Williamsport to Brunswick; Stops at Antietam and Harpers Ferry

[Thursday morning to Friday morning]

Packed up and out the door of the B&B around 10am under blue skies with temps in the 50's. Made a couple stops to take in the scenery before leaving the trail and riding a mile or so to Antietam National Battlefield. As we got close, it was easy to imagine musket-toting soldiers marching through the woods or across fields toward the battle. The grounds are expansive, with lots of signs and markers, making it well-suited to explore by bike.

All smiles after a great breakfast!

On the trail along the Potomac

A section of the Antietam battlefield

The visitors center was closed, but we were able to get an informative overview of the battle, and a few suggested tour stops, at an outdoor ranger station. We biked around the grounds for over an hour, making several stops to read about the significance of different locations - West Wood, Mumma Farmstead, Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge, etc. - and the intense fighting and horrible loss of life that occurred there. 

Bloody Lane

Burnside Bridge; that Sycamore tree was there during the battle

Next, we pedaled up and down some rolling hills to nearby Sharpsburg, in search of a late lunch. Some locals explained our options were limited to sandwiches from a gas station a mile away, or ice cream from the shop right next door. Guess which we picked.

Nutter's in Sharpsburg is the real deal

We rode another 6 or so miles to Harpers Ferry, WV, where we ran into our trail companion, Mariano. We carried our (heavy) bikes up about 30' of stairs, then biked across the Winchester and Potomac Railroad Bridge over the Potomac and into West Virginia. Stopped for dinner on the patio at Coach House Bar and Grill - a good spot.

Our whole crew with Mariano before crossing the bridge into Harpers Ferry, WV

Winchester and Potomac Bridge at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac rivers

Dinner stop at the Coach House

We still had 6 miles to go and it was getting close to dusk, so we ate quickly (and limited ourselves to just 1 - or 2 - beers!), then got back on the bikes to head to Brunswick. Arrived in town as it was getting dark and biked up a couple hills to get to the Travelodge. Checked in, cleaned up, then enjoyed a manhattan while chatting and watching a few old SNL skits, before heading to bed. Ended up riding closer to 46 miles today and we are all starting to feel the effects of 6 long days of riding. 

Up at 7:20, breakfast at Penny's Diner (open 24/7!). Packing up to hit the trail by 9:30. About 53 miles to get to Georgetown. Karri is planning to meet up with us and ride the last 25 miles or so. Hard to believe this is our last day - the week has flown by!

Good start to the day at Penny's Diner

Fuel for the day - that pancake is as big as it looks!