Two locks

It was a picture-perfect, early fall day. Ty and I went to Dam 5 of the C&O Canal for a hike (walk). Dam 5 is currently under construction and was fenced off. There was a detour around the lockhouse, to get to the towpath. We headed in the direction of Locks 45 and 46. We walked farther than we had before, past the cliff. After awhile, the path opened up to Lock 46 and Lockhouse 46. There was also construction at Lock 46. The lockhouse was boarded up. While it appears well-preserved, it's not one you can stay at. 

Two Locks

Detour at Dam 5 Lockhouse 45 (such vivid colors!)

Blue waters of the Potomac

My hiking buddy Ty

Cliff ledge

Member of the Aster family

Lock 45

Steep limestone cliffs

Locks 45 and 46 were collectively known as "Two Locks." The pair is situated in an area where steep limestone cliffs along the Potomac River made digging a canal channel nearly impossible and definitely too expensive. Instead engineers used Dam 5 to back up the Potomac River and create a calm channel (called the slackwater) where the boats could safety travel. Lock 46 served as a transition point where mules switched from the river towpath back onto the canal towpath. There are structural remains of the historic mule bridge at Lock 46.

Lockhouse 46

Arched culvert at Lock 46

Lock 46

A scenic path along the cliffs

Honeysuckle (invasive) berries

Danger Dam!

Ty hanging out at Lock 46

Shelf fungi growing on a dead log

Gray rock -- no more graffiti

Dead logs

Peace

River access for Ty

Scenic walk along the Potomac

Ty and I walked along the Potomac River today. The Potomac River is one of the most scenic rivers in the eastern US. It offers diverse scenery:  rocky gorges and waterfalls, forested banks, rolling hills, and iconic vistas. 

The towpath is stone and gravel.

Below the dam: the Big Slackwater

The C&O Canal runs along the river. There is a 184.5 mile towpath that stretches from Georgetown (in DC) to Cumberland, the beginning and end of the canal. Ty and I often walk sections of the towpath. The weather was ideal today. Spring is splendid time to walk the canal. On this day, we walked along the towpath at Dam 4. Other nearby areas were under construction.

White blooms

Along the shore of the Potomac

Furry friend along the path

Pink posies

C&O Canal Dam #4

Hydro-electric power plant

Spring daisies

Calm waters of the Potomac

The Big Slackwater

Leaves

Ty at the top of the dam

Foot prints in the sand

Full bloom

Coming down

Mushroom

Round 

Fear the Turtle

Ty and I went to Cushwa Basin today. It turned out to be a particularly good day for viewing wildlife. It was the most turtles I had ever seen. There were also ducks and geese. Unfortunately you can't get very good pictures with a cell phone. The zoom is poor.  Plus, you had to be very quiet (not always easy with a dog) or the turtles would go back under water.

I used AI to create this one:  merged two pictures

Canal dweller

Three turtles

Canada goose

Underwater

Towpath

The Terminus

The C&O Canal operated from 1831 to 1924 along the Potomac River from Washington DC to Cumberland, MD. The canal's principle cargo was coal. A planned section to the Ohio River was never built. The terminus of the C&O Canal is Cumberland, MD, mile marker 184.5.  It was also the terminus of a Sunday drive that Mom and I took. We traveled via Hedgesville, Berkeley Springs, Paw Paw, and Oldtown. We went back via 68/70.

Statue of mule and driver, c. 2000

Replica of canal boat: the Cumberland, c. 1976

Cumberland basin

Footer's Dye Works: historical building near canal

Where the C&O Canal ends in Cumberland, the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP) begins. The Allegheny Passage is a 150-mile rail trail between Pittsburgh and Cumberland. Like the C&O towpath, it is popular with hikers and cyclists. 

GAP trail mile 0

Western Maryland Railway