Summer along the C&O

A blue heron on the lookout for fish in the C&O
Canal near Swains Lock, Potomac, Maryland.

Wednesday morning, before the heat and humidity became a deterrent, Pris and I decided to take a walk along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal that hugs the Maryland side of the Potomac River.  We began at Swains Lock.

The southernmost point of the C&O begins in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. and snakes north and west within the state of Maryland until, 185 miles later, it ends at Cumberland, MD, near the Pennsylvania border.

We try to get in at least three-plus miles of scenic exercise when we visit our daughter's family in Potomac.  Swains Lock – sixteen miles north of D.C. – is a short drive away from her home, down a narrow, serpentine access road.

The C&O is a favorite attraction not only for local recreational cyclists, but also for serious long-distance bikers who like to rack up the miles.  Everyone shares the flat, hard-packed, approximately ten-foot wide towpath.

Heading to the refreshing 'wawta bubbla' at
Swains Lock.

Although we have walked it during all seasons, we’ve not seen the canal’s full greenery in August.  This year’s abundant rainfall has lined both sides of this waterway with a lush growth of grasses, brush and trees, especially on the steep embankment of the canal’s northeast side.

Whenever Priscille and I set out on our local jaunts along this popular towpath, I become the dawdler because, with a Nikon strapped on my shoulder, I like to stop and photograph whatever strikes my fancy. 

Always on the lookout, I’ve long hoped to get a good shot of the blue herons that frequent this place, patiently waiting for an appetizing fish to swim by, much to the herons’ delight. 

On Tuesday I was lucky:  Captured some good shots while not spooking the herons that we were lucky to come upon. 

Herons like the quiet.  Too much activity makes them fly away to another location.  But people traffic was light that day, and the herons stayed put.

Swains Lock at the C&O Canal:  The bikers are the
same as the ones who had been looking for a
watering hole a few minutes before.  (Click on
photo for an enlargement.)

After reaching the pumping station that pulls water for drinking from the Potomac River somewhere near mile 18 from Washington, we turned back for the return stroll to the Subaru parked at Swains Lock. 

That’s the moment when a biking couple passed us to the left.  The second one – a woman seeking information – slowed down without stopping, and her bike began to wobble from side to side (not a good thing to do when the canal’s edge is a mere two feet away – better to stop). 

This cycling duo had been travelling south, apparently from ‘far away’ (as they say in Maine), and the lady wanted to know whether there was a place for them to quench their thirst somewhere ahead:  the bike continued to wobble along precariously close to the water.

I told her, “There is a wawta bubbla down the ways a bit.” Priscille quickly reminded me that this woman had no clue what I meant.  Quickly correcting myself, I yelled out, “There’s a water fountain just ahead on the left, near the parking lot, wawta bubbla is a New England term.”

With this clarification, the duo peddled faster, accelerating to their regular speed.   

Later, at Swains Lock, we saw them again, completely refreshed for the rest of their journey leading to mile zero of the C&O Canal in Georgetown.

Darned if I still can’t get rid of some of those beautifully expressive regional colloquialisms from ‘up north!’

(Click on any image for an enhanced view)