bike racks and medium sized bags back there behind our seats. Pete and I also carried camelbacks with water and paraphernalia. We rode out of the Kennedy Center parking garage and into the gorgeous morning with grins on our faces!
We got to the mile zero marker and took some photos.
Then a couple rode up on a tandem bicycle. They told us that they had ridden all the way down from Pittsburgh, PA. Hearing this made us feel weak. Then I thought, Meh… It’s downhill the whole way from Pittsburgh! This is how I justify and console myself.
I digress.
We took off quickly and were in Great Falls before I knew it. The ride was easy. However, I had already developed a cramp in my left calf. We weren’t riding faster than our training and we hadn’t gone that far, so I chalked it up to nerves… I took a couple of photos of the falls, ate a snack and moved on.
The rest of the day was uneventful (for the most part) and relatively easy. Just before home, Pete realized that he had been riding on a broken spoke. It warped his rim and the rear brakes had been on for nearly 15 miles! Holy dump! We rode 57 miles total that day.
Here is the Monacacy Aquaduct
At home, we tracked down a local bicycle shop, called the Bike Doctor. It’s located on Buckeystown Pike in Frederick. Awesome shop! The owner and his mechanic stayed past closing time, fixing and truing Pete’s rim. Then they gave him new brakes and tightened up his bike. Fantastic group there and very concerned about our safe trip. I absolutely recommend them to anyone in the Frederick area who needs repairs or bicycle parts and so on.
Kristine had put together a delectable meal that consisted of salad, pasta and steak. It was FANTASTIC! We talked about the day and encouraged each other.
Andrew stayed next door at his house and Pete stayed as a guest at my place. During the night I had to wake up and do some updates on databases for work… It was a challenge and wore me out mentally. I only got a few hours of sleep and worried how I would perform on our longest day. We were scheduled to ride about 72 miles on day two. Yikers!
Here you can see that we are still happy about our adventure… Fools!
Day two started well. My right knee was a touch sore on the outside, but nothing I couldn’t ride through. I packed three Advil and promised not to use them. We got underway around 9:15 a.m. and rode strong for most of the day.
This is us posed below the Maryland Heights rock wall (which I have climbed) at Harper’s Ferry.
This photo is me standing outside a hidden cave that women, children and ex-slaves used to hide in during the Civil War. Very COo.oOL
Along the way, we ran into a section of the canal that was closed due to flood damage… We had to ride on the road for a bit. This was tough for me, because it was a bunch of moderate hills. Pete and Andrew made it look easy. As we passed a pasture full of cows, I thought to myself, “I sure am hungry.”
This was a nice milestone… Our century along the path! Notice that for some reason, we are still happy… What is wrong with us??
About 20 miles before our stop in Hancock, my knee sang out with excruciating pain. With 12 miles left, I didn’t think I would make it to our hotel in Hancock. I stopped and writhed in pain. I popped three Advil and gritted my teeth. I tried walking beside my bike for a minute to stretch it out and I couldn't even do that. I was considering calling Kristine and throwing in the towel. I literally could not walk without severe pain shooting through my knee and up to the base of my spine.
Andrew and Pete offered to cut our pace (~14 MPH) in half for a while and see how I did… I decided to bite the bullet and literally gritted my teeth for 15 or more minutes at about 7 MPH. It slowly warmed up and the pain subsided. I assume the three Advil were kicking in. We made it to Hancock and proceeded to the Triangle Bar and Grill on Main Street. Dinner was awesome… I was STARVING! We had burned more than 5,000 calories during that day’s ride (We burned 14,000 calories total over the 3 day ride!)
Once we got to our Hotel, we ordered pizza, wings and cinnamon bread. We ate another dinner. Yum!
The final day was cold! We went outside to a chilly 47 degrees… Burrrr! Mounting up, I realized just how sore my gluteus maximus was. It was swollen and sore and ready to be done with this ride. I had popped some Advil before leaving my hotel room, so the knee was under control. The day promised to be good.
We headed down to Weavers Restaurant and had the best breakfast that I have had in quite some time. I got cream chipped beef (SOS) on biscuits with two poached eggs on top. YUMMY! Everyone was so nice there. Afterward, we mounted up and got under way. It was our final day. A 60 mile ride lay before us. Prior to this three day weekend, I had never ridden further than 40 miles and now I was doing one and half times that or more each day!
