A Morning of Surprises

Day Five: Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Williamsport to Harpers Ferry, West Viginia

Today was the only day on the trip where we were on our own for breakfast. So we headed to the local Bob Evans, enjoyed our breakfast and then headed to the towpath in Williamsport for that day's ride. We sure spend a lot of time loading and unloading bikes. Some things never seem to change.




It wasn't long and the guys were ready to roll.




Today's itinerary was going to be a bit different from the previous day's rides. Rosy and I were going to drive the cars to our B & B in Harpers Ferry while the guys were going to ride the entire distance to Harpers Ferry that morning. We would have lunch together and then planned on taking afternoon OFF from anything related to biking. Yes, you read that right. We were going to take the afternoon off and do a little sightseeing by car. The Antietam National Battlefield was located near Harpers Ferry and we were all interested in seeing it.

Some things were not going to change that day. The towpath was still rutty and rough,




The scenery was still beautiful,




and Rosy and I would still be surprised by what we would find for that night's lodging.




The towpath held a surprise for the guys as well.

This was a pleasant surprise




but this not so much.




The sign should have said "over narrow, HILLY, paved roads".

As the guys made their way on the detour Rosy and I had arrived at our B & B. This is my kind of surprise.




Laurel Lodge is owned by Chris and his partner Ed and was every bit as nice on the inside as it was on the outside. We loved it. The inn was situated about a mile up from the river so we decided to leave both cars there and walk down to where we were gong to meet the guys.

Hey, kitty, we're walking not riding.




Rosy and I were so excited. This was the first real town we had been in so far on our trip. It even had stores. For shopping. Another happy surprise.




The city itself sits on the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers. It consists of the town of Harpers Ferry and a National Historical Park.

THE HISTORY OF HARPERS FERRY HAS FEW PARALLELS IN THE AMERICAN DRAMA. It is more than one event, one date, or one individual. It is multi-layered – involving a diverse number of people and events that influenced the course of our nation's history. Harpers Ferry witnessed the first successful application of interchangeable manufacture, the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. It was also the starting place of the Lewis and Clarke expedition.




I wish we would have had more time to explore. There was a lot of history in one little area.




While we explored Harpers Ferry the guys had made their way back to the towpath




and were enjoying the sights along the path.




The boys made their way to Harpers Ferry and we made our way to the towpath but one more surprise was in store for us that day.

to be continued....