C&O Trail from Hancock, MD to Harpers Ferry, WV
This is the 5th day of our ride from Pittsburgh to DC connecting the Great Allegheny Passage to the C&O Trail. This was a long day covering 72 miles with a detour around a damaged portion of the canal. To get to Harpers Ferry you need to carry your bike up a steel staircase onto a railroad bridge.
C&O Trail Bike Trip (Cumberland MD to Fort Frederick State Park)
Video log of my solo bike camping trip on part of the C&O towpath trail in 2012.
bicycling across America, Wyoming
pack a lunch, this is a long video. I enter Wyoming on HWY20 and on this day I ride about 85 miles to the Junction of HWY20 and I-25. I encounter large thunderstorms on the way.
I tweet @DavefromTWJ
ThreeWheelJourney has a Facebook page, just search ThreeWheelJourney
If you do visit Douglas, read a little about a cowboy named George W. Pike. He is buried in the town cemetery
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Something I was told after I made this video, is that if you a planning to visit Douglas WY during the State Fair, you will have a hard time finding a place to camp in the City Park. The KOA campground might be tough too. A touring bicyclist may be able to slip into the campground around the edges, but there is no guarantee. The hotels in town are usually booked as well, so you might have to ride a couple miles out of town and find a place to camp on the open range. (of course you can come into town, enjoy the fair, take a shower and return to the open range in the evening)
here are the dates for the State Fair in Douglas for the next 3 years
13-20 Aug 2011
11-18 Aug 2012
10-17 Aug 2013
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The ThreeWheelJourney Award of Excellence is bestowed on Douglas WY
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official bicycle map of Wyoming (in PDF)
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SHOUT OUT Please go check out Robbie Sage's music on bandcamp, you can listen free. He is AMAZING, and I mean that... so seriously go check it... it's the third link down (Robbie is spread out all over the internet... and he's riding around the world on a bike!)
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This video filmed with Flip UltraHD video camcorder, 4gb internal memory,
edited with Windows Live Movie Maker on an HP Mini 210 running Windows 7 and uploaded at Converse County Library in Douglas Wyoming (blazing fast upload)
Your video response to this video will be approved it your video has any bicycle related content, I don't care if it's BMX, Beach Cruiser, Track, Single Speed, Fixed Gear, Mountain Bike, Road Bike, Tandem, Recumbent, Unicycle, Bicycle Maintence, Bicycle Reviews, Bicycle Racing, Bicycle Advocacy, Bicycle safety, Bicycle History. Feel free to post your bicycle video as a response.
A special thanks to Dan O'Connor whose song Imagine Magneta appears as background music in this video. Please visit Dan's website and consider making a small donation on my behalf. You can use a credit card, paypal or send it via snailmail. (address at bottom of his website)
Imagine Magneta
Dan O'Connor
This work by DanoSongs.com is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Bicycle Bunkhouse (Dalbo, MN)
Where Jan and I hung for two days as we let the storms pass. It was AWESOME!
Western Maryland Rail Trail
A very windy day
Camera: SONY HDR-AS300
bicycling across America, Wyoming part 3
From Casper to Jeffrey City with an overnight stop in Alcova, camping at Grey Reef Reservoir. There is a water stop at Independence Rock. Camping at Jeffrey City at the Lions Club Pavilion or the Monk King Bird Pottery
I travel on the Adventure Cycling Association's Trans American route... aka the TransAm
I found the campground on a website called
Official Wyoming Bicycle Map
SHOUT OUT
This video filmed with Flip UltraHD video camcorder, 4gb internal memory,
edited with Windows Live Movie Maker on an HP Mini 210 running Windows 7 and uploaded at the Lander Public Library in Lander Wyoming
Your video response to this video will be approved it your video has any bicycle related content, I don't care if it's BMX, Beach Cruiser, Track, Single Speed, Fixed Gear, Mountain Bike, Road Bike, Tandem, Recumbent, Unicycle, Bicycle Maintence, Bicycle Reviews, Bicycle Racing, Bicycle Advocacy, Bicycle safety, Bicycle History. Feel free to post your bicycle video as a response.
River Went Dry by Josh Woodward
JoshWoodward.com
The music on this video is the work of Josh Woodward and is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License
Oldest bike shop in the country, Bellitte Bicycles, still riding strong in Queens
“My grandfather sold that (1893) bicycle to a young gentleman in the mid 1920s, Sal Bellitte said.
An antique that hangs in the corner of the store serves as a reminder of why this family-owned shop is so special.
“Several years later, this guy’s granddaughter brought the bicycle back to us saying that he passed away and that his dying wish was for this bicycle to be here,” he said.
A nearly century-long connection 'Bellitte Bikes' has shared with this Queens community.
