{"id":18650,"date":"2015-08-28T17:42:43","date_gmt":"2015-08-28T21:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=18650"},"modified":"2015-08-29T10:30:13","modified_gmt":"2015-08-29T14:30:13","slug":"day-48-thursday-august-27-hancock-to-knoxville-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tourdebocrie.com\/?p=18650","title":{"rendered":"Day 48. Thursday, August 27 – Hancock to Knoxville, Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we left our motel room, we met a\u00a0wonderful\u00a0Korean family,\"DSCN7867\"<\/a> Jeon Jin Won, Yun Yony Sook and their son Lee Ho cHeal, traveling from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. \u00a0Much was lost in translation, but the enthusiasm of the father and this bicycle adventure was intoxicating.<\/p>\n

For our first\u00a0ten miles we enjoyed the last of the paved trail,\"DSCN7872\"<\/a> before dropping back to the C & O. \u00a0\"DSCN7882\"<\/a>Thankfully, the trail was\u00a0in slightly better shape than yesterday’s segment, enough to make all the difference\"DSCN7881\"<\/a> in our enjoyment of\u00a0the gorgeous weather\"IMG_1440\"<\/a> and stunning scenery.\"DSCN7884\"<\/a> \u00a0Picture taking \"IMG_1444\"<\/a>still required \"DSCN7900\"<\/a>stopping,\"DSCN7898\"<\/a> but that gave us the opportunity to meet Nanette and Nikki,\"DSCN7902\"<\/a> also enjoying the day by bicycle. \u00a0We were pushing hard on the dirt path\"DSCN7903\"<\/a> and by the time we took our first break in Williamsport our legs were tired.\"IMG_1456\"<\/a> \u00a0The rest was scenic \"DSCN7912\"<\/a>and wonderful as we watched a colorful field of happiness..\"IMG_1461\"<\/a>..life at it’s best!<\/p>\n

The path was lined with huge trees,\"IMG_1464\"<\/a>and at some places was quite narrow, \"DSCN7927\"<\/a>but the day continued to be gorgeous,\"DSCN7916\"<\/a> cool air, beautiful sunshine, \"IMG_1465\"<\/a>superlative, superlative! \u00a0This paved path \"IMG_1483\"<\/a>along the rocks was an excellent improvement,\"IMG_1482\"<\/a> since our last trip on the C & O six years ago. \u00a0But the miles were stacking up, we were hungry and then to add insult to injury, we hit a seven mile stretch of really rough path. \u00a0 Our lunch stop was much further away than expected, plus we had to climb up to a bridge to to cross into West Virginia. \"DSCN7956\"<\/a>\u00a0By the time we found a place to eat (at 2:00), we were barking at each other. \u00a0A couple of turkey and swiss on homemade sundries tomato bread\u00a0and\u00a0a cookie brought our spirits back. \u00a0An hour later, we were back on the Maryland side of the Potomac \"DSCN7969\"<\/a>and feeling much better with some nourishment, the scenery\"DSCN7976\"<\/a> continued to delight.\"IMG_1494\"<\/a> \u00a0The afternoon was getting long\"DSCN7973\"<\/a> and we still had one more challenge to face, before we could stop. \u00a0Unknown to us when we planned this stop, our hotel was a one mile straight up climb with a quarter mile downhill finish. \"DSCN7978\"<\/a>\u00a0Finally, we stopped pedaling just before 5:00. \u00a0We were so<\/em> looking forward to a nice dinner and could see the restaurant across the street. \u00a0But it was a “family” restaurant that did not serve adult<\/em> beverages; not to sound like lushes, but after 72 miles we were in the mood for an adult beverage (or two). \u00a0It was a beautiful evening and our porch had a great view of the Appalachian Mountains,\"DSCN7983\"<\/a> so we bought a bottle of wine and had dinner \"DSCN7986\"<\/a>come to us..\"DSCN7988\"<\/a>..it was perfect.<\/p>\n

Our host, Dr. Singh,\"DSCN7989\"<\/a> left us with a interesting word of wisdom. \u00a0“Bike is the only vehicle that man is yoked.” \u00a0Keep an eye on this guy, he’s brilliant and will go far.<\/p>\n

Good Night!<\/p>\n\n\t\t