Bike tour to Harper's Ferry, WV

The following post was found as an unpublished draft I had intentions to post in August. Now that I've rediscovered it, I've gone ahead and added the pictures and cleaned it up, where appropriate.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Seems like nowadays my traveling adventures in DC are being manifest through bike touring. No apologies necessary, I'm lovin' it. Without having a car, biking is proving to be the most versatile method of transportation both within and outside the city: as  my weekend-getaway-machine it's fast enough to get many miles out of the city in one day yet slow enough to take it all in.

Many months ago when I learned that Harper's Ferry was only 60 miles up the Potomac River from DC I knew I would one day have to make it a weekend bike+camp. Problem for a while was the weather (too hot during the day to bike and then too hot at night to camp) and also other weekend obligations. I had had reading I wanted to get done or errands to run. Not this weekend!

Knowing from past bike trips that I could get 60 miles done in a half-day I woke up lazily on Saturday morning, made some breakfast, went produce shopping at the local farmer's market and then cleaned up and loaded my bike with all the gear. Packed this trip was my 3 person tent, a sleeping pad, a change of nighttime clothes, extra water, a book, headlamp, toothbrush and paste.

I set out from Capitol Hill at noon on the dot, loaded down with two rear pannier bags and a tent and sleeping pad bungee-corded down to my rear rack. Past all the tourists and launching down the Hill, I set off towards the White House before detouring through Georgetown until I hit the C&O canal towpath. This would be my route for the next 60 miles.

Historically, I was riding a marvel of engineering from the mid-19th century. The canal, situated parallel to the Potomac River, was the precursor to the railroad industry, and later the interstate highway system. When shipping cargo by land proved too burdensome, canals acted as a time-saving means of transport for goods and materials across the eastern parts of the United States. The towpath that I was riding along was never more than 10 feet from the canal itself, which at times was dried up or was laying claim to a large variety of weeds and wildflowers. No longer operational, the C&O is a vignette of pre-modern America; the railroad industry was only a decade or two behind and proved much more efficient as a means of transporting goods and people. In any case, it made for a beautiful and historic ride.

Lockhouse 6 just across the canal from the bike path

Bike path on left, algae-covered-Swamp-Monster-breeding canal to the right

The ride also took me past Great Falls, the waterfall sightseeing location of the area. It's a popular day hiking spot for the outdoorsy folk in DC who don't want to travel too far from the city but still get out into Nature.

The ride went quickly. I was taking in all the new scenery and keeping myself busy with lots of thoughts and plans for my next couple of months. My big news it that I'm moving back to Germany near the end of the calendar year to complete a two month internship in Berlin. So, I had plenty to think about in terms of things left to do in DC, flights to book, train tickets to buy, etc, etc.

Before I knew it I was right across the river from Harper's Ferry, a small town on the border of West Virginia. After biking for so long on so little calories -- I had an apple and chocolate bar for snacks -- I was ready to chow down on some real food. I parked my bike under the bridge, fished out my wallet, bike lock, keys, and phone from my pannier bags, and made my way across the pedestrian bridge to the first restaurant I laid eyes on. I couldn't tell you the name of that place if I tried, but all I knew was that they sold root beer floats and hamburgers and that would make me a happy camper.

A rare photo of the meal. Mere seconds later, GONE

After polishing off the weird mac-n-cheese burger, licking my finger tips clean like a king, I doubled back to my bike and cycled down the path to the campground I had picked out on my ride in. It was 6 miles away on a full and happy tummy and when I got there I pitched camp and wandered around the sleep town nearby.

As it turned out, the sleepy town was having their last "movie-in-the-town-square" gathering of the season. I approached the square to see a canvas stretched across with a projector behind it playing the Andy Griffith show. Nearby some moms were passing out red Kool-Aid and popcorn and people were mingling with their kids and neighbors. It felt very homey to be part of the scene.

(whistles the intro)

The movie of the night was Monster's U: the follow-up film to Disney's Monster's Inc that explained how the two main characters, Mike and Sully, came to know each other. I ended up staying to watch the whole film. Afterwards I chit-chatted with some of the residents who told me I just had to try to the 24/7 diner up the hill, and knowing that I had been deprived of Waffle House for the past several months in DC I was all but willing to ride my bike uphill to find a greasy spoon that would serve me too-strong coffee and soggy waffles at any time of night.

I slept like a rock. I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to ride the 60 miles back to civilization and get ready for the next week of work. I was recharged and happy.

Good morning Mr. Sun

All in all, a weekend well spent. The weather was great, the miles were easy, and I had too many pleasant surprises along the way to count. I enjoyed the weekend so much I later did the same itinerary twice more: once with a coworker from the Fed, Ellen, and then my last and final trip alone. It is a very nice outlet from the city, where the hustle and bustle can be quite overwhelming at times. Every now and again it's nice to get out into a place to simply hear silence.