The last day went quickly. My pain came and went furiously… Only to return again. My hands had lost all feeling in them, except an incessant tingling that threatened to drive me mad. My neck was tired and worn from supporting my head and helmet. Shoulders and traps were tight. I don’t even wanna talk about my triceps and forearms!
The Paw Paw tunnel is a magnificent and amazing creation. It is 3,118 feet long and took about 14 years to make. It is wicked cool!
Pete and I climbed up top for some shenanigans…
If you are claustrophobic, you will need to skip this one… It was pitch black in there and I kept feeling like I would simply ride off the trail and into the slimy canal waters. It was a bit freaky in there without headlamps. I had a headlamp with me, but refused to use it, because Andrew and Pete didn’t have one. In the immortal words of the Three Musketeers, “All for one and one for all!”
When we got to Lock number 69 I wanted a photograph. But a guy and girl were there making out. I felt weird about taking a photo with them in it. I considered asking them to “pose” under the Lock 69 sign. Then realized that it would be pointless and invasive. Instead I pedaled on thinking how funny it was that he had invited her to Lock 69 to neck. What a romantic… Actually, I was jealous that I hadn't thought of it… Heh!
The last ten miles were furious. I had just finished my audio book The Road by Jack Kerouac at mile marker eleven. What a fantastic autobiography straight out of the beat generation written by the king of beat! I dug it immensely and pondered upon the fragility of mankind in a preponderance of heaven and hell that surely came together to single-mindedly stare into my mind’s eye. Yeah man, right-on, ahem and all that stuff! You dig?
After Jack’s lovely book was done, I turned on some John 5 and cranked it. It was my turn to set the pace and I went too fast a couple of times. Was soooo hyper about the finish. I counted each of the last ten miles out loud. Chanted them and/or signaled with my fingers. Excitement forced its way through my body. I was electric and my inner self was on fire!
We rode the last mile three abreast. Three friends, nearly broken by the dirt and gravel trail, finally at our journey’s end. Triumphantly riding into Cumberland with our heads held high!
Standing before us was a group of nine people. Our waiting wives, families and friends! It was a magical moment. They had created a finish line banner for us. We burst through the banner to cheers. It was awesome!
Here’s the remnants of the banner… I wanted a picture of us riding through it, but was too tired to pull out my camera.
It is 184.5 miles to Cumberland via the canal path. Our jaunts off the canal added up to a total trip distance of 190 miles! Here we are at the very end of the canal towpath.
This is me and my son, Xander. He was proud of me and with an enormous smile, said, “Dadda!”
After the celebration, we went to the Manhattan Grill, two blocks away and drank champagne and ate a wonderful meal!
As usual, I must recommend this trip to everyone! Go up hill from DC to Cumberland, if you dig… I had to.
Click Here for our Garmin GPS information from the trip.
To see higher resolution versions of the above photos, click here
I will catch you on my next adventure…
Cheers,
Rip
May/091
Epic Bicycle Trek
I embellish… It wasn’t an epic in the true sense of the word. But, for Pete and me, yesterday’s ride was a small epic.
We decided to ride the Poolesville, Maryland loop based on a local rider’s information:
http://bikewashington.org/routes/westmc/westmc.htm
The ride is ~24 miles long and it incorporates 15 miles of road (some barely paved) and 9+ miles along the C&O canal. I was excited about this trek, because long trips on the C&O are sort of boring to me.
So, Pete and I met at the Monocacy Aqueduct in Dickerson, MD at approximately 8:08 a.m. We decided to ride the loop backward, so that we would end our ride on the C&O and we’d be going uphill (only about 2% grade albeit) on the canal. It turns out that the grade of the roads is considerably more and it wasn’t really important to worry about canal grade.
The weather was calling for severe thunderstorms and we wanted to beat them. We got underway in 69-degree cloudy weather. It was perfect out! W00t!
The first part of our epic started when Pete announced, “I’ve got my GPS, so I know where I’m going.” He then proceeded to pull ahead of me. Just when he got out of ear shot, I watched him pedal right past our first turn off. Shaking my head, I wondered if he would notice that he’d missed our turn, before he got to Rockville.
