Leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Janet Shipko, Catherine Ade, Ron Altemus, Jessica Hirschhorn, Janell Saunders, Tom Short, Sherwood Byers, Linda Bankerd, Sue Gunter
Guests: Jim Belcher
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6397811 37.4 mi, 456' elevation gain according to my Garmin, less mileage and more elevation than RWGPS shows
Weather: Sunny, 51 at the start rising to around 59 by afternoon, and breezy: 8-10 mph but it seemed much windier than that along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
AMS: 12.1
Mechanicals/Mishaps: none
Report: A crisp spring day with a brilliant blue sky and strong breezes almost everywhere we turned -- and turn we did, over a hundred times -- as we explored one waterside neighborhood after another, winding through picturesque lanes then riding as a cohesive group along the Shadyside Rd and Deale Churchtown Rd, the main arteries that tie these communities together.
We stopped twice at Christophers Fine Foods and twice at South County Cafe and also had a rest stop at Shadyside Park near the far end of the peninsula and a photo op on the Bay shore at Franklin Manor. There's a lot of variety, large upscale homes with yachts moored just across the road, modest bungalows on narrow lanes that could almost be driveways, and almost everything in between.
The 12.1 mph AMS conceals as much as it reveals. We had a total elapsed time of 4 hrs 41 minutes and a total riding time of 3 hrs 5 minutes, 1 hr 35 min stopped, including easily a half-hour at South County Cafe at the very end of the ride. The speed while riding varied from close to 15 mph traveling from one neighborhood to the next, to less than 10 mph cruising through the neighborhoods seeing the sights.
The ride is designed to easily be shortened, and two of the group decided to head straight back after visiting the far reaches of the Shadyside Peninsula, and several more who skipped the Cafe stop a half mile from the end.
It was great fun, and a lovely day to be out enjoying the scenery, touring in a way that can only be done by bicycle.
