C&O- Origin Of The Trip

“A bike trip!” I said out loud to myself. I was on an empty section of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath last year and two laden bikes piloted by an older couple had just passed me. “A bike trip on a towpath would be awesome!” I said aloud again to no one. Smooth path, pleasant grade, towns along the way, what’s not to like. And so was born my plan for an adventure this year.

The O&E towpath in Ohio was all I knew, so I researched it first. Yes, there were guided trips on specific dates, with a group of strangers for thousands of dollars and it would take a week of scheduled hard riding to finish the 300 mile O&E. All of which made it seem more like work and less like fun. But in my searching I came upon Noble Invention Self-Guided Bike Tours. This outfit would help set up an itinerary for a personal bike trip, secure accommodations and transportation, and would do it all on your time table. All self-guided! Perfect!

I talked to my son, Will, and he was on board with the plan. Since he lives in DC, the C&O Canal Towpath came up as a possibility. At 185 miles, it was a nice length for a 5 day trip and by starting at the western end, in Cumberland, we could finish back in DC at his place. A tidy finish to the trip. (Also, going west to east is generally down hill.) So, with Noble Invention doing the arrangements, we just had to find a couple of gravel bikes to rent for the week and we were set. A family owned bike shop in Arlington, Big Wheel Bikes, had what we needed, and so we have reserved two aluminum frame Scott gravel bikes for our trip.

The C&O follows the Potomac River from Cumberland down to DC. There is a drop of roughly 700 feet over the 185 miles of the path. There is one tunnel, which may or may not be open, numerous waterfalls, multiple bridges and aqueducts, and much of the 1830’s and later architecture still extant. We are told the path is mostly gravel or dirt with some areas sketchier than others, but overall in reasonable shape. However, this is not just a coast down, as there are some hills and detours that provide “opportunities” for uphill travel. We have AirB&B’s set up for four nights along the way and will get our meals at restaurants. We could have camped, but Will doesn’t have the gear and frankly the bikes will be lighter without it. Plus a hot shower at the end of the day sounds pretty nice.

So until next week, happy trails…