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.