08-02-2010, 06:57 PM
0
Day 3
I got up about 6 am, the little diner across the street was open, I had breakfast and a few cups of coffee. Went back got my bike out of the basement and loaded up ready to go. I noticed my chain had gotten rusty from the rain and my freewheel was kind of grinding. I head out into the hazy fog for the last few miles of uphill. 15 miles or so later I meet a guy, he tells me the lights are out in the Big Savage tunnel, be careful going through. A few minutes later I cross the eastern continental divide, then shortly after that I reach the big savage. I stowed my sunglasses and got out my flashlight, I wheeled right through there with my flashlite in my hand. You would never guess that a 3,000 foot tunnel could get so dark during the day.
Right about now I start going down hill, and I'm rolling 17-18 mph, even hitting 20mph at times. I'm making up for those 2 days of going up hill at 9 and 10 mph. I cross the mason dixon line and keep rolling down to Cumberland. I stopped and had lunch and stopped in a dollar store, got some water and liquid wrench for my chain and freewheel.
I rode for what seemed like ever, getting onto the C&O canal trail. At one point there was a tree down across the trail and I had to unhook BOB and the bike and carry them through the tree.
I rode for a long time, I tried to drink the brown water from one of the pumps but couldn't make myself do it.
That afternoon I came to the Paw Paw tunnel, it is on the canal, full of water and has the little tow path next to it, I wheel right on in. It got dark fast, I took my sunglasses off and got off the bike, pushing my bike almost just feeling my way through the tunnel. I don't even want to try to look for my flashlight or anything it is so damn dark.
I didn't know it, but this tunnel was just as long and dark as the last one. At one point I got my camera out of my pocket and took a couple pictures inside the tunnel around me just to see where I was. It was a long dark 3,000 feet. On the other side I talked to some guy for half an hour or so before I got going again.
Finally I came to a place called little orleans, all that was there was a campsite and Bill's. Bill's is a bar and little store, the only thing there. I ate there and bought some bearclaws for breakfast. Went across the street and set up camp. There was not running water so I stripped down to my bike shorts and took a dip in the Potomac river to was the mud and grime off of me.
There were a couple hillbilly girls there swimming, have I told you that I love hillbilly girls?
I worked on my bike, oiled the chain, douched out the freewheel with oil and looked at my shot to hell brakes. Then crawled in my tent and called it a night.
I was woken up by something chewing, I thought it sounded like raccoons in my bag eating my bearclaws or something. I even shined my light around a couple of times but saw nothing.
In the morning as I rolled up my tent and stuff I had to flick a couple of those cicada bugs off of my tent. Then I see little dime sized holes in the ground, the chewing I heard was those damn bugs in the ground chewing who the hell knows what.
I ate my bearclaws and stopped at Bill's that wasn't open and got a cold pop out of the machine out front and called it breakfast, and got on the trail.
I got up about 6 am, the little diner across the street was open, I had breakfast and a few cups of coffee. Went back got my bike out of the basement and loaded up ready to go. I noticed my chain had gotten rusty from the rain and my freewheel was kind of grinding. I head out into the hazy fog for the last few miles of uphill. 15 miles or so later I meet a guy, he tells me the lights are out in the Big Savage tunnel, be careful going through. A few minutes later I cross the eastern continental divide, then shortly after that I reach the big savage. I stowed my sunglasses and got out my flashlight, I wheeled right through there with my flashlite in my hand. You would never guess that a 3,000 foot tunnel could get so dark during the day.
Right about now I start going down hill, and I'm rolling 17-18 mph, even hitting 20mph at times. I'm making up for those 2 days of going up hill at 9 and 10 mph. I cross the mason dixon line and keep rolling down to Cumberland. I stopped and had lunch and stopped in a dollar store, got some water and liquid wrench for my chain and freewheel.
I rode for what seemed like ever, getting onto the C&O canal trail. At one point there was a tree down across the trail and I had to unhook BOB and the bike and carry them through the tree.
I rode for a long time, I tried to drink the brown water from one of the pumps but couldn't make myself do it.
That afternoon I came to the Paw Paw tunnel, it is on the canal, full of water and has the little tow path next to it, I wheel right on in. It got dark fast, I took my sunglasses off and got off the bike, pushing my bike almost just feeling my way through the tunnel. I don't even want to try to look for my flashlight or anything it is so damn dark.
I didn't know it, but this tunnel was just as long and dark as the last one. At one point I got my camera out of my pocket and took a couple pictures inside the tunnel around me just to see where I was. It was a long dark 3,000 feet. On the other side I talked to some guy for half an hour or so before I got going again.
Finally I came to a place called little orleans, all that was there was a campsite and Bill's. Bill's is a bar and little store, the only thing there. I ate there and bought some bearclaws for breakfast. Went across the street and set up camp. There was not running water so I stripped down to my bike shorts and took a dip in the Potomac river to was the mud and grime off of me.
There were a couple hillbilly girls there swimming, have I told you that I love hillbilly girls?
I worked on my bike, oiled the chain, douched out the freewheel with oil and looked at my shot to hell brakes. Then crawled in my tent and called it a night.
I was woken up by something chewing, I thought it sounded like raccoons in my bag eating my bearclaws or something. I even shined my light around a couple of times but saw nothing.
In the morning as I rolled up my tent and stuff I had to flick a couple of those cicada bugs off of my tent. Then I see little dime sized holes in the ground, the chewing I heard was those damn bugs in the ground chewing who the hell knows what.
I ate my bearclaws and stopped at Bill's that wasn't open and got a cold pop out of the machine out front and called it breakfast, and got on the trail.
