The C & O canal is a 184-mile long path running from Washington DC to Cumberland, MD. The idea was the build a canal, and pull large cargo boats with mules. Construction was started in 1828, and it was operated profitably for only a brief time. The canal soon gave way to the railroad, which gave way to the highway. Such is progress!

The canal is more-or-less intact still, and the towpath (that is, the pathway for the mules to walk on) has been converted into a 184-mile bike / hike trail. It's flat and well maintained.

We set out for Astro's first camping trip, biking a short segment along the path.

"Let's play some bike tag! What you do, is you try to crash into the other person on your bike. But you need to do it socially distanced, so keep at least five feet away!"

On the towpath. You can see the remnants of the canal to the right.

Full set of anaimals! Yes, Astro's dog Chloe has joined the other animals there.

First campsite along the way, at the 3-mile point. We decided to press on.

Coming up to the Marble Quarry campground.

Hammock time!

Astro has found without a doubt the best hiding spot.

Super nice bluebells and other flowers at the camp site.

Popcorn time.

Marshmallow time.

These were some serious marshmallow forks, with full rotation bearings. I had no appreciated how much of a difference that really makes.

Astro's bike at night, as she reads.

That's part of the Potomac there. It's surprisingly not visible in too many other photos, but the towpath goes right between the canal and the Potomac the whole way.

We were the only ones at the camprground. It's first-come, first-serve, for biker-hikers. The towpath has campgrounds every couple miles along the whole length -- so if one is full, keep pedaling a few minutes.

Lunch at White's Ferry. The ferry is currently closed, due to a land dispute about sevearl feet of the road on the other side. Time for some eminent domain!

Back to the parking lot! That's one of the lockhouses there, which are rentable for the night. There are several dozen of them along the path, which were the residences of the lock-operators for raising and lowering the water levels in the canal to let boats through as needed.

Time to unhitch and pack up.

On the way back: the site where radio emissions from Jupiter were first detected! This is crazy, even thinking of a 96-acre antenna. Jupiter turns out to be super-bright in the radio, and it's a common high-school lab project to detect Jupiter using analog electronics and 24-inch satellite dish.