C & O Cumberland to Hancock 8

This is Lock 32 along the C & O and provides an idea of how narrow the boats had to be to pass thru these canals.

I climbed down into an area of the canal that did not have standing water to get a pic of a lock.

This is Lock 32 and the log house that must have served as a residence for the lock keeper.

I ran into my blue buddy one last time as I rode along the canal. He/she and I met about 10 times during the day. It seemed like every time right after I snapped a pic he/she would take off east and wait on me down the line.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock 7

The canal had some spots that were a lot wider than usual. This was one of those spots with some unique looking ducks on the far shore. These were different than the regular ducks i have seen so far. They might be wood cocks --I need to look them up.

It may be worth it to enlarge the pic to take a peek yourself.

Closer look at those ducks.

Another look at the Potomac River which is never very far away from the canal.

Just another typical scene that seem to come along very often as you ride along--wonderful stuff.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock 6

The scenery along the C & O was mostly trees for a long while and it was tough to see very far beyond them but there were sections where it opened up to beautiful country scenes. What caught my attention about this farm was the 2 flags on the right. When I got closer I learned why they were there.

There is a small well kept cemetary about 100 yards off the path. It is dedicated to a Confederate civil war soldier . I have seen several references to the Confederacy in Maryland and it is evident that although Maryland was considered a Union state there must have been a good many Southern sympathizers there.

The guy buried in this grave was born on the farm in above pic--fought in the Civil war for the South--returned home--married and lived til 1916.

It is coming across neat things like this that makes a trip like this very special.

this tells the story of the above mentioned fellow.

This was the scene directly to the right (west) of the cemetary. Not sure what those mountains are but it was kinda surprising to see them after looking at tree trunks for the previous 30 miles.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock 5

This guy kept flying away ahead of me everytime I would get close . This lasted for several miles and I felt like we were buds after awhile.

Another one legged goose. They are very common along the canal. It must have something to do with the stagnant water they stand in.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock Md 4

Scene along the canal. The Potomac River is less than 100 yards on the right (south).

At several points along the path (heading east)you can see the canal on your left and the Potomac River on the right. This was one of those places that reinforced the feeling that I am one of the luckiest people on the face of the earth. Everyone should be fortunate enough to see this place like I did.

This was the second rider I saw this day and when he got closer I was surprised at the interesting way he was dressed--all in black. The path is narrow here so I got off to one side so he could pass. He was loaded for long range travel , riding fast and would not make eye contact.

Another pic of how the canal curves . The Potomac is very close on the right.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock 3

I came across several interesting kinds of wild life. This was one of the more unusual specimens. Probably the largest frog I have ever seen. At minimum this is by far the largest head I have ever seen on a frog.

These 2 ducks were strange in that they only had 1 leg each.

This owl was unusual because you just do not see many red owls anywhere. Once the word gets out ,I can imagine all sorts of bird watchers checking this guy out so they can list it in their book of distinctive rare birds observed in the wild.

I am not sure what these soccer blls were doing in this place. There has to be some type of interesting story behind how they got there in the middle of no where.

C & O Cumberland to Hancock 2

There are many many scenes like this along the route. In my opinion some of the neatest stuff I have seen so far.

It is frustrating in that the camera does not capture the distinctive green that you see so many places along the canal.

I saw only 3 bike other riders on this part of the path. This lady was ahead of me for a mile or so and then she was not there anymore. She sort of disappeared and there were no side paths I could see for her to go. I was thinking that this may be one of those ghost deals you hear about during Halloween time.