I was up early again! Jerry would be so proud . . . I'm sure he thinks I'm a slacker. But then, he rides slower than me and probably spends more time along the way . . . something I should learn to do! But today, I was up before the first of my two alarms. After all, I needed to make my ride across the Bay Bridge. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, that is, and I don't want my friend waiting for me!
Our plan was to meet at 7:30, and I only had five or six miles to go, and all flat riding. So I was on my way by 6:50 AM, confident I would not leave my friend waiting. That must be a record for me . . . but it was already hot and humid. Not that hot really, only 77°F, but you could really feel the humidity. Fortunately, there was little or no traffic. Real rush hour on Kent Island occurs only during the weekend rush to and from the beach, so the riding was easy.
The old and the new Kent Narrows bridges. The older one is a bascule span and the one I will cross on. The higher one is the newer US-50 fixed-span, and bicycles are prohibited! Not a problem lol!
After crossing the Kent Narrows Bridge, I followed MD-18 all the way to Stevensville. There is a bike trail you can follow as well that takes you north of US-50 immediately after you cross the bridge. But it doesn't really wander off into the countryside until after about three miles, and then I would have had to backtrack to my pickup point along another busy road, adding a mile or so to my morning trek. So MD-18 worked fine for me and took me along a back way that I have never visited before. I arrived at the Stevensville Crab Shack at 7:15 . . . sweating bullets. Literally. It was simply too humid for the sweat to evaporate, and when I stopped, I lost any wind advantage I had during the short ride.
On the bridge and looking south out over Kent Narrows. To say it was humid would be an understatement!
My ride, Nick Driban, arrived promptly at 7:30! It was good seeing Nick. We worked together at STV on some big projects, including the air rights project and over decking of I-395 in downtown Washington. So we have been through a lot! But today, it was over the Bay Bridge. I had already removed the panniers, so it was quick and easy to load the bike onto the bike rack and stow the panniers on the back seat. Off we went.
Waiting for my ride at the Stevensville Crab Shack. I arrived 15 minutes early!
Crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge . . . which can only be done by car (although they are allegedly looking at a new crossing, so maybe there is future hope for a bicycle facility!).
It was hard to break away; we had so much to discuss. But Nick needed to get to work, and I needed to get home! But we will have lunch soon! Next stop for me? Annapolis! I need fuel for the engine, and breakfast is calling. I only had about seven more miles and a few rolling hills to navigate first. Hills. I haven't seen those since I rode the Hudson River Valley! But these were easy compared to those.
The much cooler (as in temperature) road to Annapolis!
Tom FlournoyTo Karen PoretAs do I, especially when they are in neighborhood streets. They started doing that around here in some of the neighborhoods. It makes it look so nostalgic. -Mark Reply to this comment 1 month ago
I lingered for quite a while at Evelyn's. I sat at the counter, solo initially, but was soon joined by a woman who I struck up a conversation with that, of course, turned to biking. Turns out, her husband is newly retired and planning a cross-country tour. Wow! And she will provide SAG. Nice! Well, we had lots to talk about, and I gave her some good pointers, which I trust she will explore.
I lingered longer than I had planned but finally got started again close to 10:00 AM. Mark had told me he would reverse my last day's ride and meet me somewhere east of the New Carrollton Metrorail Station, the start point for many of our rides through this part of Maryland. Mark is leaving from home, so we will meet at the halfway point. It will be nice to see him again and have an escort back into the city. So after letting him know I was leaving breakfast, I hit the road for my truly last ride of the tour.
I have ridden enough times between Washington and Annapolis and back that I can do it from memory. Parts of it are quite beautiful, although you do have to navigate in and out of Annapolis and Washington. But today, my only concern was the bridge over the Patuxent River on Governor's Bridge Road. It's been in a state of disrepair for many years now and has been periodically closed for repairs, reopened, and then closed again. The most recent closing has become permanent while funds for its replacement are sought. So during my layover in Rehoboth, I did my due diligence, mostly to determine if construction for the replacement had started. That entailed calling the engineering departments for the two counties the bridge spans, as the river marks the boundary between Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties. The good news was, "Nope, that replacement is still a ways off." OK, Tom, sally forth!
The turn onto Governor's Bridge Road . . . with an inviting welcome sign.
Tom FlournoyTo Karen PoretAs long as they don't don't honk or "punish-pass" you — a new term I learned on Reddit. It means that drivers purposely drive close to you to tell you to get off the road. -Mark Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Tom FlournoyTo Karen PoretLOL This is old Hat for Tom. We've done this stretch many times on one of our routes to Annapolis. -Mark Reply to this comment 1 month ago
But the bridge, while old, is actually open to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. That is, until they start replacement, which is still a ways off. It's been like this, on and off, for five or six years. No complaints here, as long as I can get through!
Karen PoretI know this is not appropriate for a bike journal post, but I really wonder what the word ( or words) were above TRUMP on the pavement. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Tom FlournoyTo Karen PoretI tried to find out, but there are no other pics, and the Street View from Google is dated 2012, before his first term. -Mark Reply to this comment 1 month ago
OK, maybe that's too many pictures of a closed bridge! But I've navigated those barriers and crossed that bridge more times than I can count . . . but this was the first time while on tour! Governor's Bridge Road terminates in Bowie, where it intersects US-301/MD-3, a busy highway, which, once crossed, allows you to follow "calmer" roads. Not overly calmer, but at least ones with mostly better bicycle facilities. That is until you get to Mount Oak Road, which becomes Woodmore Road, the only connecting roads that gets me where I need to be. OK, the East Coast Greenway has an alternate route laid out, but it swings further north and doesn't connect to the Metrorail Station. Maybe one day I'll ride it, but today I'm sticking with my known route. The problem with Mount Oak Road is that it lacks any real shoulder . . . but it gets better the further west you go, and on Woodmore Road, the county has added bike lanes. Yeah!
On Woodmore Road, headed west. It's only HOT when you STOP!
Shortly after joining, we stopped for a break just short of the Metrorail Station and then made our way through New Carrollton to the Northeast Branch Trail of the Anacostia River Trail system.
Here we are hitting the start of the Anacostia River Trail, Northeast Branch.
In past rides I have followed this partway but then veered west toward Brentwood and Northeast Washington. Today, I wanted to follow a more direct and new route, down the Anacostia River along the east side as far as Benning Road. From there, we would follow the west side of the river and make our way through the new waterfront developments in Southeast/Southwest Washington, and from there, cross the Potomac River for home.
It's a beautiful trail, but given the recent heavy rains, it was not without its challenges!
My route originally had us following M Street, SE and SW, to the Potomac River, but Mark wasn't happy, justifiably, with the outbound ride on it, so I suggested we follow the trail along the waterfront, which is a bit of a mixed bag. But it worked and got us to Maine Avenue, where we were able to cross over to the Jefferson Memorial and Potomac Park, the Lincoln Memorial, and Memorial Bridge, and then, over the river to Arlington National Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial. Sounds exciting, no? But all in a day's ride if you live here! And live here I do. Mark and I parted ways near his house, with a promise to get together later that night for drinks and dinner. A promise we kept!
Followed by drinks with Mark at the Arlington Rooftop Bar and Grill . . . celebrated with a great sunset and, later, a steak dinner. Trip over. This one anyway!
