As you know, I live in Pittsburgh and love riding the GAP.  It's pristine and beautiful - the "supermodel" of rail trails. But I grew up in Arlington, VA, and to me the C&O Canal Towpath is like an old friend - sometimes wild and unpredictable, sometimes a bit lazy, but always magical. 

I had a wonderful ride on the C&O last week on a rare low-humidity August day.  It brought back some great memories. 

I left my mom's house in Arlington and rode down through Rosslyn and over Key Bridge into Georgetown.  I got on the C&O Towpath and started heading upstream.  

Just outside Georgetown is Fletcher's Cove.  Our Dad used to take us ice skating on the C&O here when we were kids. This is a shot of the Abner Cloud House, the oldest building along the entire C&O Canal. Abner Cloud operated a mill just upstream and built this house in 1801 to store grain and flour, while he and his family lived on the upper floors.

Next I passed Inlet Lock 1, where water is diverted from a dam in the Potomac into the Georgetown section of the C&O Canal.  There are 8 of these along the Canal.  By dividing the Canal into sections, if damage occurred to one of the sections, the canal company could close off only that section while it was being repaired (instead of closing the entire canal).  

I passed several other lockhouses along this stretch of the canal. In the 1800's, in exchange for a small salary, some land, and free rent in the lockhouse, the locktender was responsible for minding the lock 24/7.  

Some boats would come through in the middle of the night, and the boat captains relied on the locktenders to be highly capable and efficient, holding back over 140,000 gallons of water with each turn of the lock.  A mistake would mean disaster for the boat, its cargo, and the captain and his family and crew.

I saw several Great Blue Herons along the canal.  These are the largest herons in North America. They build their nests in large groups called rookeries in the Potomac River and along the canal.  They wade in the canal looking for food and will eat anything from birds to gophers to salamanders. 

At Mile Marker 9 there is an original mile marker indicating "9 miles to DC"!

Took a break at Great Falls and stopped at the Visitor's Center in the Tavern. The bench out front was where the famous debate between Marty and me occurred in 2010.  The river was running low but the falls were beautiful.  The Charles E. Mercer canal boat was not operating, as the canal is being dredged just upriver from Great Falls.

Went a few miles past Great Falls and then turned around and headed back.  A lot of people complain about the trail conditions on this stretch of the C&O, but on this day it was in pretty good shape aside from a few mud puddles.

Stopped in Georgetown and saw a Canal boat pass by.  There is a working lock here, and the boat passes through the lock four times a day in the summertime - at 10:50am, 12:50pm, 2:50pm, and 4:50pm.  I missed it but plan to come back to see it!

Ended the day at Tide Lock at Mile 0, just on the other side of Thompson's Boat Center. 

A fantastic day on the C&O!! 

Read more in "Get Up and Ride" 

More history of other places along the GAP & C&O: History (getupride.com) 

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