Bike the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath

Bikers along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath near Shepherdstown, WVA.  The path ranges from 7 to 12 feet across, and although it may look like Spanish moss hanging from the trees, it's not/Photo by Patricia Leslie

An adventure may begin at the Ferry Hill Plantation managed by the National Park Service and located on a hill above Shepherdstown, WVA where free bicycles and gear are available on weekends through Labor Day.  (Call ahead:  301-582-0813.)  

During the Civil War, after the Battle of Sharpsburg/Antietam, the Confederates housed their wounded at Ferry Hill.  They used the grounds as headquarters and encampment sites, like the Union forces did (at separate times). 

Ferry Hill lies above the Potomac River which troops crossed during the Antietam, Gettysburg, and Monocacy campaigns.  A NPS brochure says that when Union soldiers suspected the mistress of Ferry Hill, Helena Blackford Douglas, of conspiring with Confederates across the river, they imprisoned her husband, Robert, a minister.  Robert's son, Henry Kyd Douglas, was an aide to Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and wrote I Rode With Stonewall/Photo by Patricia Leslie

"Honey, you're in the wrong lane!"/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Historic markers line the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Barbara Humes, left, Harpers Ferry guru, and NPS guide Cindy Brockman, in the distance,  stop to read what it's all about on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath near Shepherdstown, WVA/Photo by Patricia Leslie

What I've always wanted to do: run with a tire strapped to my body.  Yee-haw!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Campers off the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A brochure says swimming in the Potomac River is verboten, but these swimmers do not understand German. Overheard in English:  "Jackie!  Bring me a beer!"/Photo by Patricia Leslie

"That's more like it."/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A monument to James Rumsey (1743-1792), on the banks of the Potomac River at Shepherdstown, WVA, seen from the Towpath on the other side of the river.  In 1785 George Washington appointed Rumsey to be the first construction superintendent to build a canal at Great Falls, but Rumsey quit after a year when he did not get more pay.  Rumsey invented a self-propelled steam boat which he launched at Shepherdstown in 1787, and he has a following dedicated to his cause: the Rumseian Society/Photo by Patricia Leslie

The Antietam Aqueduct along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Towpath, north of Harpers Ferry.  The aqueduct was built in 1834, mostly by Irish immigrants, many who died from a cholera epidemic which swept the campsites/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Bikers ride between the stone walls of the Antietam Aqueduct on the Chesapeake and Ohio Towpath/Photo by Patricia Leslie

This hill, the last rung before reaching Ferry Hill at the end of the ride,  is much steeper than it looks!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

 You can't go wrong with an adventure along the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal which stretches 184.5 miles from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland, but it's not necessary to do it all in one day. (!) 

You may begin the fun with lunch at the Blue Moon Cafe in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, highly recommended with its large and varied menu, good food (and beer), sure to please most everyone (including babies and dogs) in a delightful, shaded outdoor setting with indoor seating, too.

After tasty treats, you may proceed through Shepherdstown and Shepherd University and head over the bridge atop the Potomac River into Maryland, home of the Ferry Hill Historical Park which is up the hill and immediately to your left.  There you will find free bikes, helmets, and a National Park Service guide (if you're lucky, she'll be Cindy Brockman) to lead you along the street and down, down, down the path to the grassy green wonder of the Ohio and Chesapeake Canal Towpath. 

You can walk, run (with a tire), or ride the trail in gaps, like we did, starting at the Ferry Hill Mansion and ending at the Antietam Aqueduct (about six miles round trip). The trail straddles the Sharpsburg/Antietam Battlefield, and is beautifully shaded which helps keep you cool.

The park is "trash free," meaning you take out what you bring in, and at the Ferry Hill Mansion, no bottled water is sold, so take your own container or buy one there.

Exercise, an outdoor setting, nature, fresh air, camaraderie with friends, tranquil scenes, history, butterflies, sunshine and Vitamin D, all things good for you and available at no charge at Ferry Hill. 

patricialesli@gmail.com

Suffragists celebrate March 1 - 3, 2013, Washington, DC

The cover of the 1913 program for the National American Women's Suffrage Association/Library of Congress, Wikipedia

Hundreds of expected women (and men) will walk this Sunday beginning at 9 a.m. from the West Lawn (mall side) of the U.S. Capitol down Pennsylvania Avenue to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the women’s right to vote march which culminated in 1920 with the passage of the 19^th amendment. 

