Winter

We had a major snow storm last weekend, and there's still plenty of snow on the ground.  Beautiful, but not ideal for outdoor riding, at least for the next day or two.  The roads are plowed, but things are sloppy, with patches of ice.  So, it's time for indoor training.  I set up the trainer in the garage, got the iPod going, and then got myself going -- until the chain on the Basso slipped a link, which put an immediate stop to everything.  I've got a chain wrench in Takoma Park, but not out here in Easton.  So tomorrow, I'll make a trip to the Bike Doctor to get the chain fixed.  Hope to be riding outside in a couple of days.

Missing Colors

We haven't been in Easton for a few weeks -- too much going on back on the western shore -- but I was still hoping for a "mid-Fall" ride -- full color, on one of the same routes I did (and photographed) in the Spring and Summer, to show the changes in the seasons.  But there have been heavy rains and winds during the last couple of weeks, so when I went out this morning, the trees were bare -- all the leaves had fallen.

I started out the Oxford Road, past Peachblossom Creek, and then over to the Easton-Trappe road.  It took me a little while to get into the rhythm of a late Fall ride -- subtle colors, with the sun struggling to break through the high, thin clouds.  Peachblossom Creek was beautiful, in a quiet way.  The fields on the Easton-Trappe Road were barren, which made gave the terrain a more open feel.  There were geese and ducks on the ponds and in the air.

The most interesting part of the ride may have been the side trip to Trappe Landing, which has appeared in a number of other rides.  After the turn off, I saw an eagle fly overhead -- awesome.  Down at the Landing, there were far fewer trailers than on earlier visits -- fewer folks talking their boats out this time of year.   But there was a group of three hunters who had just pulled their boat -- a well camouflaged open skiff -- out of the water after a morning of hunting.  They hadn't had any luck, but agreed that a morning on the water was better than just about anything else -- "sure beats working."  We talked about how it was a perfect day for bike riding, with almost no one around and plenty of wildlife to see.  I mentioned that I'd seen an eagle, and they said that there were eagles circling overhead during their morning on the water.  We wished each other a great weekend, and they said that after some rest, they hoped to be out hunting again.

On the ride home, I noticed that many of the smaller trees and bushes still had their color -- something I missed earlier in the ride, in the hopes of seeing that in the big trees.   I also saw some beautiful scenes of waterfowl on some ponds, in the protected area on Spring Road.

The mid-Fall on the Eastern Shore seems to be about the striking beauty of spectacular colors.  Later, as things get quieter for the Winter, it gets more subtle -- hunters on their boats, waterfowl on the water, and traces of color below the big trees.  A nice transition, before the cold sets in.

NOTE to Self

Make sure that you check that you have EVERYTHING before you head to Easton for the weekend.  DON'T presume that your bike shoes still are in the car from the Sea Gull weekend.  Otherwise, you'll have to write about something other than biking.

Big changes out here in the last two weeks.  During the Sea Gull, the leaves had barely begun to change, and the fall waterfowl were just starting to make an appearance.  This weekend was a full Fall experience.  The ducks were plentiful on the water, and the geese were everywhere -- fattening up on the cleared cornfields, flying overhead in large Vs, and cruising the waters in flotillas.  The sound hasn't become constant yet -- but that's coming.

We're now proud participants in the Department of Natural Resources "Marylanders Grow Oysters" program.  We've got three cages full of oyster spat hanging in the water off of our dock.  Each cage is supposed to grow 150 to 200 oysters, which will be collected next year and placed in protected oyster beds in the Tred Avon River.  (No, we're not supposed to eat any of them).  In addition to being rather tasty, oysters are an important part of the Bay's ecosystem, because they filter the water.  A single oyster can filter 2 gallons of water in an hour. The Bay's oyster population used to be so large that it filtered the Bay's entire water volume every three to four days. Today that would take nearly a year.  So every little bit helps. 

http://www.oysters.maryland.gov/

Something else I've learned in my time in Easton is that those supposedly charming reeds along the water's edge actually are an invasive species called phragmites, which grows so thick that it chokes out other plants and wildlife.  We had a heavy stand along much of our shoreline, and we discovered that the state and the county have a herbicide program to kill phragmites.  We had the spraying done this fall, and it looks like it worked -- the plants have dried up and appear dead to the roots.  I went out on Sunday with the hedge clipper and started to cut them down.  They are very thick, and it will take a while to complete the task.  Clearing the phragmites showed that there are a number of other plants along our shoreline -- some flowering bushes and some small evergreens.  We'll have to see how things go in the Spring -- whether, without the phragmites, we suffer any erosion of the mud banks.

