NoRacer

I'd do the crossing at Lewes to Cape May on the ferry. I've been planning to try that sometime--just haven't had the right trip to do it on.

maxine

Charlie, that looks like a beautiful ride. I even have that Friday off but I have a feeling I'd be pushing my bike most of the way -- even if it *weren't* loaded with all my camping stuff!

greaterbrown

NR, Max, wonderful ride reports. Thanks, I needed that.
Charlie, that looks like a great trip- right through where my family reunion was in 2007.
Thanks all, for the well wishes. Me, my mom, and my siblings are staying strong.

Beware, my storage-hogging belated ride report from my July 4th ride coming up.

greaterbrown

The short news is that I didn't ride out to OC last weekend as planned. Unfortunate family health issues showed up and I needed to stay close. I realized quickly that it's times like this that require a clear mind and what better way to clear a mind than a long ride on a beautiful day. I just had to find one that ended back in Baltimore, not OC.

I scanned the BBC calendar and figured on Janet's 48 miler- a no brainer. Then I glanced down to the casual ride for the day. "The Backroads Beater Tour" lead by Andy Hanson a 40 miler out of Glen Rock PA. Wha? a 40 mile casual ride. Intriguing. Riding town to town on a "combination of dirt roads, rail trail and paved". That's it. I'm in. Of course, since I've got all day for a ride, I'll just ride the 40 miles up to Glen Rock and back after the ride for an easy 100+ day.


Falls rd near Gunpowder on the way up to Glen Rock

I blew out of Hampden at 7AM straight up Falls rd. on the Kogswell (32mm tires) As I had hoped, Falls was pretty calm early on Sat. morning, but I had forgotten what a roller fest that road is. Beautiful view of BC cornfields. After 23 miles I made a right on Gunpowder- more steep descents to small streams and hard climbs back up. No big deal, I'm feeling strong. However, the Kogswell is heavy and can be a pig climbing the steep stuff. So, I start pushing harder to make sure I get into Glen Rock on time. I get a little bit lost, then back on track, finally swinging into the library parking lot just in time. Whew.

Andy introduces himself and his wife. There are about 10-12 riders on a nice variety of hybrid, mountain and cross bikes. We get the pre-flight blather, I stuff the cue into the bottom of my bar bag and we're off. Two quick realizations were that I didn't have a chance to eat anything in Glen Rock and that my legs appreciated the flatness of the trail. First stop was 7 Valleys along the trail. One group went for good food (that should have been me) and one group went to the tavern (that was me). I downed two 12oz Coors lites while thinking I should be eating something more carbohydrate intensive. I didn’t. 20 minutes later the group was back on the bikes headed southwest on the trail in the beautiful sunlight.


A very friendly group of 10-12

The ride rolls on pavement for only short sections, quickly dropping onto packed gravel- often in the shade of a canopy of trees. Stunning views of PA countryside when the trees part. Andy's posted pace- "casual" basically means "no drop". We're probably riding about 13mph with liberal rest stops. I like it. It makes for easy chatting while riding. Andy changed the ride slightly from what was posted. Instead of a 40 miler, the ride is a 50 miler with a 25 mile option. An informal show of hands at the start showed that almost all of the group was going to attempt the 50. I was trying to be modest about my likely mileage for the day, but I was clearly a curiosity to many of these riders. I hope that after talking to me, many of them will consider longer distance riding.


Typical of the road surface.


Dappled sunlight

As we approached Glenville the route got hillier, rougher and more fun. There were a few quick descents on crushed rock paving that had me very happy that I was riding 32mm tires. Many of the ascents were so loose that I needed to remain seated to get enough traction up the hill. I flatted. The group flooded past me and it struck me how fantastically human-free the environment was. Really peaceful. I knew that no one was waiting on me, so I did a speedy tube replacement, dug the cue out of my bar bag and tore after them. It wasn't far ahead that I caught the train of riders and not too much further that we got to the 25 mile option cut off.

It was at this point that I saw in many of the riders faces that this hilly ride was a challenge for them. All except 5 riders decided to take the short route. I took the long route realizing that it headed south from here and I could continue south from Middletown rd. Off we went, soon pulling up in Glenville for lunch. Finally, some food for refueling. Well, not quite. The lunch stop was another bar and the kitchen was closed. They were offering free hotdogs which I don't eat, so I tried a true "not dog"- a bun with ketchup and mustard on it. And, of course, more beer. (can you see where this is headed?)

