184 miles of adventure - SE couples explore D.C. by bike

One incredible bike trail, five days of biking, seven flat tires and eight good friends made for an unforgettable adventure recently as four Sleepy Eye couples loaded an RV, bikes in tow, and set out for Washington D.C.

This would not be the first bike trip for Dave and Kathy Suker, Steve and Judy Schotzko, Ed and Mary Lee Schotzko and Dean and Diane Ibberson. Since 1990, the friends have traversed a host of bike trails in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota and Missouri. “This is the farthest we've traveled to a bike trail,” Dave said.

“The longest trip (in terms of mileage) was Duluth,” Judy said. “We averaged 50 to 75 miles a day on that trip. On this trip, we averaged about 30 to 40 miles a day. We decided to go slower, to take time to smell the roses.”

The roses, yes, but also to experience an incredible amount of American history along the way.

The route the friends chose would lead them to Washington D.C. via the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, a historic and scenic trail along the Potomac River.


A brief history of the canal

The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O) is a link to a time in the United State's history when the country's prosperity depended largely upon its waterways.

Groundbreaking for the C&O took place on July 4, 1828, with President John Quincy Adams in attendance. The “Great National Project,” as it was called, would take an estimated 10 years to build at a cost of $3 million.

Construction delays and other difficulties made it impossible to maintain that schedule. In the end, it took 22 years to complete at a cost of $13 million. By the time it was finished, the canal was more or less obsolete since the railroad had arrived in that area eight years earlier.

Nevertheless, the canal operated for 74 years. Boats, filled with cargo, were pulled along the canal by mules walking on a towpath. Canal usage discontinued in 1924, due to devastating floods.

In the early 1950s, the canal and the towpath were saved from demolition. It is now a national historical park, running 184 miles from Georgetown in Washington D.C. to Cumberland, Md.


For the Sleepy Eye group, the bike trip along the C&O started at Paw Paw, W. Va. “On the actual 184 mile trail, we biked 156 miles,” Steve said. “Altogether, we put about 181 miles on the bikes.”

The trek down the C&O was broken down into four stretches with each couple responsible for planning one day of the ride. And while three couples biked the trail, the fourth would move the RV ahead to the next stop. “Then they'd bike out and meet the group,” Judy explained. “It was slick how it all worked out.”

Through tunnels, over aqueducts, past canal locks and historic battlefield sites, the Sleepy Eye friends made their way toward their D.C. destination. The trail itself was a highlight for many of the bikers. “I had always envisioned the east coast as more of a metro area,” Ed said. “But we were on a 150-mile nature trail, along the Potomac River. There was wildlife every day - birds, deer, small animals.

“And the sycamore trees were beautiful,” he added.

“We would always stumble upon something of interest on the trail,” Dave said. “That was the neat part about the trail. We were never at a lack of things to do.”

“We always found ways to turn a half-day of biking into a full day (of activity),” Judy said.

Along the way, the group also met nice people. A 71-year-old Boy Scout leader was helpful in relaying information about the area to the group, even giving Dave a skull cap to wear under his bike helmet for comfort. “He said I should consider it a random act of kindness from someone we would never see again,” Dave said.

“And then we saw him every day after that,” Judy added, smiling. “He stayed at every stop we stayed.”

At one point along the trail, Diane's camera bag went missing. No one had seen it fall off her bike along a stretch of trail they had just completed. But it was gone. Because Diane was so upset, Dean hopped on his recumbent bike and headed back down the trail. He biked almost 20 miles but had no luck locating the camera.

The Ibbersons felt their camera was gone for good. After all, who would find a camera and give it back? And how would they know who it belonged to anyway?

It turned out someone did find Diane's camera and case. A woman who Diane had visited with briefly on the trail found the case. A quick review of the photos and she realized who it belonged to.

Amazingly, she thought to search the photos, then find one of the group pictured with the RV they had rented in Minnesota. She zoomed in, got the license plate and contacted the authorities.

Long story short, the police contacted the RV rental place. They, in turn, contacted the group and Diane got her camera back. “It makes you realize that there are some really good people out there,” Dave said.

The end of each day brought hot showers and a hotel room for rest. Most often, the RV would be parked in the hotel parking lot for the night, serving as a spot for “social hour.” “The most scenic spot was usually behind the hotel,” Kathy said. “We could sit back, enjoy the view and relax.”

Finally, the bikers arrived in Georgetown at Washington, D.C. The group split to enjoy the sites and the patriotic atmosphere. “There's so much history there,” Dave said.

Ed and Mary Lee spent a day with their son, John and his wife, Ann and family. Others met Ann Wog, daughter of Steve Wog of Sleepy Eye, and got a lesson on using the Metro transit system.

On July 4, the group gathered with hundreds of thousands of people to watch the fireworks over the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool.

Just 20 minutes in length, the fireworks proved to be a show-stopper. The patriotic music only added to the show's intensity. “Dean said the brim of his hat was shaking with the constant (reverberation) of the fireworks,” Dave said. “With the music, the hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.”

“It was like watching fireworks in 3D,” Judy said. “It was right there, in front of your face.”

“Incredible,” Kathy added.

The group packed up and headed back to Sleepy Eye. On July 6 they were home again. “It was a great trip,” Steve and Ed agreed.

“A wonderful time,” Mary Lee added.

With this trip still fresh in their memories, the friends are looking toward their next biking adventure.

Dave, the group's official planner, is putting together a bike trip to Germany for the autumn of 2009. “From Passau, Germany to Vienna, Austria,” Dave confirmed. “About 200 miles along the Danube River.”

And although the Sleepy Eye friends invite others to ride with them on Wednesday and Sunday evenings (just meet at Americana Bank), the trip to Germany, well, “It's full,” Dave laughed.

For this or other photos from this event, go to www.sleepyeyenews.com and click on the Blue Button.

source Sleepyeyenews.com