Many other events are scheduled to honor this significant piece of American history:

Saturday, March 2, 2013:

10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Panel discussion: Modern Day Activism and the Role of Social Media with UniteWomen.org, the American Association of University Women, and PunditMom at AAUW, 1111 16^th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036. Ph. 202-785-7700. Metro station: Farragut West

12 p.m.  Iron Jawed Angels (2004 film; may be too intense for some audiences) about the 1913 suffragists with discussion, McGowan Theater, National Archives, no charge . Use the Constitution Ave., NW entrance, between 7th and 9th Sts., NW. Metro station:  Archives-Navy Memorial

12:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Activism training at AAUW, 1111 16th St., NW

2 p.m. – 4 p.m.   Book talk: Winning the Vote with Robert Cooney at AAUW

2:30 p.m. Book talk:  Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World with Matthew Goodman at the Newseum, included with museum admission ($21.95 + tax, adult) 555 Pennsylvania Ave., at 2nd St., NW, Washington, DC 20001. Ph. 888-639-7386

Sunday, March 3, 2013:

9 a.m. The march begins at the Capitol's West Lawn and continues 3.1 miles to the Washington Monument. Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.  National Park Service rangers and volunteers will reenact the 1917 "silent sentinel" demonstrations outside the White House.  Hear about mob violence and police brutality.  For more information:  202-208-1631, ext. 215 or 202-822-5080, ext. 25. Metro station: Farragut West or Farragut North.

11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Rangers and volunteers from the National Park Service will give formal talks in front of the White House about the historic protests that led to the passage of the 19th amendment.

2:30 p.m.  Book talk:  Women of the Washington Press with Maurine Beasley, at the Newseum, included with museum  admission ($21.95 + tax, adult)

Exhibits:

The 1913 Woman Suffragist Parade

National Museum of American History, no charge

On the National Mall, Constitution and 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20001

Open 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. every day. Metro station: Federal Triangle or the Smithsonian

A 30-foot long display recreates the mood of the parade and illustrates its impact using costumes worn by participants along with banners, sashes, postcards, letters, and photographs.

The 1913 Suffragist Parade and the Role of the Press
Through March in the lobby of the National Press Club, no charge
529 14th St. NW (just south of F St.), 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045. Ph. 202-662-7500

Metro station:  Metro Center
Learn about key figures in the historic suffrage movement and the role of the press in helping to turn public opinion in favor of women’s voting rights. Created by the National Women’s History Museum with support from the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum.  

Fashioning the "New Woman" 1890-1925

Through August 31, 2013 at the Daughters of the American Revolution,  no charge

1776 D St., NW, Washington, DC 20006. Ph. 202-628-1776. Open Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.  Metro stations:  Farragut West or Farragut North

The exhibit traces the evolution of women’s fashion and how it reflected the changing societal roles and activities of women during the Progressive Era.  The “New Woman” represented women venturing from the home where society had confined them, to offices, sporting events, working for social reform, and the pursuit of a higher education.

Historic newspaper front pages and photos from the period
In the outdoor display cases through March 14 at the Newseum, no charge

555 Pennsylvania Ave., at 2nd St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. Ph. 888-639-7386

Metro stations: Archives-Navy Memorial, Judiciary Square, the Smithsonian, or Gallery Place-Chinatown

Sewall-Belmont House, the home of the National Woman's Party

2nd St. NE and Constitution Ave., NE, Washington, DC 20002.  Ph. 202-546-1210.
Adults: $8.  One of the nation's premier women's history memorials.

Open 11 a.m. - 5 p.m., March 1 - 3

Metro station:  Union Station or Capitol South

Information:

American Association of University Women, 1111 16th St., NW. Building is open Saturday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. with archivist on site for public tours. Other organizations will have information available at AAUW.

In addition to those named above, other sponsors of the centennial suffrage celebration are: the Alice Paul Institute, Cultural Tourism DC, and Turning Point Suffragist Memorial.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Tour de Jour: The Park Service NOT at FDR

By the Queen of Free

One night last week I went to a walking tour at the FDR Memorial.

It was a free tour, one of the many free things to do which is hosted by the National Park Service. I found it on the Web at "Cultural Tourism DC."

That day I called the National Park Service to make sure someone would show up. After some fumbling around and several questions asked of me about the tour from the Park Service employees, the NPS folks "found" it and said yes, someone would be there to lead it.

It's a long walk from my office to the FDR Memorial, but I certainly needed the exercise. And the information from a Park guide about FDR. I don't know enough about him.

But I wanted someone to show up. That was the reason to go, no?

No one came.

Three of us waited at the appointed hour of 8 p.m. at the beautiful, the crowded (even at night, but it's so spread out and big, who notices the people?) FDR Memorial for the hour's tour. After 15 minutes two of us left to explore the memorial on our own. At 8:25 p.m. I saw the third of our group still waiting on the bench.

The Park Service was certainly apologetic the next day.

Why does it post tours that, seemingly, none of its employees know anything about? Why are tours posted on a Web site which do not happen?

Another tour was scheduled for Friday night for a two hour evening tour of the Mall. Even though a Park Service employee told me someone would show up to lead that one, too, how could one be sure? Was it worth a wait downtown until 7 p.m. to find out? I nixed the possibility.

Yes, it is free; yes, the Park Service is poorly funded, but why promote something that's not going to happen? It creates frustration and unhappiness among those interested, not to mention negative comments on a blog.