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.

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.