When I made the turn, I pulled off and dialed Pete on my mobile phone. He told me that he figured out that he had gone by the turn and was coming back… Thus our epic began.
Pete is in better cardio shape than me and he often pulls away. On one of these occasions, he was pumping by me on a slight uphill. It was apparent that we would need to switch to a lower gear. I followed the rules and eased up on my pedal pressure before downshifting. Pete on the otherhand, was pressing with all of his strength as he downshifted and I heard the loud clanking as his old bike struggled to find a lower gear and keep him moving. I thought to myself, I’ve got to explain to him about not shifting under such duress. Just as I thought that, he down shifted again using this same technique.
CRACK
Pete yelled out, “Uh oh.”
I inquired, “What?”
Guess what…? He had broken his chain.
Pete was getting worked up and cursing his bad luck. I explained that shifting like that is what had done this to him. I also calmed Pete by telling him, “Don’t worry… We have all of the right tools and everything’s cool. We’ll be back on the route in no time.” After calming him, I finished with, “There is only ONE thing that you must not do.” Pete looked at me and I said, “When you are pulling the links apart, do not pop the pin all of the way out.”
Pete held his chin high and announced, “Of course not.”
So, we started to work on removing the broken link and fix his chain. Moments into the repair, I reiterated, “Don’t pop the pin out.”
Pete sighed, huffed and puffed and then waved me off while he continued.
Suddenly, I heard a click and Pete said, “Oops.”
I could have smacked him! As you guessed, Pete popped the pin out of the chain, which turns a simple roadside repair into an hour-long adventure! While we fought to get that chain fixed, several big pickups flew by us at twice the posted speed limit. A couple of them tried to get close and frighten us.
Long story short, we struggled and finally got Pete’s chain back together. We were back underway.
On the road, we rode right past our next turn and kept going for several miles. By the time we realized our mistake, we had were pretty far off course. We backtracked and found a road that would connect us to our planned trail.
The rest of the ride was uneventful, and we only ended-up riding about 5 miles further than planned. We also were about 1 hour behind schedule, due to our roadside repair.
All-in-all, a fantastic day and wonderful ride… Not to mention the fact that we got to share in the fun of a roadside repair! Also, the weather held out for us.
Here is our GPS info from the ride:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/5550311
May/091
Bad Weather Didn’t Hinder
Pete and I rode 40 miles roundtrip today. It was horrendous weather... The rain was coming down pretty hard and the canal towpath was a solid trail of puddles, washouts and mud. 3/4 of the way through my trek and I started getting a chill that burned to the bone. My teeth chattered. What was I thinking??
40 miles was about as tough as I could imagine. Prior to this ride, the longest I'd ever done was 32 miles. My entire body is wrecked and I love it!!!
My wife almost didn't recognize me. I was covered head-to-toe with a layer of mud. I'm glad that we banged this out, but I don't think I will do a muddy rain day again... It's bad enough having my body destroyed, adding the cold and mud to it just made it relentless.
Pete was a trooper and he is in fantastic aerobic shape! I have some work to catch him by the time our real ride rolls around.
To see my GPS tracked ride information check here:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/4580912
May/092
Starting Out and Getting In Shape
We will be riding the C&O Canal from Washington D.C. to Cumberland, MD in the Fall of 2009. We'll be doing this over the course of three days on our bicycles.
I've started my training and I realized that even though I'm in excellent health and fit, I am not in bike shape! My aerobic capacity leave much to be desired, and my butt takes a brutal beating from long rides in the saddle!
I've only been riding for a week. One of those days was on the canal. I see a huge difference now between asphalt and canal towpath gravel and dirt... Ouch!!!
Today is going to be about a 40 mile day for me. And, my plan is to ride two short days (on the street, or on a recumbant bike) per week and one long day (on the canal) on the weekends.
The entire 3-day ride will cover about 160 miles, so we plan to do about 50-55 miles per day with two nights on the trail. Don;t get me wrong, we won;t be roughing it out there in the wilderness... The first night will be at my house, because I live in Brunswick, which is ~mile 57 on the canal. The second night will be in a B&B, motel or hotel.
Why am I doing this?, you ask... I like to have at least one fitness goal per year, that keeps me struggling to keep up throughout the year.
I'll try to keep you posted on my progress.
Wish me luck!