ANOTHER ONE FOR THE BOOKS!

185 miles on the C&O Canal completed!!! We had a great time and Todd and the whole team did very well. Our biggest day was 38 miles! 

Todd had some challenges on this trail with some double tract and grass in the middle, which some historic canal trails have compared to rail trails, and also quite a big of mud and puddles after the rains. He has three wheels to think about placing and it took far more concentration than cycling on a smooth trail. It jostled him from side to side and took a lot more energy but it never lasted for more than a 10 mile stretch so not all day! Todd was very happy out there and his body felt strong. Even on the day we left after noon, waiting out the cold, damp rain, he was very stiff with cold hands, but the cycling and the spinning of his legs warmed him up. He is usually ahead of all of us! And we catch up when he has to pee! 

There was a ton of wildlife on this trail: lots of deer, Canada geese with baby goslings, a red fox trying to eat a large snake, thousands of turtles in the water-filled canal as well as snappers and box turtles, a hummingbird on a nest, black vultures, herons. Monstrous, old growth trees decorated the sides of the canal trail. Cottonwood down filtered through the air, which was thick with the sweet scent of multi-flora roses. A lovely breeze blew most days and the river rocked and rolled by our sides always.

Our team of helpers were fantastic. Rod Mann, our excellent shuttler and bike mechanic was the number one star, which we could not do what we did without him. Rod dropped us off, unloaded the bikes, met us halfway through the day to switch out Todd’s battery, have lunch, and see how everyone and their bikes were doing. And, we found ice cream for us after every ride! Beth Ellen Pennell orchestrated amazing meals, including gourmet lunches and snacks, like salmon spread on crackers and almond bars, and delicious dinners, and helped in every other way.Leslie Krater was Beth’s right hand kitchen girl and did everything else too- loaded, unloaded, helped hook up Todd on his bike and she always stayed behind us, making sure we were alright. Walt Krater was the guy we all needed on the trail- the fixer, and the strong one, and the guy who helped me take Todd into the porta jon and helped me with my RV- hooking it up and leveling it etc. and every other job.Then there were our wonderful hosts for three nights, Joel Anderson and Brigetta Schwoyer at their beautiful, historic farm outside Thurmont. They cooked for us and welcomed us into their kitchen and helped us shower our dirty, mud-streaks bodies, and talks and laughed with us and felt like warm family. 

Some of our favorite moments were walking through the PawPaw Tunnel, (which Todd rode through) with the water-filled canal to our side in the darkness, and rope burns carved into the wood from the mules pulling the loaded canal boats so long ago. Another favorite stretch was the long concrete trail that was built to extend out over the Potomac River and hovered above it. This trail was different from the Great Allegheny Passage as it had tons of locks and historic lock houses, and aqueducts, and the GAP had massive bridges, wind turbines and tunnels and both were so wonderful to ride. We saw an amazing number of long distance cyclists on these trails as it is one of the most popular and best in the entire country. The last time we cycled the C&O in its entirety, was 35 years ago when Sierra was 1 1/2 and I was pregnant with Bryce. It was 105 degrees and every five miles at the campsites and water pumps, we swam in the river or played in the water pump to stay cool- While we cycled, the breeze kept us cool! Good memories and now we have made more!

So this brings us to 335 miles to date. Once again, we returned home because we were close by to do wash, regroup and wait out another stretch of rain. We will return to cycle the last stretch of PA, W VA and go into eastern Ohio before calling it quits for the spring. It will get too hot and we have learned that high heat is too hard for Todd’s neurogenic body to manage. Last May on a bike trip with our veterans, he couldn’t rid his body of the heat and started to shiver and we got scared, so we wait it out until the fall to cross the Midwest on the Great American Rail Trail.

We managed to get a good half dozen different newspapers to cover our trip and share our mission of how important accessible trails are for everyone, including the disabled. And the TV news WFMZ will be visiting us at home here on our break to do a story. 

If you want to follow us, and have not subscribed to my blog, http://www.cindyrosstraveler, and if you want to support our endeavor, check out http://www.cindyrosstraveler.com/road-to-recovery/ Please send us good wishes and prayers that we can continue to go forward and spread the word that nature helps heal.  

We love you all and appreciate you.

Cindy & Todd and Todd’s Road to Recovery Team