September 2007 Archives
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A list of fax by computer options.
Location:C&O Canal and Western Maryland Rail Trail (C&O Canal miles 122 to McCoy's Ferry (approx. mile 110))
Mileage:22.3
Average Speed:10.9
Notes
The kids and wife were gone for the weekend, so that meant some trail riding for me! I headed south to Hancock, MD to find a trailhead close to mile 122. I attempted to plan this ride so that I'd have a trailhead to start my next ride instead of having to start a ride in the middle of the intended ride.
After driving through Hancock and then getting back on Interstate 68, I found a trailhead at Fort Frederick State Park, which is probably in itself worth a trip back. This part of the trail is probably the most flat section of the trail, as I managed to go over 11 miles in total trail length and didn't encounter a single lock. The highlights of this trip include Big Pool and Little Pool, which are lakes that the canal boats would utilize on their trips.
After reaching my goal of mile marker 122, I turned around and headed back towards the car at Fort Frederick. Once I reached Little Pool, I took a crossover to the paved Western Maryland Rail Trail and took that about 6 miles back to the next opportunity to get on the C&O Canal.
I continued on to McCoy's Ferry which is the site of 2 Civil War crossings as well as a fairly large campground and parking area.
This trip was a good way to spend an absolutely beautiful day. The only negative was that as I was leaving the parking lot, a train came roaring past and stopped while blocking the only way to get out of the parking area. I'm not sure what happened, but the train was there for a good 40 minutes before moving again. Fortunately I wasn't in any hurry to get home.
