Day 66: Old Town to Williamsport, 43 miles. An Epic Day all Around!

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Pete's Epic Malfunction: he survived to tell the tale!

One more day!  Stephanie agreed to SAG today.  Lance, Lisa, Pete and I set off on a crisp sunny morning after a leisurely morning at the school house.  We had heard from cyclist Mitch that there was a paved trail paralleling the C&O that we could pick up in Little Orleans.  Since we needed to SAG around the Paw Paw Tunnel anyways, Stephanie drove us over the mountain on a gravel road to the trailhead.  We were thrilled to see a black bear cross the road in front of us while enroute.  Lisa remarked that she was glad that we were in the car as opposed to on bikes.

The Western Maryland rail trail was smooth and easy to navigate.  We enjoyed the fall air and ease of travel.  At Hancock we left the trail to look for lunch.  ONE restaurant was open and they had a 30 minute wait due to not having enough waitstaff and cooks.  We're retired, we have time!  And how could you not want to eat at a restaurant named "Buddylou's Eats Drinks and Antiques"?  And.....they are famous for their fried chicken livers.


While there, we met up with trail friends Rob and Evelyn, the tandem people from California.  We enjoyed hearing their escapades at their last night's lodging and shared a lot of laughs.  Stephanie also met up with us and switched SAG duties with Lance.  We all pedaled out to Fort Frederick for a brief tour and break from the trail.

Lisa inspecting the barracks

Today the trail was so beautiful.  The trees were huge, they seemed to be hundreds of years old.  Most were Sycamores but others were just as large.  And........we picked up Paw Paws and put 'em in our panniers..  Evelyn had told us how to recognize the trees and the smell of the ripe fruit on the ground.  Pete shook the tree and I picked up Paw Paws way down yonder in the Paw Paw patch!  The trail had smoothed out a bit and the afternoon light was, once again, lovely on the Potomac.  

Fellow trail user



It's been the ride of a lifetime!  We spent much of the day brainstorming plans to avoid Ian's rain and wind.  Our fearless route planners Pete and Stephanie set a plan in motion.   Tomorrow we embark on the last stretch which will be shortened up a bit due to the impending rains and winds.  We have been blessed by the people we met along the way and certainly by our riding companions.  We are especially blessed by Stephanie and Lance who made the last days much more fun!  Wonder what adventures tomorrow will bring?

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