July 11, 2012 -- An unepected jewel

We started the day, as usual, by going to the lobby and taking the motel breakfast of english muffins, cereal, and coffee. While we were there, a man came into the breakfast room, and noted the Boston College t-shirt I was wearing. He mentioned that he was a BC alumnus. Pursuing the conversation, we discovered that he had graduated in '70 (Ray in '72). We talked about our travels, and, oddly enough, found that he was from Littleton, MA, had just stayed at the same motel as us in Roanoke, and had driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, as we did, and was going to Gettysburg in a day or so, as we will. He was traveling by motorcycle. Small world.

Great Falls of the Potomac

We set off for Great Falls Park, about 12 miles outside of Washington, DC. This is a place where the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks, and flows through Mather Gorge. One of the country's first canals was here. Construction, urged on by George Washington, began in 1785 and took 17 years to complete.

In 1966, this place was put into the management of the National Park system to protect and preserve the ruins of the Potowmack canal. And it is such a surprise! A short walk from the visitor center, we were treated to the sight of the wide Potomac River, rushing over and around rock piles. So beautiful and so wild! We watched as kayakers maneuvered around the falls, then carried their kayaks up to repeat their feat. Then, we took a trail along the river, that, in spite of the heat and humidity of the day, offered cooling breezes from the river. Along the trail, every so often, we had glimpses of the Mather gorge, and the river flowing through it. We were able to see remains of the canal and locks, and the ruins of the village of Matildaville that grew up to support the workers that built the canal.

After our hike, we headed north to Thurmont, MD, where we will be spending the night. The traffic was horrendous. I can't imagine dealing with this every work day: 4 lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. For dinner we looked to advice from tripadvisor.com, and chose a local Chinese restaurant.  Let me just say that, from our experience, it didn't deserve rave reviews...




Heading to Gettysburg tomorrow.