Eastern Shore Bike Ride

A few weekends ago I went for a fantastic 50-mile bike ride on Maryland's Eastern Shore (on the eastern side of the Chesapeake Bay) with the cycling club I'm in.  We did a well-known route called the Oxford loop that started and ended at a little town on the water whose name I can't remember.  The route took us through rural farmlands and quaint seaside towns cute enough to put in your pocket.  Between the perfect weather, the friendly people riding, and the picturesque scenery, this was one of the best group bike rides I've ever done.

View of the bay inlet at the little town where we had breakfast before the ride

We started off with a hearty breakfast at a local inn, then mounted our bikes and hit the road, stopping at a couple of gas stations along the way to refuel and rest our legs.  The countryside was green and peaceful and the terrain was largely flat.  
 

Hooray for Obama!  The group riding through a neighborhood; Halloween decorations in a front yard

After riding about 40 miles, we stopped for a photo op and then lunch in the bayside town of St. Michaels, which was all brightly painted clapboard houses with front porches and small family-owned businesses with American flags hanging out front.  First, the view of the water at the photo op spot.

I know, I look totally foxy in that helmet

Our lunch spot was Mike's Crab Claw, which had a big open-air, very casual seating area right on the water.  (Think picnic tables and benches.)  I don't eat seafood so I was slightly concerned when I heard we were eating lunch at a crab place, but luckily they had cheeseburgers on the menu so I was saved from having to choose between going hungry or gagging down something that used to live in the ocean.

The lunch spot in St. Michaels

Double-photo panorama of the view of the bay from the restaurant

All our bikes stacked up outside the Crab Claw

After lunch, we had an easy eight miles to the ferry, which took us across the inlet/river/whatever it's called to our starting point. 

The ferry dock where we "landed"

 

 

 

 

We were tired but full of endorphins from all the exercise, and the sun was setting over the water, making for a beautiful ferry trip and an ideal end to a fantastic day of cycling.

Riding the ferry back