Day 77 – Aug 28, 2015 – Hancock MD – Shepardstown WV-43.5 miles

Day 77 – Aug 28, 2015 – Hancock MD – Shepardstown WV – 43.5 miles

It is hard to imagine we have only a couple more days left on this epic journey. Yes, it is actually coming to an end. But, nonetheless, we have to keep on riding to get there even if our minds and hearts are already slipping into the finale mode.

As our riding on the towpath of the C&O was not the most enjoyable ride we have had, we desperately looked for alternative ways to get to DC. All of the other routes include, in part, some of this bumpy trail. Today we started out on the Western Maryland Rail trail, which was a rail conversion and paved path. Wonderful, though it only lasted 10 miles.

We left the paved path at Ft Frederick MD by taking a road back to the C&O. As we rode, we passed some houses. Low and behold, there they were, two pick up trucks with confederate and US flags dangling from poles in the back. Gregg was shocked again and stopped at a distance to take a picture – he said he wanted to keep a distance so he wouldn’t get shot. Yes, blatant signs that these people….maybe believe in the KKK, maybe believe the Confederacy will rise again. Maybe they are outright racists or ignorant idiots? Probably a combination of the above. It is sad and offensive to see this. For some reason I seem to remember all of this from my youth. Every time we would drive out into the countryside when living in Washington we saw these pick up trucks. It was completely normal for me then. I just thought they were sad that the South lost the war. But it is more than that, and especially today, it is so completely disgusting. Gregg was pondering what would happen if someone on our street in Culver City would hang that flag? There would be picketing and protests for sure.

We rode on for another 15 miles along the towpath. It was actually a very beautiful day. At one point we rode on a short path of pavement right along the Potomac. We saw people fishing and boating. We got to a dam where a small Civil War skirmish happened. That’s really when the Civil War plaques started appearing. All of the sudden we were ridding past battlegrounds.

We met up with Chris, Mark and Tom, our touring buddies that we first met in Rockwood, just before we got to Williamsport. It was nice seeing them again. They travel a little faster than we do, since they have less load, and perhaps are in better shape. But in the end we all get to destinations within 30 mins of each other. Meeting people and meeting them again along a route is something that Gregg really likes. He misses that since it had been a big part of his touring life on the Pacific coast. The camaraderie of doing something like “this” together is kind of nice. We discuss the difficulty, the beauty, the animals we see, and the shameful confederate flags we observe along the way. These guys have really made these last few days a lot more fun.

I did have a strange experience today on the path. As I was riding along I came upon a tiny doe lying on a grassy part of the trail. She suddenly jumped up in front of me. I had to come to a quick stop because I almost hit her. “She” was lying in the grass just inches from the trail. She leaped into the thicket but not far. She stopped and looked at us, scared and shaking. She was very thin, alone, and on her last legs. Not doing too well. It was very very sad. I wish that little girl well and hope she finds the strength to be well and grow strong. I will remember her and believe that is what will happen.

At Williamsport we took a bold detour onto …. the road!!! We left our friends as they went back to the towpath. We took the meandering country roads we like so much. It was heaven. Rolling hills through the Maryland countryside with almost perfect pavement. We even embraced the steep climbs with a “sick” king of glee, as Gregg said. We were back on the roads and we loved it. These roads took us to the National Historic Battlefield Antietam where one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War was fought. Gregg knew a lot of the general outline of when, how, and why, and of course who, fought this battle. But the details, which were detailed on numerous plaques where too complicated to get into and understand. Gregg would have loved to have read details of the battle before we got here to appreciate it more. We still road to the top of one of the battle hills and stood there for a moment to look out over the cornfields and farm land and remember the horrors of what happened there 153 years ago.

A short ride down a hill brought us to Sharpsburg MD. It is a small historic town, pretty. We wanted to stop for a cold drink. The first little market, was gift shop and market, but they had a pallet confederate flag outside, I asked Gregg to ride on. We then located another place, the town tavern. We stopped there only to discover another large confederate flag flying above their door. Gregg said, one bar with a confederate flag was a curiosity for us, this is now getting offensive. As we stood there thinking what to do next a plastic root beer bottle comes flying out of a green pickup truck and hits Gregg in the arm. Someone threw a bottle at Gregg. This was the first act of hostility towards us, except for the occasional “coal roller” who blew diesel smoke at us when they passed us, that we have experienced across the country. Shame on these confederate yahoos!

No drama riding the next 5 miles over the Potomac to Shepardstown, a small cute college town. We got a hotel and walked to town for a nice Thai meal with our friends Chris, Tom and Mark. The day ended well. As Gregg said, nice to be in a Union state again. Just 2 more riding days and we will be in Washington DC (our soft End to our tour) before heading to Annapolis so our bikes can be bathed in salt water mist once again.