Little Orleans MD & Berkeley Springs WV - August 1-3, 2008

This trip takes us about 125 miles to Little Orleans MD, in the middle of the

Green Ridge State Forest. Our goals are to bike the C&O Canal to see the

Paw Paw Tunnel and a visit to Berkeley Springs WV, a well known resort

since the middle 1700's. Other than getting the Barth into areas designed

only for 4WD vehicles, it was a great trip!

We've biked many different portions of the C&O Canal, but this area is so remotethat we could park the Barth on the towpath.......We have only two directions to choose from to get to the Paw Paw Tunnel......Kathy is trying to figure out which one......

The railroads made the C&O Canal obsolete before it was completed. Here's a

long-abandoned trestle built by the Western Maryland Railroad soon after the

Civil War.....The WMRR is long-gone too.

This is part of the gorge that had to be blasted out for the C&O Canal just before

it enters the Paw Paw Tunnel - about 1000' of wooden towpath.

East end entrance to the Paw Paw Tunnel. When work was started in 1836, it

was considered one of the engineering wonders of the world. Today, it's used

by hikers and bikers on the way to either Washington DC or Pittsburgh PA. A good

review of the tunnel can be found at: http://www.berkeleysprings.com/tunnel.htm

The tunnel is about 3000' long and was built to eliminate about 6 miles of canal

building. The only tunnel on the 186 mile long canal, it was estimated to take two

years to build- in reality, it took 14 years (typical government project!). The

original safety railing on the towpath still exists, worn smooth on the edges by

countless ropes attached to the boats and the mules that pulled them.

Cool place on a hot day! It's estimated that six million brick are installed

on the tunnel lining......

West end of the Paw Paw Tunnel. Since it allowed only one boat either way,

canal boat captains sent a runner ahead to check for traffic before entering.

History records two stubborn captains meeting in mid-tunnel, neither one

willing to back up....After several days and a canal boat gridlock, the lockmaster

started a fire at the upwind end of the tunnel and smoked them both out :)

The maps seemed to indicate county roads, but as we got further in, they changed

to two-tracks, with little room for error.......We don't have pictures of the section

that had bumper-scratching vertical rock walls on one side and a sheer drop-off

on the other because Lee had a death-grip on the wheel and Kathy was preparing

to bail-out the passenger window :(

Finally reaching a clearing in the road, Lee surveys the Barth for damage......

one missing air horn, one bent one, bumper scatches and a missing piece of trim -

NOT the way to treat the Mothership!

Despite the terrible roads, the view at the top was beautiful. That's the

Potomac River, headed for Washington DC, the Chesapeake Bay and finally into

the Atlantic Ocean......Very popular canoeing & flatwater kayaking area.

An hour's drive from Green Ridge State Forest brought us to Berkely Springs

State Park WV, with a history older than the country.

It was obvious that some folks really believe in the healing powers of the springs....

while others were just enjoying the cool water on a hot day.......

The Hat Lady surveys some of the springs.........

The Hat Lady again, checking out a local Arts & Crafts Fair in the

Berkeley Springs park......

George Washington is said to have slept virtually everywhere (So that's where

Bill Clinton learned it!)......But in Berkeley Springs WV, George apparantly

owned land too.....