That's all for now.  Next time, I'll remember my bike shoes

Sea Gull Century 2009

Today is a beautiful Fall day on the Eastern Shore. Sunny and cool, without a lot of wind. Unfortunately from the perspective of the weather, the Sea Gull Century was yesterday -- overcast, some spitting rain, and very windy. But we did the ride anyway and had a great time, along with 8500 of our closest friends.

Christine, Alison, and Art came out to Easton on Friday night -- Gail chose a trip to Paris rather than doing the Sea Gull (imagine that!!). We had dinner at Tapatia -- what better way to carbo load than with great Mexican food and margaritas. The weather forecast was iffy -- showers in the morning; maybe clearing in the afternoon, maybe not. At least one of our group was ready to bail out on Friday night. But we decided to get up at 6 am and see how things looked.

I got up and put on my biking gear. Most of the rest of group came out in their jammies. But the chances of rain went down over night (the hour-by-hour forecast can be too much sometimes), so we headed from Easton to Salisbury -- but with a late start. Too late for the "high carbs" breakfast at the ride site, so we stopped on Dunkin' Donuts to load up.

We started to ride a few minutes before 9 -- the latest I've ever started. The racing teams -- who are disappointed if they don't finish in 4 hours -- were long gone. That was a mixed blessing: it's fun to see highly skilled riders going really fast in double pacelines, but there are a lot of casual riders on the Sea Gull, so there can be some scary moments from the pacelines move through in the early miles of the ride.

One difference in this year's ride from the others I've done (most of them since 1992): HIPSTERS have discovered the Sea Gull -- on fixies, with tats and skater helmets. But very good riders. One woman who I road with for a while -- her's was a "working" fixie, with a flat bar, an old-style rear fenders and two brakes -- also did roller derby. We rode with another group -- a guy on a fixie with a top tube pad and wearing designer messenger pants, a woman with a paint-splattered LeMond and an "ironic" NYC blue and Orange jersey, and another woman wearing a gray denim skirt over her bike skirt. Maybe a bit much, but the guy on the fixie maintained a very steady tempo and had "no hands" balance as good as Art, and the group was solid enough to do a paceline with us for a while. (For more on hipster bike culture, check out www.bikesnobnyc.com).

Some other observations.

Art, Christine, Alison, and I rode most of the route together, which was fun -- a great group. The ride support was good, but not great -- the Assateague rest stop (at around 60 miles) stopped having peanut butter sandwiches a few years ago. Now it's banana/cranberry/other types of bread and little tubs of PB. Not so good. They ran out of pie at the Adkins Mill rest stop but got some more quickly. Good. And the shirt's a really nice color this year.

I treat this ride as five 20 milers, and each was a bit different today. The wind was fluky. It started out out of the north and not too strong. That made the first 20, which go to the south, a nice warm up. The next 20 winds to the north, and the wind picked up, strong -- some very rough stretches, helped by some good pacelines. We then wander mostly east from 40 to 60, with the rest stop on Assateague Island (complete with the famous ponies). I noticed that, the more we headed due east, the more the wind was to our backs. That's fun while it lasts, but it's unusual not to have a wind blowing off the ocean. And the real problem with a westerly wind is that the last 40 miles of the ride are due west -- which means straight into a headwind.

And that's what we had. Miles 60 through 80 always are a challenge. By that time, you're ready to be done. We worked the pacelines again, often the four of us, and sometimes with the hipsters. After some pie at Adkins Mill, the last 20 miles weren't bad at all. Of course, I get spooked at around mile 93 -- the site of my crash 5 years ago -- but I got through it.

