Sunday 13 April 08
Met up for another Ride for the Feast training ride - this time around with a much bigger group - maybe 10 or 12 of us. We started off on the eastern shore side of the old Kent Narrows draw bridge - actually under the new route 50 bridge. The first few miles were on a trail that took us across the old bridge and then paralleled Route 50 for a while before dropping back into the marsh for a couple of miles - here is a pic from the
Queen Anne's county website
It started off as a lovely day - albeit a little breezy as always for the eastern shore. As the day progressed clouds rolled in and it got a bit colder, but at least we never got wet. At the end of the trail we missed a turn or two and wound up south of 50 a little earlier than intended which was just as well. The rest of the route basically followed route 8 south along the center of the Island. Every few miles or so we dipped into one of the many housing developments that do the island and looped in and out of the rodes that follow the coves and creeks along the bay - as Steve described - much like the petals of a flower. Below is a nice map of the trail and a bit of the island from the
bikewashington website (it is a more clear on their site)
Shortly after leaving the trail Steve and I split off from the group and alternated between a decent 20+mph paceline mostly on rt. 8 and then more leisurely pace in the neighborhoods. This was my first real effort of the year and I'm happy to report that I mostly was able to stay on Steve's wheel - though I did let him take longer turns in the front out in the wind. At one point we got to hammering along and missed a turn - adding a few bonus miles. This worked nicely as we were able to rejoin the group a little later after we went back and looped through the neighborhood we had skipped.
45 miles for the day
544 miles to date
14+miles
Took the above photo at Sherwood Gardens this morning - not too bad for my phone...
These daffodils are another spring tradition and I always try to catch them. The Homeland neighborhood is one of a few in town laid out by the Olmsted Brothers. The Homeland estate that once occupied the site is apparently responsible for the lakes that were created in 1843 and were fed by a spring until it dried up in the 1950s at which point the lakes were hooked up to city water. The houses are a great collection of architectural styles and are built at a more modest scale than nearby Guilford - leading the whole neighborhood to have a very storybook feel.
Did my usual commute today - but with the added benefit that the tulips have started to bloom in Sherwood Gardens - which is one of my favorite things about Baltimore - this park which is actually called Stratford Green is located in the Guilford neighborhood. The park was laid out by the Olmstead Brothers - the tulips started as a hobby of John Sherwood in 1927 and over the years has become something of a rite of spring in Baltimore - a more complete history is available here...
17.5 miles on the day
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