It's been a slow year for organized rides - probably because of COVID, so it was fun to get out with Deidre for this 50 miler starting in Walkersville, Maryland.
We left my house at 6am and drove to Walkersville, Md fire department for the start. It was a supported ride - with a rest stop - but in the way of rides since COVID, no trail markings and no printed cue sheets (I think digital navigation has forever made these a thing of history).
Here are Deidre and I at the start. Funny, she was just commenting on her luck in being photogenic. It's no secret that I'm not the slightest bit photogenic. So how fitting that I took this picture today to prove it! Double chin, weird glasses that look too big, wonky chin strap, teeth too big for my face. Deidre looks great, of course, because that is her superpower!
I had planned to ride 75 miles, but it was kind of a gloomy morning and it seemed a shame for both of us to ride alone, so at the last minute I decided to ride the 50 with Deidre.
At the start I took a picture of this country store turned historical society. I have no idea why I thought it warranted a photograph.
It turned out parts of this ride overlapped with the
covered bridges ride we did in Maryland years ago. Here is a bridge I had been to before.
I just loved the color of the corn all day. I think it's usually turning brown this time of year, but with all the rain this summer, everything is thriving and bright.
This ride deviated from all of the covered bridges and included a few like this. I thought this would be a more modern bridge, but it was built in 1911. Horse-drawn vehicles were surely still passing through, so I wonder if the roadway was made of this same metal meshwork.
This is just a picture of the rest stop, which was in a park in Taneytown. Gotta say, Taneytown seemed like a pretty cute place.
This house looked like it was being renovated - paint all stripped off, but with flowers on the front porch.
Taneytown. Loved the skinny windows on the brick building on the right.
We noticed from the elevation chart that the end of the ride was mostly down. So here we are in the middle, enjoying the views looking down over Walkersville. I guess we did a lot of upward pedaling in the first 25 miles.
I just loved the windows on this place. It looks like a barn, but why would a barn have such cool windows?
Another metal framed bridge. This one with an old wood roadway. I wonder if it used to be covered? The cue sheet humorously warned that we must make and "INSTANT' right after crossing. Did they think we'd miss it and go straight?
Riding on this road alongside the tall corn was very familiar. I felt like I had been here before, but going the other way. I imagine it's not the only road in the DelMarVa area that follows low along the edge of a corn field!
Cool light on the corn.
The Walkersville Public Library, looking all new and cool and modern. Like to see that!
And we know we're close because there's the firetruck!
And we're done! Then Deidre got a notification on her phone that this was our 10 year anniversary being Facebook friends. Congrats to us!
(and here's another beautiful picture of me just to end things the way we started them!)
Distance: 50 miles
Elevation: 2075
Speed: 12 mph
I don't know how long it will be good for, but here's the ride with GPS link to the cue sheets and maps
