Day 9: Paw Paw, WV

Date:            July 17, 2019
Distance:        24.5 miles
Average Speed:   9.3 mph
Maximum Speed:   21.7 mph
Feet Climbed:    384
Day Trip:        Williamsport to Paw Paw, WV

Disclaimer:  The internet is really bad here at the Bikepath B&B, so I will be brief (for me, anyway).

Two alarms went off at 7am because, unbeknownst to the other, Di and I had both set alarms.  We were both up early because breakfast was at 7:30 and we wanted to pack a bit because Rose, the owner of the Desert Rose Cafe across the street where we ate dinner last night, was going to pick us up at 9am to drive us 36 miles up the road. That would leave us with only 23 miles to ride.  Anyway, our plan didn't work because despite the alarms we stayed in bed until 7:25 and then jumped up and rushed to get downstairs by 7:30.

We ate breakfast with Stuart and Alan, two lawyers from Sacremento.  Stuart only deals with water rights issues and has actually argued a few times before the Supreme Court. (Water rights fights between states can only be resolved by the Supreme Court.)

We ate breakfast, hurried back to our room, packed our gear and were outside waiting for Rose a few minutes before Rose showed up.

Di quickly packing her stuff

 Rose drove us to Woodmont with the aid of her GPS because she said she had never been there before and neither had anyone else. 

Rose drops us off in the bustling town of Woodmont

The Maryland Trail is a paved bike trail that parallels the unpaved C&O Canal by 20 feet.  I don't know why this is.  We chose the path more travelled by, the paved one.    

On the Maryland Trail where Rose dropped us off

Di getting ready to ride the paved trail

Fancy bridge for a bike path

The Maryland Trail sometimes merges with the C&O Canal

Di hydrates on the C&O

This is lock 57 of the C&O Canal

Di and her perpetual quest for water

Back on the Maryland Trail

 The Maryland Trail merges with the C&O a number of times. This is done so you can never forget to appreciate how much better it is to ride on smooth pavement versus dirt. We really enjoyed being on the Maryland Trail except for that time when, without warning and many miles away from the C&O Canal, it abruptly ended.  There were no signs of instruction or apology, so we had to retrace our path until we found the C&O Canal and continued on that.

Hard to put a positive spin on this scene

We would be on the C&O Canal until Paw Paw, about 15 miles away.

Bike path is actually in one of the Canal locks here

Di detours around a fallen tree

Most times the former canal was dry and filled with vegetation

Sometimes it was filled with water (and algae)

Di hydrates again

And indulges in nourishment

We saw two deer on the trail

One of the deer checked us out for a moment

Eventually we came upon a sign for the Paw Paw Tunnel.  The Paw Paw Tunnel is over 3,000 feet long and dug by the C&O Canal.  Apparently, it is a feat of marvelous engineering lined beautifully with brick, but my main take-away is that it was really dark and creepy in there.

Figuring out the right way to get to the tunnel (that's it on the viewer's right)

The trail to the tunnel was a little eerie

And narrow

The canal path is wood planked here

Our first glimpse of the tunnel (eerier still)

Di bravely enters the tunnel

It is pitch black in the tunnel

Imagine going into a black hole and hearing the occasional sound of some night creature splashing in the water.  Think Phantom of the Opera, but more frightening and less musical.

Using my bike light, camera flash and highest ISO for tunnel illumination

Eventually we acclimated to the sound of mutant water creatures trying to get us and the dripping of liquids onto our heads and the irregular surface of the path and the large holes that make you think you could fall through to the water and reached the light at the end of the tunnel.

The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel

Di emerges from the tunnel

It was only a few miles of riding before we got to Paw Paw, but we didn't delay because it was starting to rain.

Every year a different name is placed on the sign

For those with wondering minds:
From Wikipedia: Paw Paw was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Morgan County on April 8, 1891 and named for the pawpaw, a wild fruit which grows in abundance throughout this region.


We rode into town and went to the first restaurant we saw, Amanda's.  We would later learn it was the only restaurant in town, though here the Dollar General and the gas station are also considered good sources of food.

At Amanda's for lunch

We were only at Amanda's for a few minutes before a torrential downpour began.  I went out on Amanda's porch to watch the storm up close. There is something comforting about a summer's rain when you are safely perched on a large porch. My coffee tasted better out there.

We went to the Bikepath B&B, met Dan, showered, talked with Dan, met the new guy who showed up after hiking all day, talked with him, went to the gas station to pick up some dinner, came back to the B&B and ate dinner on the bed, met another new guy who showed up after biking all day, then called it a day.

Sorry for the brevity and the hurried feel of this blog entry, but as I said earlier, it was necessitated by the unreliable internet here.

Tomorrow we will not ride but will instead get driven to Cumberland by Dan.