Being a canal, the tunnel contains a tow path next to a perfectly straight, perfectly level pool of water on which the boats floated through the mountain.
By means of the tunnel the canal avoids over six miles of a very twisty, cliff-lined section of the river.
Today it provides a doubly cool walking adventure.
hey guys, finally figured out how to post a comment. yes, i am deeply tech-challenged. the pics are great -- the trees and flowers look gorgeous! and who knew you both had such beautiful prose?!!?? is this the next career post-walk-across-the-country???
ReplyDeletei hope the rain will blow over soon for you guys! y'all deserve some more sunshine...of course, i wouldn't mind it either :)
love, viv
Great tunnel - reminds me of Jennie's father steering our barge through a 2mile long, hand dug, brick lined tunnel last summer (bbl*). That tunnel like many did not have a tow path alongside -- the horse had to traverse an outside path and meet at the other end. The bargees were pulled through by rope or laid on the roof of the barge and "walked" the barge through by their feet on the tunnel roof. Thankgoodness we had a motor - think of Marcia and Brenda on the roof with their legs on the ceiling... ( erase, erase).
ReplyDelete* before broken leg.
Geoff
@Geoff, What a cool fact. I will never erase that image, it's too funny!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the tunnel. Hand dug is amazing. Nice photos too. What was it like inside? Wet and drippy? Cold? Are bicycles permitted?
ReplyDeleteMy friend Lura and I rode our bicycles through a mile long tunnel on the Iron Horse Trail in Washington. We donned flashing beacons for the pedestrians and rain gear for the drips. An earie experience!
CP of the C&M
@C&M
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know bikers are allowed in the tunnel. The tow path is only about 4 feet wide in the tunnel so you'd have to negotiate with pedestrians. Midweek we had it to ourselves.
It is somewhat drippy and cold. Given all the rain it is hard to say how drippy it would be during the dry season.