September 20 – 24, 2024

After our long day out at Gettysburg our next one would be low key, centered on getting a bike ride in on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) and exploring the area around the Airbnb.  It had rained overnight so we waited a bit for the pavement to dry before heading out of the house and down to the bridge over the canal that gained us access to the tow path we would ride on. 

Occasionally called the Grand Old Ditch, the canal operated from 1831 until 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, D.C., and Cumberland, Maryland.  It replaced the Potomac Canal, which shut down completely in 1828, and could operate during months in which the water level was too low for the former canal. The canal’s principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny Mountains.

Construction began in 1828 on the 184.5-mile canal and ended in 1850 with the completion of a 50-mile stretch to Cumberland, and had an elevation change of 605 feet which required 74 canal locks, 11 aqueducts to cross major streams, more than 240 culverts to cross smaller streams, and the 3,118 ft Paw Paw Tunnel.  In 1938, the abandoned canal was obtained from the bondholders by the United States in exchange for a loan from the federal Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and it is now the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park.

This being only my second bike ride since June and remembering how badly the first one went in Kansas City, I just wanted to get in ten easy miles or so, and we were able to accomplish that.  The path is smooth and flat which makes sense as it follows the canal.  Like other former rail trails, this one leads you through a tunnel of trees and other foliage, the remains of the canal just off to the side. 

At the five-mile mark we hit Dam 4 for a brief rest and then turned around to return to the house, feeling tired but knowing it was just one small step towards getting back into shape.  With an afternoon to fill we put on our tourist mind set and drove out to the nearby Washington County Rural Heritage Museum near the small town of Boonsboro.  Beginning as a small vision during the 1990s, the property has grown to include three large exhibit buildings, a rural village homestead and a Rural Heritage Village that features a growing assortment of buildings from the 1800s. 

We would only visit the museum buildings, starting with the first which provides a glimpse of pre-1940 everyday life in Washington County.  Exhibits include an authentic country store, four rooms furnished in farmhouse style of the Victorian era, examples of vintage clothing, antique children’s toys, textiles with information on how they are processed, plus exhibits featuring communication technology of the era.

Next up was Building Three, which tells the story of travel during an earlier period ranging from the era of horse-drawn buggies and sleighs to the horseless carriage known as the automobile.  Highlights include Hammonds Garage, a replica of an early auto repair shop, a 1928 Ford fire engine contributed by the Maugansville Volunteer Fire Company, and an early Conestoga wagon that traveled the National Road from Baltimore to Wheeling.

We spent a couple of hours in both buildings, admiring the effort that goes into these places that honor the history and tradition of the rural areas of our great country.  We’ve visited many, from the Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum in Baton Rouge to Vermilionville near Lafayette in the south, and many others during our journeys.  All have been rewarding and well worth the time, cost, and energy it takes to appreciate what one sees before them. 

We finished at the Museum and then made our way to Williamsport to stop in at at The Cushwa Basin Visitor Center located at mile 99.8 along the C&O Canal towpath.  Situated at the confluence of the Conococheague Creek and the Potomac River, Williamsport was first settled in 1740.  A half-mile rewatered section of canal leads through the turning basin, under the only railroad lift bridge on the canal, and continues to Lockhouse 44 and the adjacent lock.

It’s a small center attached to the former Cushwa warehouse, so we didn’t stay real long, but did engage with the friendly on duty ranger who turned out to also be from the West Coast.  After dawdling a bit more we returned to the house for a quiet evening, feasting on the German food leftovers from the night before and some other vittles we’d brought with us. 

Our drive the next day would just be four hours, which was good as we needed a late checkout from the Airbnb as I had a video call with my surgeon for the three month follow up on my hip.  He was happy with my progress and released me from the restrictions that come with the operation (no bending past 90 degrees, no leg crossing, etc.) and so, car loaded, we were soon on our way to Absecon, New Jersey to visit with Joanna’s good friend Janet. 

We soon arrived at the Holiday Inn Express Absecon where we have lodged once or twice before when visiting the area.  Although we are loyal Best Western consumers, I do like the room set ups for the Holiday Inn and their daily breakfast offerings are a step above the usual fare found at the places we stay.  And usually coming in at $150 a night, we scored a bargain at $102 a night. After unpacking in our first-floor room near the lobby (convenient for getting our bikes in and out) we picked up Janet at her apartment and drove to nearby Smithville for a delicious meal at the historic Smithville Inn.  We’ll cover that meal and the rest of our time in New Jersey in the next post. 

Links

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm

Washington County Rural Heritage Museum: https://www.ruralheritagemuseum.org/

Cushwa Basin Visitor Center: https://www.nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/williamsportvisitorcenter.htm

Vermilionville: https://bayouvermiliondistrict.org/Vermilionville/

Louisiana State University Rural Life Museum: https://www.lsu.edu/rurallife/

Holiday Inn Express Absecon: https://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/absecon/abcnj/hoteldetail?cm_mmc=GoogleMaps-_-EX-_-US-_-ABCNJ

Smithville Inn: https://www.smithvilleinn.com/