Out of Glenville, we began to near the MD/PA line continuing with similar climbing. I am constantly distracted by the fantastic views, the much more technical riding on these rough roads and the nice conversation. Andy stopped at some point and offered a shortcut that dipped into the woods on single track. I was at first hesitant, then decided that it would be just the medicine to clear my sad-sack brain. We all dive into the weeds. I guess I did fairly well with drop bars, and smooth tires, but I did put a foot down on a couple occasions. Eventually we came out on to paved surface. I spent the next mile reaching down to pick the weeds out of my front derailer. Good stuff.

We cross a lovely little stream on Shalk rd and I peer over the edge. Andy informs me that I'm looking into the head waters of the Gun Powder River. I love the water ways. :-) For a while the route parallels the state border heading east. Some great road names- York rd Number 1, Crossroad Schoolhouse rd, Baker Schoolhouse rd, Slab Bridge. It was just before Flintstone rd that there was a nice steep ascent. I didn't downshift quickly enough and had to press hard into the pedals to keep up speed. Nothing came out. I stopped and for the first time in a long while I had the notion to walk. So, I walked up the hill a bit. Andy came up from behind me and said, "got a little bonk going?" What?!! Bonk?? How dare you. So I clipped back in to prove him wrong and barely managed to make it up the hill. During the next descent, I took notice of my eating habits so far and realized it was not "textbook" nutrition for a hilly 200k. Luckily, a food stop was just down the road. Oh no, not another bar!!

I thought I'd never say that. Luckily, this bar had pizza and I ate one along with a bag of Utz chips. Oh yeah, and another couple beers. Was that 6 for the day? Somehow I lost count ;-) We had some more good chilling and chatting. The route was at it's southernmost point here and the return for them was all on the NCR/Freedom bike path. So, I finished up my pizza, filled the bottles, thanked my new riding buddies and headed south on Middletown rd.


Northern Balt. County hills for the ride home.

My legs were still not kicking. I probably needed more quick carbs. The pizza wouldn't give me energy for a while. I stopped briefly to see if there was a flatter way home. Who am I kidding? I counted off the hills as I slooowwly conquered them. Pretty Boy, Cuba, Jerome Jay and finally Bellona.

Mom was happy to see her sweaty biking son.
115 miles total, abt. 7,000 ft of climbing, speed- N/A
more pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/2797683...en/2009/07/04/

maxine

GB, you were definitely missed in OC but I'm glad you were able to get such a pretty ride in closer to home! I had noticed that ride on the BBC calendar and thought it sounded intriguing. Great pictures!

In my guilt-driven effort to do more with the BBC, I'm riding over to Patapsco State Park tomorrow morning for the picnic. That gave me incentive to finally clean my poor filthy Airborne today -- she's all shiny again.

NoRacer

Robert, it's good to hear from you. +1, on the being missed on the 4th.

Thanks for sharing your ride.

----
BiM is getting "on my last nerve". Apparently, I have entered into the realm of mileage and time where it can't process elevation. Grrrrr! So, add that problem to the list that already has on it the inability to process out stops.

For today (can't process out stops on this map by design):


My butt still hasn't healed from the July 4th weekend, so what do I do? Another 11+ hours in the saddle.

This ride started and ended at my front porch. I rode to Eastern Ave and headed for Rt 43;

Rt 43
Rt 40 (Pulaski Hwy)
Rt 152 Mountain Rd
Rt 1 crossing the Conowingo Dam
Rt 222 to Port Deposit/Bainbridge Rd/Rt 222 - ran into a "multisport" race in progress. I found myself in the middle of their bike leg. Ummm, tri-weenies are slow! LOL! The course marshals thought I was in the race, but I had lights a-blazing and my MP3 player in my phone blasting. LOL! Did I mention tri-weenies are slow?! [Harry, I'm just kidding!]

