Home to Hancock, Maryland:

May 15, 2012

Choose your poison...mud or hills.

The weather improved today and we were able to start our tour. The first 26 miles was a gentle pleasant ride to Cumberland, Maryland. The following picture is me standing beside the statue of the boy and the mule at the C&O canal terminus.

We decided to stay on paved roads instead of riding the muddy canal to Hancock Maryland. This resulted in five major hill climbs.

After topping the first big climb east of Cumberland we were treated to a great view of what are probably considered foothills of the Appalachians.

When traveling on Interstate 68 we would always see an American flag mounted on top of a pine tree above the highway perched on a cliff. Behind me is a steep drop-off down to I-68. One stumble and I would have tumbled down and livened up the day of eastbound drivers.

I always wondered how anybody got up there to maintain or replace the flag. It turns out what appeared to be a cliff is actually a shale ridge that is only about 3 feet wide at the top and which can be accessed from the two lane (3 lanes here) road we were cycling. I'm looking down on a nervous Rhona from the flag.

This was one of our first hallucinations. It almost appeared as if the swing-set was actually a reindeer.

Although the temperatures were pleasant, we were both pretty tired upon arrival at the hotel in Hancock, MD. We cobbled together a fancy meal from the nearby Sav-a-lot market and ate in the room. While dictating this message I experienced a leg cramp in my thigh. Fortunately the text-to-speech software does not recognize a scream.

Just visible on the horizon is a V-notch in Sideling hill. This is where Interstate 68 passes over the hill. We were sitting at what once was a popular tourist site when vacationing by automobile first became popular. Behind us is a beautiful hotel/restaurant property that is now empty and for sale. People stick to the interstate highway now and don't come on these roads even in cars. We were already tired and knew that traveling the 10 miles across the valley and over the hill was going to be brutal.

**Editor's Note: Based on the pictures from the first day some may question if Rhona even came along on the tour. After all, you can't make out her features in the only picture of her looking down from the flag pinnacle. I assure you she did come along and will appear in future pictures.

Today's ride: 68 miles (109 km)
Total: 68 miles (109 km)

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