It was a smooth and enjoyable ride today. I passed over one of my favorite things on the canal system; an aqueduct. In a few locations, along this waterway, the canal is interrupted by a perpendicular ravine or river. The canal cannot easily go downhill and then uphill so to solve this problem they built a bridge to carry the water over the ravine. It is ingenious engineering.
I made it all the way to Brunswick yesterday. The massively broad Potomic is starting to narrow. There are more protruding rocks and stronger rapids in the river.
I selected the Brunswick family campground as my choice of lodging because they had showers. Upon arrival I was greeted by a very stern security guard who looked me up and down as if I was packin contraband. He escorted me to office where I paid $10 and was given a fluorescent yellow wrist ban. I was told that I must keep this on the entire time in the camp site, in order to thwart interlopers, I presume.
After getting set up I walked over to say hello to my campsite neighbor, Lynard Skynard reincarnated. There he sat on his folding camp chair, beer in hand, smoking a fat cigar wearing a Lynard Skynard tee shirt, emblazoned with a confederate flag. I was going to request that he turn down his slightly loud Lynard Skynard music but he interrupted me to tell me that Biden was going to ruin the country by taking away all the gas and how many Lynard Skynard concerts he had been to and on an on, bouncing from one subject to another.
While we were talking, or should I say while I was being lectured, a man walking down the road yelled over to us to tell us that he had a big beam, from the twin towers, and it had over 6000 signatures on it and if we wanted to sign it too, we were welcome to do so, if we came down to his campsite. We smiled and shook our heads in affirmation and went back talking. Certainly there is some kind of money payment involved in this one, I thought to myself. I glanced down the road and saw this pick up truck with a big trailer and there indeed was an I beam. About 30 " high and 8 feet long. I started thinking to myself, where did he get such a beam? I am sure the New York City Port Authority was not handing out the twin tower steel beans through the back door to family and freinds. Why are people signing this beam? For what purpose? I turned my head to look at Lynard and he was still talking. I have no idea about what, but by now I had forgotten about the music, made my apologies and headed back to my tent to settle in.
Today I woke to find the the varmints had gotten into my packs and ate all of my high calorie nutty chocolate power bars. The place was a mess and now there a high strung, hyperactive animals and flying squirrels running all over the campsite thanks to me.
Time move on. I cut off my fluorescent yellow wrist ban, packed up my gear and headed off. Today I compete the C&O canal trail in Washington DC, in Georgetown. Treating myself to a hotel room and a nice dinner.