[A search of Google shows that it was the Diamond in the Rough Triathlon - https://www.piranha-sports.com/Race44.aspx ]

Rt 40 at Perryville -> North East -> Elkton
Rt 213 to Chesapeake City - crossing the C&D canal using this bridge got a few angry horn blasts. Ef'em! It's not prohibited for bikes.
Rt 286 (becomes Bethel Church Rd in Delaware)
Rt 15 Choptank Rd
Churchtown Rd
Rt 71 Summit Bridge Rd
Rt 299 in Middletown, DE to Odessa, DE
Rt 9 (heading back now) to Port Penn, then Delaware City
Rt 72 Wrangler Hill Rd
Rt 40 to Glasgow, DE -> Elkton -> North East -> Perryville
Rt 222 in Perryville -> Bainbridge Rd in Port Deposit -> Rt 222
Rt 1 crossing the Conowingo Dam -> Bel Air Bypass -> Belair Rd
Rt 152
Rt 40
... home -> pass out in front of the TV after a quick shower and a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches

It was windy today. Between the saddle sores and the wind, it really started to wear on me.

Batteries are charged and clothes are washed. I'm ready for tomorrow. It'll be a very short one and slow.

balto charlie

Hey folks:
Bob: Nice trip and pix report. Shouldn't have had the coors light. A maltier brew would have packed a lot more carbs I'll need to look at the cue sheet, really pretty ride.
Max: There are only 2 hills of significance. They are however very significant. Think about it.
Harry: The ride is on all surfaces. I decided to up my tires to 35s cross tires, Ritchey speed max(or something like that) Apparently they are fast CX tires with some tread.
dspaff: 90th B-day, impressive
NR: You're an EverReady Bunny

joshuaandlauri

I only got in about 20 locals miles late yesterday (6pm) due to a birthday party in PA (shrewsberry), I wanted to take the bike and ride home, however the boss did not like that idea

I did ride into Fort Howard and that place looks like a ghost town, broken windows, boarded up buildings, over grown grass. Out of 30 buildings only 1 was in good shape and being used. It was cool hanging by the water for a little bit though.

I hit 33 in a sprint up northpoint, fastest so far.

I saw a moonlight ride end of the month, everyone going?

I also looked into some of the TDF stages, they are some stages that are 100miles/30K feet of climbing!!!
https://bicycling.trimbleoutdoors.com...?tripId=429338

Bob, unless I missed something, I think its the energizer bunny.

balto charlie

Yeah Josh you missed something, it's Charlie not Bob. But you're right it's the Energizer bunny.

The Human Car

Copyright by Doug Retzler 2009 Tour dem Parks Pics: https://www.flickr.com/photos/greenci...7621275358584/

Who is this cute family?



Love that jersey!

joshuaandlauri

My son so needs that jersey, I did a google search and found this for my guy, he would love it.

Just got back from a few miles towing the "bike train", on second thought loch raven is not the best place for the train, I think I'll stick to eastern regional or the BA. It was all down hill at almost 20mph from where I parked and 4mph the ENTIRE way coming up hill to the van. Fun stuff.


Ha I found the wild things jersey
https://www.bicycleapparel.com/kidsjerrev.html

veloellen

Hey, I recognize that kid - he sure looks a lot like his mama!
Much cuter jerseys for the kids than for us immature adults - darn.
Nice pics Barry.

dspaff088

mmm I want a tonka truck jersey... saw some guy yesterday with a kelloggs corn pops jersey lol

maxine

Charlie's Monongahela National Forest tour looks awesome, I was very tempted, even if it did mean pushing my bike up all the hills but I only have Friday off, and I ended up deciding to wimp out in favor of a FAR tamer outing for my first bike-camping mini-tour . . .

I'm going to drive to the southern end of the NCR Trail in Ashland, ride the NCR and HRT trails to York, sightseeing along the way (or on the way back, I guess, depending on when stuff is open) then jump onto the road to Gifford Pinchot State Park in PA, and camp there Friday and Saturday nights. It should be about a 56-mile ride, one-way. I have a campsite (# 114) right on the lake. (I didn't get to beach-bum in OC because of the weather, so I'm gonna lake-laze instead. I like lakes better, anyway. )

The park Web site says no more than 5 people per site, but doesn't say anything about how many tents. I called and asked, and the park lady said, "Well, as many as will fit on the site." The site will accommodate a 30-foot trailer/motor home (it's in a "no-electric" area, though, so no worries about the neighbors ), and my 3-person backpacking tent doesn't take up much room, so if anyone would like to join me, just let me know.

