Easy 20 miles

I was hoping for 30 miles and the dog, bike, and I could have done it but I ran out of time. Nice fall colors and mild weather. 

Third leg of C&O trail

Too late for paw paw fruit but we made it to Paw Paw, WV. It was a longer than earlier legs - about 23 miles. The early miles had a strong wind in our face! This leg had long scenic sections of the Potomac River. Only a few short stretches of muddy rutted trail, but we did need to avoid walnuts. We saw a large turtle, mallard and wood ducks. Leafs starting to turn made this a pretty ride.

Mile Marker 156.2

Superintendent’s House

Adjacent to the parking area for the Paw Paw Tunnel, about a half mile from the upstream entrance to the tunnel, is a frame house that once belonged to the superintendent for this section of the canal. The superintendent was in charge of the maintenance for this section of the C&O Canal. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Mile marker 155                     

Paw Paw Tunnel

Made up of six million bricks and at three-fifths of a mile long, the Paw Paw Tunnel is considered the most notable landmark and greatest engineering marvel on the C&O Canal. It took 14 years and cost more than $600,000 to complete, coming in way over budget. The tunnel was built to eliminate six miles of canal and cut across a neck of land formed by the Paw Paw bends. Immigrant laborers worked on the tunnel in difficult conditions. A great deal of labor unrest including riots, strikes, violence, and even arrests, disrupted progress on the tunnel. (Source: www.canaltrust.org)

Smith Island, MD

We went to Tangier, VA last year but this time tried Smith. Boozie enjoyed the multitude of bird life.

Mantrailing at Appomatox

Great training week with Old Dominion SAR. Had another smoke bomb which is always educational to see. This year, instead of a Tellatubbie we got a ghillie suit.