Biking the W&OD

Wednesday, June 16, 2020

Hi Blog!

After spending all day on Tuesday working to replace (a second time in two weeks) a leaky shutoff valve under the kitchen sink, we were eager to get out and about today. We recently had our bikes serviced, so we wanted to take them out for a spin and see how they perform. We discovered the Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park.

Often called the skinniest park in Virginia, Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad Regional Park is a paved trail between Shirlington and Purcellville, Virginia. The 45-mile route along the former railbed of the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad, runs through urbia, suburbia and into the Virginia countryside.

We started our exploration in Ashburn, Virginia. We joined the trail at mile 27.5. We were so excited to get started, we forgot to take our trailhead selfie. Here were are a mile down the trail. After the recent thunderstorms, it was a little chilly this morning. Kathy is wearing her bike jacket.

The first rest stop we came to was an overview of the stone quarry of Luck Stone Corporation. Luck Companies began in 1923 as Sunnyside Granite Company, and grew into one of the largest family owned stone companies.

We crossed a number of railroad bridges. With all the recent thunderstorms, the creeks were swollen and brown.

The Washington and Old Dominion Railroad was an intrastate short-line railroad. The railroad was a successor to the bankrupt Washington and Old Dominion Railway and to several earlier railroads, the first of which began operating in 1859. The railroad closed in 1968. Many of the businesses that sprung up next to the railroad have gone, but if you look closely, you can still find random items like this fire hydrant in the middle of what is now a field.

We stopped to check out the Leesburg Lime Company. Started in 1868, the lime company supplied farmers with fertilizer, and builders with plaster for walls and stone for roads. 

The W&OD is a Northern Virginia (NOVA) Regional Park. The ribbon on the first section of the W&OD Trail was cut on Sept. 7, 1974 by then Falls Church mayor Harold Miller – the first of what would be many events as the park expanded in both directions. On November 5, 1988, NOVA Parks celebrated the opening of the Trail’s final nine miles into Purcellville. Today, the Trail is an artery for visitors and commuters year-round. Work continues all along the trail. Here, a new mural is being painted in Leesburg.

Drainage work along the trail provided a great fishing opportunity for this great white egret.

This turkey vulture prefers to graze the trail for flatten cicadas and other tasty morsels.  Looking closely, we were sad to see that he had an injured wing and could not fly.  We hoped he would figure out how to survive without flying.

Many of the historic farms in the area have given way to new housing developments. However, you can still find evidence of the agrarian past.

After leaving Leesburg, we left suburbia behind. We rode past a number of beautiful farms and the Louden County 4H Fairgrounds.

In researching our ride, we found the Interactive Map to be really helpful. We were able to find parking, restaurants and brewpubs along the trail. Here Kathy is taking advantage of one of the numerous benches along the way to rest after a wearying bicycle climb.

Since leaving Leesburg, we had been steadily going up. After a few miles, we reached Clarke's Gap, a pass through Catoctin Mountain west of Leesburg. A beautiful stone arch bridge over the rail line is being preserved.  The wooden structure in the arch of the bridge appears to be a means of protecting users of the trail from decaying and falling stone.

After two hours of riding, we were getting hungry. We decided to make the halfway point at 12.5 miles. We found a pretty spot along the trail for lunch.

After lunch, it was a speedy trip back to Leesburg. You've heard the expression "it's all downhill from here." Well, it was. We only stopped once to visit with the Jolly Green Giant.

Did I mention that the interactive map includes all the breweries along the trail? We planned a stop at Black Walnut Brewery in Leesburg. Dave is enjoying their Peanut Butter Porter, while Kathy quaffs a Vienna Lager.

After quenching our thirst, we were back on the trail. The final few miles passed quickly. After 25 miles, we were back in Ashburn. 

As we loaded our bikes on the back of the Jeep, we could smell the wonderful aromas coming from the Carolina Brothers Pit Barbeque next door. Needless to say, we got a rack of ribs to go! 

Yum!