No alcohol in PA state parks, though. Maybe I could smuggle in a beer disguised as apple juice or something.

https://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/statepar...rdpinchot.aspx

NoRacer

Hmmmmmm... so much for credit card touring--no place to buy "stuff" once one is there and no . I guess we'll have to go "bear tipping". Can bears be tipped over?

Seriously, though, it sounds interesting and I'm not even the camping type. (whatever that is--just means I've not done much of it)

The Human Car

Maxine, sounds fun! I just wish I was not vol entering for the Artscape bike parking this weekend.

maxine

This would be a pretty "civilized" camping experience.

Yeah, I am really not digging the no beer thing. What are these people, communists?? But I guess, unfortunately, it's the wave of the future -- Maryland state parks are in the process now of phasing out alcohol.

I told the park lady that I would be arriving by bike, and asked if there were any places nearby to buy food. Once we got past the "Really? You're riding a bike here?? From Baltimore???" part, she said she didn't know of any grocery stores close by, but that there is a mini-mart on Route 177. But, yeah, I think you'd be SOL on trying to replicate your OC "I'll buy all my clothing when I get there!" strategy.

She did say there are restaurants in the area, and there's a food concession at the lake. I haven't thought this through completely, but I'll bring along a few of those "boil-in-the-bag" dehydrated food things.

There are some hiking trails there, most seem to be extremely easy. I love to hike, and would normally opt for at least part of one of the more rigorous trails, but I'm not sure I want to haul my hiking boots with me, and I'm not sure how far I can get in my old river sandals. Another thing to think about. Otherwise, I plan to just splash around in the lake, maybe rent a canoe or kayak for a while. YOU can tip the bears -- I'll be running full blast down the trail ahead of you.

If you're interested, we can do some further planning via PM. There's a remote chance that two friends (not on bikes) might come out also, but I would be surprised if that actually happens.

dspaff088

well I dont know everyones schedule, but I work retail and I am off tomorrow so this is my day trip...

https://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united...24762669381468

Been mapping it for a few days now and I plan to get rolling around 7am or so. Make it to harpers ferry, have some lunch rest up a little bit, then make the journey back. Taking 144 all the way out there is pretty cool and at some points you go into a time warp traveling through old towns. And the best part is you can tell your buddies you rode through three states (md,wv,va)

Any takers?

NoRacer

Wish I could... working.

greaterbrown

No luck here. I'm working as well.

The only part of that route I'd worry about is rt.144 & rt.40 on through Frederick.
Super aggressive and trafficky in there. Barry might know better.

I mapped this about 9 mos. ago.
https://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/133627
HOWEVER, I haven't ridden it yet so take it as you wish.
The route drops down to avoid Frederick. Might be helpful.

EDIT: I just realized that this is probably the western route of the DC rand's Spiral Staircase ride. NR rode that one.

The Human Car

Just to note that the hills on that route can kick you hard if you're fully loaded touring, which can be fun if your into that but be warned.

Rt 40 going through Frederick is like 6 lanes of 50mph road, I've been on it and never had an issue taking the lane as it mostly serves right hand turning traffic so it sounds a lot worse then it is, disclaimer: I've never been on it during rush hour so YMV at that time period.

dspaff088

thanks for the tips,

yeah i drive through that area alot while making the trip out to school and it just seems like a relatively short zone that I need to keep my attention up. And as far as the hills go, im excited but thats just me lol. Wont be packing much at all, no bags or anything.. I can manage with fitting all I need in my jersey. Ill be safe.

wish me luck i guess lol

dspaff088

Yeah I like that map alot, only thing is that when you are 180 goin through knoxville, that road after 180 isnt a road, its train tracks. That are used VERY often. So just a heads up if you ever decide to make that trek

The Human Car

Good catch but IIRC there is way to get on the C&O tow path in that area (not an easy path to spot) rather the ride the tracks. Going the opposite I remember riding between two houses and dropping down to the shoulder of 340/180. Jeffry Marks on BBCTalk should know the details.

balto charlie

dspaff: Enjoy today, going to get a little hot. The rollers on Rt144 are nice.

Max: sounds like a nice tour. Penn is the most Gestapo state in the union. Use these https://www.prankplace.com/dh_canlabels.htm
Great name canouflage