9/13/2012

It is Thursday evening, and I am sitting in my comfortable living room, watching the news and eating strawberry-rhubarb pie. If you haven't tried this pie, you must, as it has become my favorite pie. As I am no longer engaging in extensive exercise every day, I must cut my calorie intake, which is why the pie is not a la mode.

Yesterday, I left Harper's Ferry at 8:40 am, headed towards Georgetown in Washington, about 62 miles away. I started at a fast pace, as I had agreed to meet Sonia at Great Falls, just outside of Potomac, MD, at 1:30 in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day and it felt good to be alive, while racing down a rocky dusty path. I traveled past a few small towns such as Brunswick, and promised myself to pay a visit one day. The ride was tough as the C&O Canal path is very rocky, with deep ruts, making the surface feel very unsteady. I stopped at about 10:15 to have a light snack. Since I've given up Skittles, I switched to real fruit, and devoured a banana, along with a couple of peanut butter crackers. I can't describe how good that banana tasted.

I talked briefly with an older man who filled me in on his exercise routine, which included walking 1 hour a day. As he walked, he smoked a big cigar, and as I passed him, I reminded him that his walking would keep him alive for at least another 20 years. I kept up my reasonable pace, keeping in mind my goal of reaching Georgetown, and before I realized it, I was running over a 10 foot black snake! I instinctively pulled up my feet and YELLED! I have no idea why I yelled, except to say that it was my body trying to express FEAR. I had passed another snake a couple of days earlier, but as I passed him, his head was lifted in the air and he appeared to be directing traffic as I zoomed ahead. 

I reached Great Falls at about 1:00 pm, which was earlier than I had anticipated. Sonia arrived at about 1:20, a bit frustrated, as she had gotten lost and had a difficult time finding Great Falls. We shared a hot dog and a Coke, and I took off for Georgetown at 2 o'clock, realizing I had only 15 miles to go. At about 3:30 I arrived in Georgetown and was reminded why I like visiting Washington. A young, vibrant city with a Hershey ice cream store. I have never seen a Hershey ice cream store, which is similar to a Haagen Dazs store. Multiple different flavors, which I believe is the best ice cream, bar none!  I got in discussion with the proprietor about Hershey's ice cream. He was from Pakistan, but gave me the 153-year history of the Hershey company. As he talked, I thought "I should know this information".

Sonia and I headed towards Baltimore after eating our ice cream and later that evening, I found myself lying on the couch, watching the baseball game. All of a sudden, my body experienced a depth of exhaustion that I can honestly say I have never experienced. My breathing was deeper and slower than I remember it being in a long time. It felt good to be physically exhausted, as my parents and grandparents probably felt on a daily basis, as they toiled doing hard labor to support their families. I traveled a total of 339 miles and yes, it feels good to be alive and exhausted.

Rick 
Note from Jane: Rick plans to blog over the weekend, summarizing the highlights of his trip, so please check back next week for updates!

Rick's photos

Mission Accomplished

Rick biked a total of 339 miles!! He will update the blog, one last time, sometime today. Stay tuned!

The last 50!

Notice the apple and banana (replacing the Skittles)!

September 11th

Today is Tuesday, September 11th. It's hard to believe that 9/11 occurred 11 years ago. My families' thoughts and prayers will be with all those who lost loved ones on that day. We will continue to pray for all the Military personnel who put their lives on the line every day!
I left Hancock, MD today at 9:40 am headed towards Shepherdstown, West Virginia, about 57 miles away. As I start out every morning my legs feel very heavy, and it takes a good 10 miles to get them functioning well. I kept a pretty good pace and arrived in Shepherdstown at about 3:05 pm. The trail took a detour, as part of the C&O Canal was closed for repairs. The detour route was well-marked and took me on country roads for about 6 miles. Biking the roads was somewhat different than biking the paths, as the bike paths are fairly level compared to the roads, where I encountered some significant hills. Going up those hills gave me a great workout. Traveling down them was great fun, as I got up to speeds of 30 mph, and of course made great time. When I arrived at Shepherdstown, I decided to push on to Harper's Ferry as it was still early and I felt strong enough to keep going. As I approached Harper's Ferry, I missed the location where I was to meet Sonia and traveled about 1.5 miles further, past Harper's Ferry. I had to turn around and bike 1.5 miles back. Upon finding the location, I had to carry my bike up about 40 steep steps,and then bike over a bridge to get into Harper's Ferry to finally meet up with Sonia. The mileage I biked for the day was 70 miles, with a total mileage since leaving Pittsburgh of 278.
The first thing I did upon arriving was to get a large Coke with lots of ice. I can' t describe to you how good that tasted, as well as the surge in energy from that wonderful sugar. My normal diet has been to eat a light breakfast and then to stop occasionally, for only about 7-9 minutes, and eat a light snack and drink some water. The key has been to keep the breaks to a minimum amount of time, otherwise your legs stiffen up and your ride becomes much harder. At times I have needed instant energy and I have snacked on Skittles. Now I know what you are thinking-Skittles? How about fruit, such as apples or bananas? Well, I am pretty sure Skittles have some fruit in them - at least until today when I read the ingredients. Guess what? NO FRUIT. I was shocked, and will be switching my diet tomorrow to apples and bananas.
Sonia and I checked into a B&B in Shepherdstown. I took a quick shower and had dinner at the Bavarian Inn, enjoying good German food. I find that with so much exercise I am not really that tired at night.
Well, it's time to say "Goodnight" as I attempt to hit the sack. I am currently watching the Orioles play and they are leading 7-1. This is a great time to be a Baltimore sports fan!
Rick

Photos!

Today is Monday, September 10th, and I am currently watching the Ravens game with the owner of the Bed & Breakfast where we are staying. I left Cumberland today at about 9:50 am, and I reached Hancock, MD at exactly 4 pm. I ended up biking 62.5 hard miles. The C&O Canal is a more difficult path to ride than the Allegheny Passage. The path is made of loose stone and isn't compacted like the Allegheny Passage. In addition, the path has some tree debris scattered here and there, and you have to be careful. I discovered that the squirrels have a rust color, as though they rusted from the inside to the out. They are actually quite beautiful, with rust colored fluffy tails. I felt like they were playing "head games" with me, as it seemed like they were playing the game "chicken". As I biked towards them, they would stand up on their hind legs, look directly at me, and then as I swerved at the last second to avoid hitting them, they didn't move but looked at me with a "smirk" on their face! 
The C&O Canal path has some beautiful scenery. I felt at times as though I was going back in time. I could visualize possible battles of the Revolutionary War or the Civil War. I could also imagine barges being pulled up the canal by horses, and possibly slaves manning the process. At times, the canal took on a feeling of the deep south, with huge trees providing a shady canopy.
The canal path from Cumberland to Hancock was quite isolated, without any "trail towns" or cell phone service. It wasn't well traveled, so you are completely on your own if something happens, which I found exciting.
Sonia and I had dinner at "Bill's", which was a combination of a motorcycle biker bar and fisherman/hunter hang-out. There were 6 older men playing poker and drinking beer, while at the same time, breathing from oxygen tanks. These gentlemen were real characters, but seemed to be taking their poker game pretty seriously. We actually had a great dinner, enjoying good conversation with bikers I had met on the trail.
The Ravens game is finally over with a big win. GO RAVENS!
Rick