I love this ride, and I plan to do it as long as I'm physically able. But, given all I've seen of the Eastern Shore during the past year, this isn't the prettiest route around -- not a lot of water views, and A LOT of industrial chicken farms. But a splendid time was had by all, or at least our group.

My Quest

October is a great month for sea food on the Eastern Shore -- the oysters have arrived, and the crabs haven't left yet. So last night, Susan, Pete, and I headed to Schooners, a dockside restaurant and bar in Oxford, for some fried oysters and crabcakes. We were sitting outside, on the harbor, near the outdoor bar. At around 8:15, we saw a fireworks display to the south. Since it wasn't the 4th of July, no one was quite sure what was going on -- until the waitress told us that one of the guys' fathers was a caretaker for a huge place down on Island Creek. The fireworks display -- all 25 or 30 minutes worth, easily as good as Easton's display on July 4th -- were for a wedding (!!!)
So that settled it -- Sunday's ride would start with the Island Creek loop, to see if I could find evidence of the grand event. I took the normal route, out the Oxford Road to Almshouse, then White Marsh to Sanderstown. I got a bit of a late start; by 9:15, the fog was burning off, leaving the fields with a heavy dew. Everything was glistening in the morning light.
When I got to Island Creek Road, I had a strange sense that I was almost there. . . .I pedaled along for a while, wondering how far was "almost," anyway? After a while, I found it:That's right, a Lovefest at Martins Point -- I'm not making this up. Either a really big wedding, or a late celebration of Woodstock's 40th anniversary.
My quest now complete, I continued the ride, singing the B-52s' "Love Shack" to myself. It was a beautiful Fall day -- with the first of the migrating Canadian snow geese in the sky. I rode the Island Creek loop, with a detour out to Chloras Point and Peace Cliff Road -- where I could see a sailboat race out on the Bay. Then through Trappe, across Route 50.
Instead of the normal route up Koogler, I went further east, through Bruceville, past one of my favorite cemeteries. The farms on this side of 50 are larger than to the west. Most of the cornfields had been cleared, and I noticed a much larger number of hawks gliding over the cut fields. With the tall cornstalks gone, the field mice are easier for the raptors to see -- plus, the rodents are stocking up for the winter. The hawks were flying very low, so it was easy to see the white feathers on the underside of their wings.
I crossed Miles Creek, which runs to the Choptank, not the Miles river. I then headed further north, up Dover Neck Road to Black Dog Alley (again, I'm not making this up -- I've got to find out where that name came from). I cut back to Easton sooner than planned, both because it was really windy and because my lower back tightened up. Finished at about 47 miles, my last tune up for the Sea Gull.

Fall 40 Miler

Did the same 40-miler with Gail that I did with Kathy a few weeks ago -- Oxford, Island Creek Loop, Trappe, and the "cemeteries" east of 50. (Note to self -- map this route, since it's become your regular 40 mile ride --UPDATE: done). We took a detour for the Oxford Cemetery and for Trappe Landing.
Interesting changes in three week. Any corn that's left standing is brown and dry. A lot of it has been cut down, and some of the fields have been turned over. So I've seen the full "corn cycle," from planting, to tending, to harvesting, and clearing. The beans are turning a golden color, ready for harvest. The leaves are just starting to change, and there was coolness in the air the entire ride. And, of course, a tough wind.
The most amazing sight was on the Island Creek Road, where there are woods to the right and fields on the left. A very large bird flew low out of the woods, straight over head -- a bald eagle !! On the first pass, we could see its body -- snow white chest and tail. It looped back around twice, so we could see its white head and curled beak. It then went back into the woods. I saw a bald eagle on the Miles River a couple of years ago, but this is my first one on a bike ride. Eagles keep their nests in the same spot over the years, so I'll have to keep my eyes open for this one when I'm riding Island Creek Road.
Update: Here's the map of this route. http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3230319

"It's A Clean Machine"

Sometimes you just HAVE to clean your bike. Last weekend, I noticed that my chain was noisy -- a bad sign, particularly with the humidity on the Eastern Shore. So this morning, I grabbed my Pedro's Bio Degreaser and my Finish Line wax chain lubricant and got to work. The truth is, I like cleaning my bike -- it looks better, it rides better, and since it's my favorite possession (OK, I'd put my iPod and my car right up there with my bike), the IF deserves it. I also put on a new seat -- same as the old seat, a Terry Fly, because it's the most comfortable seat I've had.
So tomorrow's ride should be silent and smooth. We're on the western shore this weekend, so no ride report.