“We are the oldest, continuously run in the country, he said.
Sal's grandfather, Sam, opened the store in 1918 and has lasted through war and the Great Depression.
“It was an inexpensive way of transportation, people still needed to get around, so he survived,” Bellitte explained.
“What does the bike offer that’s a common thread through the generations I asked. Freedom,” he replied.
But it's passion and pride that has kept this place a family affair.
“I’m Sal’s sister, Carl’s wife, and Peter’s cousin, Patrice Herzer smiled. I'm third generation and when I was 16 my dad said it was time to come work in the shop. I didn't mind at all, he was a great dad.
“The joy is when I started here I would deal with kids that would come in to buy a bike and today they’re bring their kids in to buy a bike,” Peter Frouws, Sal's cousin's husband, smiled.
Bellitte sells and repairs all types of bikes and parts, but it's the people that keep customers coming back.
“The service here is incredible, they’re honest, ethical, and prices are fair,” Nachum Frederick, a customer, said. “They're willing to go the extra mile.”
Qualities Sal hopes the next generation will build on one day.
“My daughter is very interested in the business, she’s 21 and still in school, he said. But time will tell I’m sure.”
I could feel the tradition in the building and couldn't leave without taking one of these classics out for a spin!
C&O Canal vs. B&O RR: Railroads of America 3
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad both broke ground on July 4, 1828. Which one would reach the Ohio River first?
Why the rush? After the completion of the Erie Canal across New York in 1825, the cost of moving freight from Buffalo to Albany dropped by an order of magnitude from wagons pulled by oxen on primitive roads. Every major city on the east coast looked to building their own canals to avoid losing the interior trade from the Ohio River valley and the Great Lakes.
Washington could send a canal west along the Potomac River.
Baltimore had no good route for a canal, so they decided to try a railroad. Canals were a proven technology, while railroads were still experimental. But the barrier of the Allegheny Mountains would put any technology to the test. The future economic prosperity of Washington and Baltimore depended on the success of their respective ventures.
Produced by John Z Wetmore, producer of Perils For Pedestrians.
Kemp's Mill - Williamsport, Maryland - 1794
Kemp's Mill - Williamsport, Maryland - 1794
GREAT FLOOD OF 1877
AT KEMP’S MILL
At the old Booth’s mill, now owned by Mr. Q. A. Kemp, situated where the Williamsport and Boonsboro’ road crossed the Antietam, one mile east from Breathed’s Station, the scene was exceedingly exciting. At about 10 o’clock, on Saturday morning, the water had risen considerably and Mr. Kemp had let his gates down and stopped the machinery of the mill. It rose steadily until about dusk the road, which runs along the side of the dam and considerably above ordinary water, was submerged, and floating logs, trees, fence rails and other things commenced to come down. There was a deep stream running down the road, between Mr. Kemp’s house and the mill, and through the archway, where wagons drive to unload wheat, there was a roaring torrent. By this time the water was so high, that, although there is a high fall below the dam, it could be scarcely seen where the dam was. It was one level sheet of roaring water. The basement story of the mill, containing coal and screening, was inundated; a few bushels of wheat in the sink were also injured. The road above the mill was soon piled up with floating trees, rails, &c., so as to make it entirely impassable. A considerable amount of the floating wood was saved.
EXCITING INCIDENTS.
The injury to the dam was fortunately very slight, only about ten feet of the coping being carried off. A large number of men from the neighborhood had congregated and as drift-wood came down and struck the mill, pulled it out to keep it from damming up the water. The hog pens below the mill were washed away and a fine lot of hogs had been driven out of them, just in time to be saved. A few yards below the mill stands the house and blacksmith shop of Mr. Joseph Garver. The basement story of Mr. Garver’s house, one room of which is the dining-room and the other a store room, was filled with water to the ceiling, injuring the furniture and ruining a great many housekeeper’s stores in the store room. Mr. Garver had his garden fence washed away and also had all his vegetables washed from his garden. Mr. Garver’s loss was considerable. The torrent that swept around the blacksmith’s shop carried away a pile of coal, about a ton of iron, a lot of wheels and miscellaneous articles and a wheat drill. The last mentioned article lodged at the iron bridge one and a half miles below the shop. The house belonging to Mrs. Booth, a hundred or so yards below the mill, was filled with water and part of the porch carried off. The family, who inhabit it, had to leave it in the night.
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J. Scott Shipe produced this video for educational purposes - questions email Scott at jssh2o@aol.com
REMEMBER WATER MATTERS!
Restored Locomotive 1158 Unveiled
In 1913, Locomotive 1158 was one of 50 engines rolled off the line Montreal. That same year, North Battleford became a city.
