C&O towpath >Frederick >Emmitsburg route suggestions?

[DismalScientist]

Towpath to Frederick: New Design Road.

After that: Beats me.

[AFHokie]

Check the Tour de Frederick Century route, if I recall correctly it passes through Emmitsburg: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12602377

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[AFHokie]

@AFHokie 157145 wrote:

Check the Tour de Frederick Century route, if I recall correctly it passes through Emmitsburg: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12602377

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Also check the Civil War Century route. That ride starts in Thurmont, but runs between Antietam & Gettysburg. Between those two ride routes, I think you should have some good options to choose from.

https://ridewithgps.com/trips/10984131

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[Tania]

Not a complete route but it might help.

Point of Rocks up to Middletown
https://www.strava.com/activities/878207822

So then you’d have to find a way to head east to Walkersville.

Walkersville to Emmitsburg:
https://www.strava.com/activities/504916145

[ewilliams0305]

https://www.strava.com/activities/898065728

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[ewilliams0305]

@ewilliams0305 157360 wrote:

https://www.strava.com/activities/898065728

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I went right through there last weekend. This is a very direct and as flat as possible route. I can give you directions too from the canal to the route and you can cut out a few hills at the southern end of the route pretty easily. Traffic was amazing in this route.

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[anomad]

Thanks for all the suggestions and links everyone! I really appreciate it.

@ewilliams0305, would you agree with @dismalscientist’s suggestion of New Design road? It looks popular on Strava.

@ewilliams0305 157361 wrote:

I went right through there last weekend. This is a very direct and as flat as possible route. I can give you directions too from the canal to the route and you can cut out a few hills at the southern end of the route pretty easily. Traffic was amazing in this route.

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I’m kind of laughing at myself a little. I used to have a lot of GPS units at work and was always taking care of them. So I have avoided using them out riding or whatever because it felt like work. Now that my work has changed and seeing how everyone (seems like) rides with one here on the forums… Maybe I need to consider bringing some technology to my rides?

[ewilliams0305]

@anomad 157362 wrote:

Thanks for all the suggestions and links everyone! I really appreciate it.

@ewilliams0305, would you agree with @dismalscientist’s suggestion of New Market road? ?

Actually…. while a lot of people do ride it I think it’s unnecessary and has more traffic. No real reason to ride into Frederick at all. I wouldn’t even go that far west on the canal. I’m thinking you bail off around Seneca and head north on some scraggly roads the cars have long forgotten…

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[anomad]

I did the ride today. I’m shelled. Perfect weather though, nice and cool and a lot of tailwind. Never got into real rain but I had a lot of “Oregon Sunshine”.

Did go through Frederick and got all confused. Cost a lot of time. I ate an entire Wawa gas station there. A bar mounted device or even old school map would have helped me through that area.

The towpath was soup from lock 24 to whites ferry. I bailed at whites ferry and took back roads.

[DismalScientist]

If you are going to bail at White’s Ferry, you can cross the river and take the WOD home.

[anomad]

@DismalScientist 161031 wrote:

If you are going to bail at White’s Ferry, you can cross the river and take the WOD home.

Thanks for mentioning that option. It was unknown to me until last week. Kind of a little hidden gem. I bought a mountain dew and a bag of potato chips at their little store.

I seriously considered that option today and I think it would make a very nice ride. The added experience of a ferry passage would be unique too. I decided to opt for the tow path all the way back. Its very beautiful and peaceful riding for the most part. There was a fishing derby and the tour barge was in service today. Nice to see so many people out enjoying themselves. But if I didn’t have all day to get home it would have had the potential to make me frustrated. Even at my sedate pace I used my bell rather loudly a couple times.

After climbing the stairs up to the bridge back in DC I managed to shift my rear mech right into the spokes. It was hard enough to break a spoke, but luckily I didn’t mangle anything else or fall down. I had used that gear many times in the rolling hills earlier. I guess the vibration of the tow path managed to loosen up my set screw or change something else. I was also totally exhausted (numb?) at that point and probably operated the shifter without a great deal of finesse…

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