Miles

The Sea Gull Century is a few short weeks from now, and this hasn't been a heavy mileage summer -- no RAGBRAI to train for and do. So I needed to put some miles on my legs this morning. I did a basic there-and-back ride: from Woodland Court, through St. Michaels, to Tilghman Island -- no map, no photos, and only a couple of side trips. I took the Oxford Road to the Bypass, the Bypass to Route 33, and Route 33 to where it ends on Tilghman. It's 11 miles to St. Michaels -- Rt. 33 is called St. Michaels Road for this part of the ride -- and there was plenty of traffic, even though I started riding at 8. There's a very wide shoulder -- easy to ride two abreast -- but a steady stream of traffic driving considerably faster than the 50 MPH speed limit (I'm guilty as charged when I drive this road).

After you leave St. Michaels, the traffic thins out considerably. I had a steady wind at my back most of the way, so I kept a quick pace, knowing that I'd pay the price on the return trip. Right before McDaniel, the name of the road changes to the Tilghman Island Road., but it's still Route 33. After 25 miles, you reach Knapps Narrows, which separates Tilghman from the mainland. I hit the drawbridge just as it was beginning to go up, in both directions. A pretty sight, but maybe not twice.
Tilghman Island remains a unique place, even by Eastern Shore standards. The Island was first charted by Captain John Smith in 1608. There are still a lot of working watermen on Tilghman -- one of the last operating "under sail" skipjacks sails from there -- and it still reflects the rough and tumble waterman's life: small cottages, a few general stores, and several "on the water" restaurants reachable by boat. The story is that, in the old days, the more proper folks on the mainland raised the drawbridge on Saturday night, to keep the islander from crossing over and making trouble. Don't know if that's true, but it's a good story. Some developer put something called "Tilghman on Chesapeake" on the middle of the island -- it calls itself a "resort community," and is as out of place as it sounds. But mostly Tilghman is secluded and rustic.
I road to where the paved road ends, right before a beautiful inn on Black Walnut Point Inn, which is located on a wildlife preserve on the southernmost point on the island: http://www.blackwalnutpoint.com/
After that I did a little side route, out Fairbanks Road, to a nice point looking out to the Choptank River. Heading back, I noticed some clouds building -- which increased the wind A LOT. The ride home was work -- into a "stiff flag" headwind, a solo ride without anyone to help break the wind. Got back to St. Michaels around 11 am, and the town was very busy -- the end of the Labor Day Weekend. Did a side route through Royal Oak -- both because I like the town, and because I got a break from the wind. Got home, having done 60 miles -- tired.

Starting to Feel a Bit Like Fall

Did an early morning 40 miler with Kathy today -- out to Oxford, then the Island Creek Road loop, back through Trappe across Route 50, and part of the Wildflowers/Cemeteries route home. Although the morning was bright and sunny, there was the coolness of Fall in the air. The corn fields have turned brown, some of the dogwoods are just starting to change colors, and the bean fields -- October harvest -- are a rich, dark green. Summer is winding to an end.

Tour of Oxford

This is a great ride for new visitors to the Eastern Shore. It's a relatively short trip; I'll sometimes use my Basso for this one.
Basically, you follow the Oxford Road to Oxford, with a number of possible side trips along the way. You'll ride over Peachblossom and Trippe Creeks, both very beautiful, particularly in the morning or evening sun, and then ride several miles through farm country. I like to show folks the view across the harbor from the Oxford Cemetery -- a short detour to the right, before town.
The Oxford Road ends at the dock of the Oxford-Bellevue ferry, reputed to be the oldest continually running ferry in the country. If you've got a few bucks in your pocket, you can take the ferry across to Bellevue, a short boat ride to a working dock across the way. From there you can head to St. Michaels. But that's another ride. On this one, you wander through the town of Oxford, which has maintained the feel of an old Eastern Shore town. When St. Michaels decided to focus on tourists, Oxford made a different choice, avoiding most development. There's the Robert Morris Inn, right on the water, and the Oxford Inn, near the harbor. But that's about it by way of restaurants/bars. There's a general store and a few shops, but mostly it's nice old houses (and a pretty old population), with a great town park right on the water.
The map below takes you to Bachelor's Point, which has nice views of the Choptank and Tred Avon Rivers (and some very big houses), and out World Farm Road, which also has some beautiful views. Then it's back towards Easton and the Oreo cows.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3157981