The grand old lady was operated by Canadian Northern Railway - a predecessor to Canadian National - for nearly a half-century. It ferried passengers across the prairies for decades before it was relegated to freight and line work.
In 2017, the Western Development Museum decided it was time to embark on the largest artifact restoration project in years - Save the 1158.
A large protective cover was placed over the much-loved artifact and fundraising efforts to collect $200,000 ensued.
Biking the C&O Canal Towpath: Day 2 (Four Locks, Big Slackwater, Williamsport, Shepherdstown)
The C&O Canal Towpath is 185 miles of historic trail between Cumberland, Md., and Washington, D.C. Ride along with Bike-the-GAP.com ( on Day 2 of the C&O Towpath self-guided tour, taking riders from Hancock to Harpers Ferry.
Day 2 is a BIG day that starts off with historic canal structures at Four Locks and Dam 5, ride over the water at the Big Slackwater, through the towns of Williamsport and Shepherdstown, ending in Harpers Ferry, Wv.
The C&O Canal Towpath joins the #greatalleghenypassage to create the most scenic, epic bike trail to found in the entire U.S.
Visit bike-the-gap.com read about our self-guided tour packages.
Links
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SELF-GUIDED GAP/C&O BIKE TOURS:
SELF-GUIDED GAP BIKE TOURS:
HOW TO BOOK YOUR TRIP:
TRAIL FAQS:
FACEBOOK:
YOUTUBE:
Western Maryland Rail Trail - Maryland
This is a video of the West Maryland Rail Trail. I rode this trail in late October of 2014 while on a 10 Day Trip riding the C&O Canal and GAP trails. This is a beautiful trail with a smooth surface.
Here is what TrailLink has to say about the trail:
The Western Maryland Rail Trail is a 22-mile paved route that will take you through several eras of American history.
You can access this trail from many points, but the main trailhead is in the quaint town of Hancock (population 1,750). Stop here for food, drinks, antique shopping, to stay the night or just to wander around the historical downtown, which was once Maryland's frontier and frequently visited by George Washington, among other notables.
The rail-trail parallels the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a 185-mile, unpaved towpath that was used to transport coal from Cumberland, Maryland, to the port of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., from 1828 until 1924. The route's historical sites include the canal's locks and lock houses.
The western portion of the Western Maryland Rail Trail is blessed with magnificent views of the Potomac River. Large rock outcroppings will catch your attention, as will the ruins of the Round Top Cement Mill, which was built in the 1830s and was Hancock's largest employer during the Civil War.
To the east, and just past downtown Hancock, you can buy trailside snacks from Blue Goose Fruit Market & Bakery where, in the 1920s, more than 5,000 surrounding acres were planted with fruit trees. Traveling a little farther, you will find historical markers for Little Pool and Park Head cemeteries.
At trail's end, hop on the C&O Canal towpath and continue just a short distance east to Fort Frederick, well worth a visit. To vary your route, and maximize your scenery, take the Western Maryland Rail Trail in one direction and loop back on the towpath.
C&O Canal Trail - Full Movie
C&O Canal Trail September 2017 Full Movie
C&O Canal Towpath - Cumberland to DC May 2017
The Solomons Island Cycling (SIC for short) bikepacking group set out on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend to ride SOBO (southbound) from Cumberland, MD to Washington, D.C.
There was rain. There was mud. There was trail magic! There were campfires. There was tremendous adventure and fun.
Into every life a little rain must fall – we’ve all heard it and we’ve all lived it, but in this instance an edit is required. It should read – into every life a lot of rain must fall. Four days worth of it and the accompanying mud that comes along with it when you are bikepacking the C&O Canal Towpath.
There was slippery mud, peanut butter mud, rocky mud, sandy mud – just about every type of mud you can imagine.
WTS Face of America 2012 Day 1 Start Following Lunch
Participants of World T.E.A.M. Sports' Face of America ride start back on the road to Frederick, Maryland following lunch at the Upper Montgomery Fire Station #14, in Beallsville. Lunch was provided by Subway of the Bethesda Naval Hospital.
Recorded on April 28, 2012 using a Flip Video camera.
Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) 50th Anniversary
Remarks by Joel Dunn, president & CEO, Chesapeake Conservancy, at the 50th Anniversary of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) at Douglas Point in Charles County, MD on May 22, 2015. Also in attendance were U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell; Congressman Steny Hoyer, (D-MD); Director Neil Kornze, Bureau of Land Management (BLM); Secretary of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Mark Belton; and Acting State Director for the BLM Eastern States Office Marci Todd.
Capital Crescent Trail 2016
Riding to work on the Capital Crescent Trail
C&O Canal 3 Day Bike Packing Trip 2015
Out and back near mile 100, we rode some of the GAP trail as well.