We loaded onto the Jubal Early ferry around 9 this am. The ferry is named after the confederate general who made a last ditch raid on the Capital in July 1864, this ferry is the only one that remains crossing the Potomac from Cumberland to DC. We were on the trail, temps were good and humidity was low - we both commented on how well we felt for this last ride. Along this section we expected it to be scenic but had no idea the amount of lock houses we would see (so you are in for some good pics). While most of the locks we have seen along the way were not working, this stretch we saw restored, working locks as well as a canal boat and mules - the kind that would have been used to haul the loads. The Red Stone quarry was along this section and has provided stone for the construction of the Smithsonian and some other govt buildings. The Great Falls area was no doubt the highlight of the entire trip. Here the ground rises an abrupt 41 feet and there are a series of locks that we saw that would have helped to get the canal up. We both were reminded of our trip to the U.P. where the rocky landscape and water make for such a beautiful back drop. The last 14 miles had a mix of trail surface makeup and a paved trail splits off and runs parallel. We decided to be true and finish the way we started, on the rough towpath. We reached mile post 1 and the path zig zags and goes across the canal. We decided to go on into town and grab some dinner and get checked into our hotel. Maybe tomorrow mile marker "0". For now we are perfectly content to say we made it without a single flat or broken chain, injury free and kept our spirits high throughout. I asked Rae what she wanted to do this weekend when we got back to Pgh...she said "let's go for a ride".
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