More Thinks to Know

There's other stuff you can do on the Eastern Shore when you're not riding your bike. You can

• Eat. Blue crabs, hard or soft; fresh corn, tomatoes, peaches, melons, and whatever else you can find at the road side stands. You can get fresh crabs in season at Gay's Seafood at Easton Point. Some of our favorite restaurants include Bella Luna in Royal Oak, Masons and Plaza Tapatia in Easton, Ava's Pizzeria & Wine Bar in St. Michaels, and the Portside in Cambridge.
• Drink. Legal Spirits in Easton has a very nice bar; they know how to make a real Black & Tan. The Irish Crab in Easton Point is a dockside bar in a working port -- what you'd expect, pretty basic with good beer on tap. In St. Michaels, there's a great microbrewery -- Eastern Shore Brewing. The St. Michaels Ale is my favorite (so far). I like the margaritas at Plaza Tapatia; Susan's not crazy about them. Try for yourself. (NOTE on the bars -- they close early, usually not long after they think the last customer has left).
• Look for antiques/old stuff. There are A LOT of real antique shops, many in St. Michaels, with prices as expected. For a more "eclectic" collection, check out Foxwell's Antiques/Collectibles, a "barn" on Route 50 with a lot of different vendors inside. We've gotten some nice stuff there -- wheat and chaff. Packing House Antiques in Cambridge is another large place with vendors -- larger than Foxwell's, higher percentage of wheat. Right next door to Packing House is a real gem of a place -- Bay Country Antiques. Real stuff -- including a wonderfully restored Chris Craft Cabin Cruiser. Considerably better prices than St. Michaels; make sure you bargain. We got a beautiful antique dresser there.
• Hike. Susan, the dogs, and I have done a couple of very nice hikes in the Wye Island Natural Resources Management Area. Like most of the Eastern Shore, the hikes are flat, and quite short -- a couple of miles. Most involve water views somewhere along the way. Here's the website: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/eastern/wyeisland.html
  

If you need a bike shop, try Bike Doctors or Easton Cycles & Sport.

You can start/finish your rides at the Easton YMCA -- it's close to where we live, so hooking into the routes I've mapped shouldn't be a problem.

You and Me and the Rain on the Roof

Got to Easton this morning -- "working from home" -- with the hope of an afternoon ride. Maybe take some pictures of the Wildflowers/Cemetery route (I usually do a ride a couple of times without my camera before memorializing it with pictures). But by mid-afternoon, we heard the rumbles of thunder in the distance and the anvil clouds building overhead -- another summer thunderstorm. In contrast to many of the summer storms, this one didn't blow in and out quickly: it's decided to stay around for a while. "A real soaker," as they say. Good for the trees and plants and the water table, but bad for my bike ride.

Wildflowers & Cemeteries East of Rt 50

This 36 mile ride spends most of its time east of Route 50. Much larger farms, little by way of water views -- more of a country ride than a waterfront ride. Start down the Oxford Road -- with water views of Peachblossom and Trippe Creeks -- and take Almshouse Road across 50. At that point, the name of the road changes to Manadier Road, and the land spreads out.

Make a right on Landing Neck Road, and note the summer wildflowers growing along the edges of the farm fields. I last did this ride in mid-August and was surprised that the flowers had survived the summer heat. There's also an old cemetery on Landing Neck -- one of several along this route. After around 10 miles, you'll come to a spot where three roads cross. Take Bruceville Road -- sort of a soft left. In about a mile and a half, you'll cross Miles Creek, which is a beautiful wetland surrounded by flowers.

