Monday, September 14, 2020
Clinton, TN to Cumberland, MD
Highlights: New River Gorge Bridge and the C&O Trailhead
We spent the day driving 500-plus miles from our house in Clinton, Tennessee, to Cumberland, Maryland, mostly through scenic West Virginia. In order to bring the bikes, we had to take our 21-year-old SUV that we usually just drive locally – not nearly as comfy as my car. It was the first time we'd had Old Yeller out of state in years!
Scenic drive to Maryland
New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville, West Virginia
Old Yeller rides again!
We reached Cumberland around 6:30 and immediately hopped on our bikes for a quick spin before dark. The hotel was adjacent to the C&O Canal Towpath, just yards away from the end of the trail at milepost 184.5, where tomorrow we begin our ride. The end of the C&O Trail is also the beginning of the 150-mile GAP Trail, so the truly ambitious can combine the two for a continuous 334.5-mile off-road ride between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Wow!
There are seven visitor centers throughout the C&O National Historic Park, but this being 2020, they're all closed. That's a bummer because we wanted to pick up an official NPS brochure and map to reference on our ride. Luckily, Tom was able to flag down a park ranger driving down the street this evening, who had a few brochures in his car.
The trailhead
Destination thataway!
Running out of daylight, we took the bikes to our room and ventured out on foot to the Baltimore Street Grill in Cumberland's downtown historic district, a brick pedestrian mall just a five-minute walk from the hotel. It was a nice night, and we dined outdoors on a burger and cheesesteak, with a couple of Oktoberfest beers.
Outdoor dining in historic downtown Cumberland
Lodging: Fairfield Inn, Cumberland, MD. This hotel was recommended to us as bicycle friendly by Tom's cousin Nathan, who lives Cumberland. Indeed, we were able to roll our bikes right into the hotel, up the elevator, and into our room. They even had a selection of common bike tools and an air compressor for filling tires located by the side entrance. Very cool.
Packed and ready to roll
Tom
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