This part of the ride gets "hilly," at least by Eastern Shore standards. In theory, you'll pass through Bruceville, which isn't much of a town (no stores for fluids/food). Bruceville Road ends at Clarks Wharf Road. I usually take a left, even though the road is marked "No Outlet," because the road ends at a beautiful spot just below Bow Knee Point. Although there's a private road, there's a view of the Choptank River that's worth stopping for (particularly in the late Fall/Winter, when the leaves are down).

Double back on Clarks Wharf, continue past Bruceville until Clarks Wharf joins Kate's Point Road, one of the few roads that uses an apostrophe (who knows why?). Shortly after the 18 mile mark, turn left onto Bambury Road, and in less than a mile make another left onto Jamaica Point Road. This is another "there and back" stretch -- about five miles worth -- but it's a nice run that ends at Jamaica Point -- with a view through another private estate on the Choptank River.

Jamaica Point Road becomes Barber Road as you cross Bambury, and a short distance after that (passing a couple of cemeteries), you'll cross Route 50 onto Main Street in Trappe. (There's a gas station at the crossing of Route 50, if you need food, drink, or bathroom). Take your time on Main Street -- there are some wonderful old houses -- pass Mitchum's Restaurant, and take the Easton-Trappe Road back home.

Note that, if you're looking for more miles, this route overlaps with the Trappe/Chloras Point loop that I describe in an earlier posting.

Here's the link: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3080995

The Eastern Shore is NOT "The Beach"

I returned to work today after 10 days at our place in Easton, and I was surprised at how many folks asked me if I enjoyed my vacation "at the beach." Now, I've got NOTHING against the beach -- I grew up at the ocean, and some of most laughable high school memories involved Jones Beach, usually trying to pick up girls (unsuccessfully). But the Eastern Shore definitely is NOT "the beach." The Eastern Shore refers to the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay -- the marshes, tidal waters, and inlets of the country's largest estuary. The Eastern Shore looks like the first picture on the right. Although there's been a lot of development in the years I've been visiting the Eastern Shore, it's mostly quiet and relatively uncrowded -- several times, I've cycled for more than an hour and not seen another person.

To me, the beach means the ocean -- sand, sea, surf, maybe a honky tonk boardwalk, and always CROWDS, at least in the summer. The second picture on the right is from a live camera on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD, which is an additional 1 3/4 hour drive from Easton.

I expect you can tell the difference.

Showing a Friend Around

Yesterday, my friend Laura and I went for a 30 milea ride -- basically the Trappe/Chloras Point loop, w/some variations -- and it was great fun showing her the joys of riding on the Eastern Shore. Laura's an avid gardener, and she noticed aspects of the vegetation that I'd missed-- particularly the crepe myrtle and the flowers around one of the ponds. We both chuckled at the large homes around which the builders had removed EVERY TREE IN SIGHT, leaving the house to stand in the hot Eastern Shore summer sun.

The morning view from Peace Cliff Road, with the sun at our backs, was spectacular. Laura, who grew up on the west coast of Florida, noted the open water and the threat from storms -- hurricanes or nor'easters. Some, but not all, of the houses were build on higher platforms to survive a flood. Risky.

Trappe Landing was busy--Saturday's not a day off for watermen during crab season. A number of the boats had just returned from the morning run, with bushels of crabs. I had a flat tire as we were leaving--the rear wheel, of course--but it was an easy job changing it.

It was getting quite warm on the ride back to Easton, but a great ride. If you've taken visitors on a tour of your home town, you know that it's a great way to rediscover things about the place where you live. So it was riding with Laura.

My Bikes

If I'm not riding one of my bikes, the next best thing is talking (or, in this case, writing) about them.

My #1 ride is an Independent Fabrication Crown Jewel, black cherry metallic color, with black/white/clear decals. Functional sculpture. IF makes custom bikes, and around seven years ago I splurged. The IF fits like it was made for me, because it was. The shop took measurements like for a custom made suit, asked about how I rode, and put it all together. It's a racing frame, but the shop lengthened the chain stay and slackened the headset angle to make for a less "twitchy" ride. The frame is steel -- "steel is real" still for me -- with carbon fork and handlebars and a full Ultegra drivetrain. After many, MANY thousands of miles -- three RAGRAIs, numerous Sea Gulls and other centuries, etc -- it's still my dream bike. Check out IF's website -- www.ifbikes.com.

Some of you may say, carbon is lighter, why not go with something modern? When I bought the IF, I test road the Trek Postal Service team bike. A bit lighter, I suppose, but the ride was sterile compared to the IF. So, I decided that if I was worried about the extra pound and a half, I SHOULD LOSE WEIGHT !!!

My #2 bike on the Eastern Shore is a late 1970s Basso road bike that I assembled myself, with parts I bought on eBay. Cherry red metallic; down tube shifters; chrome fork, lugs, and chainstays; all Campy/Cinelli. It's an old school steel racing bike -- narrow cassette 10 speed -- which makes it rough on hills but perfect for the (flat) Eastern Shore. This is my "styling" bike, which I use for shorter rides.

Sometimes, folks ask me, "How many bikes are enough?" The answer: "One more."

Unionville-Tunis Mills Ride

Here's a 40 mile ride that has some history near the beginning, a real treat near the end, with the middle in northwest Talbot County, near the Wye East River. The link is below.

There's no good way to bike from the Oxford peninsula to the St. Michaels peninsula -- the first few miles of this ride are on the Easton Bypass. But after you turn left onto Glebe Road and ride a bit, you're back in Easton Shore farm country. Unionville Road takes you over the Miles River drawbridge -- great views up the Miles, and an osprey nest on the top of the bridge (no fooling).

A mile or so after the bridge is Unionville, a community founded by free blacks and ex-slaves. There's an historic cemetery in which 18 free blacks and ex-slaves who fought for the Union in the Civil War are buried. Worth stopping for.

As you head out of Unionville towards Todds Corner, you're approaching the northern most part of the ride. The fields open up, the farms get larger and the wind picks up -- the farms and the wind remind me of cycling in Iowa (www.ragbrai.com). There's a large amount of Conservation Society land, and an Audubon Society children's camp.

You'll see that are a number of "there and back" parts of the ride. Presquile Road definitely is worth it. You'll get to a T just past 16 miles. I took Presquile Drive South, which had nice views of Lloyd Creek. Next time, I'll try the drive north, which runs along the Wye East River.
Presquile Road is worth it; you can skip Gross Coate Road -- a short run before you hit a "private road" sign. Bruff's Island Road is pretty, although the "Strictly Private" road sign at the end is off putting -- "strictly" compared to what? "Loosely Private"?

Tunis Mills is wonderful. There's an osprey's nest close to the road, and the view up Leeds Creek is beautiful. I met a great couple -- considerably older than me -- who were finishing a bike ride. They offered to refill my water bottles, which I really needed on a very hot day. This is why I always offer to help a stopped on the side of the road -- what goes around comes around. These folks had a very nice place on Leeds Creek, with a sailboat and a powerboat. Nicely done.

Once you're back on Unionville Road, pass by Glebe Road and make a left on the St. Michaels Road -- where you'll find Carroll's Exxon, Market & Deli. If there's better pie on the Eastern Shore, I haven't found it. Today's sour cherry pie was great.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3085402

Wildlife and Farm Animals

Wildlife I've seen cycling: ospreys, including a couple of nests w/chicks; various hawks; wild turkeys; turkey vultures; Canadian and snow geese; various ducks; egrets; blue and gray herons; red fox; black snakes; blue crabs; numerous beautiful songbirds; woodpeckers; turtles; and deer -- WAY too many deer.

Farm animals: cows (including "Oreo" cows); sheep; horses; and chickens -- WAY too many chickens.

Great 36 mile ride this morning with Kathy Christensen, before it got hot. Will post route and pictures -- lots of wildflowers and a number of old cemeteries.

Trappe/Chloras Point Loop

This is a nice 30 mile ride that will give you a pretty good sense of cycling on the Eastern Shore. The link is below.

On the Oxford Road, you'll cross Peachblossom Creek -- beautiful views to the east, toward the Tred Avon River (which isn't really a river -- it's a tidal inlet off the Bay). Once you get on the Easton-Trappe Road, you're in Eastern Shore farm country. During the Winter and early Spring, there were fields of hay, which has been harvested and replaced with soybeans. Of course, there are fields (and fields) of corn. It was wonderful watching the corn crop through its life cycle -- from sprouts in the Spring, to "high as your thigh on the 4th of July" (actually, the corn was much taller), to July/August harvest. There's still corn on the stalk -- should be available for the rest of the month.

Trappe is a nice Eastern Shore town. The actor Robert Mitchum had a farm near Trappe, and the town has a restaurant called Mitchum's Steak House. You can turn right onto Maple Ave in the middle of Trappe (which is how I mapped the route), or you can ride down Main Street for a short distance and see some of the nice old houses -- one of which dates from the early 1700s.

As you head out of Trappe, Maple Ave becomes Island Creek Road. Between miles 9 and 10, you'll see Trappe Landing Road on the left. You should ride down to Trappe Landing, which is a working watermen's docking area, so you may see some oyster and crab boats. It's a beautiful spot on LaTrappe Creek, an inlet of the Choptank River.

After mile 11, Island Creek Road splits. I usually bear right onto South Island Creek Road. During the this part of the ride, there are dense woods on both sides of the road, with some large farms/estates (many with "names") to your left. These places are on the Choptank River -- you can see the river at certain spots. These houses must have beautiful views.

Just after mile 14, South Island Creek Road ends at Chloras Point Road. You can make a right, which will take you back to the northern leg of Island Creek Road. But you should go left on Chloras Point Road and then make a right onto Peace Cliff Road and take it to its end -- extraordinary views across Island Creek.

You then turn back and take Chloras Point to Island Creek to Sanderstown Road. A couple of lefts and you're back on the Oxford Road, south of where you first turned off. You'll cross Trippe Creek and, again,
Peachblossom Creek. As you're getting close to home, slow down as you pass Cooke's Hope on the right. Cooke's Hope was part of a land grant by the Lord Baron of Baltimore to Major Miles Cooke in 1659. It's now a "planned community," but for what it is, it's not too bad -- lots of open fields. Make sure you check out the "Oreo" cattle -- more formally known as Belted Galloways.

Enjoy the ride.

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3060809

Things to Know

Some things to know about cycling on the Eastern Shore:

1. The Eastern Shore is flat, but not as flat as you think to the east of Route 50. I've trained on hills a lot the last several years, and there's something to be said for downhill.

2 It's windy, probably windier than you think. Wind is the hill that doesn't end.

3. There's a lot of farming on the Eastern Shore. We're famous for our sweet corn, of course. But there's plenty of livestock, and further south, we're famous for our chicken farms. Combine the smell of some chicken farms with some downwind. . . . Well, you get the point.

4. Bring plenty of water and stuff to eat. Besides places on Route 50 and stores in Easton, St. Michaels, Oxford, and Tilghman, there aren't many places to get food or drink. Many "towns" are crossroads without any stores -- Unionville, Tunis Mills, Ivytown, Bruceville -- nothing.

5. The locals are friendly to cyclists. If you've run out of water and see someone on their property, they're bound to let you have some water.

6. The main roads have wide bike lanes -- easy to ride two abreast on the Oxford Road, the St. Michaels Road, and the like. The side roads don't have bike lanes, but they're really beautiful and there's almost no traffic. Grab a map, pick a place, and check it out. That's how I found many of the routes that I plan to post on this blog.

That's it for now.

Greetings

I've been bicycling on Maryland's Eastern Shore for a long time. First as a casual cyclist and then more seriously -- did my first Metric Century with Ruben McCornack from Easton to Tilghman Island and back and have done the Sea Gull Century at least a dozen times. Most of my rides had been in the Fall -- after the corn was harvested, as the leaves were changing. Absolutely beautiful. Last September, we got a weekend place in Easton -- a dream come true for me -- and I've spent the last year cycling the Eastern Shore in all seasons, and on various routes. This blog is my humble effort to share my cycling experiences.

If you've stumbled on this blog, I hope you'll find some new places to ride. Thanks.