Bicycling 2022

On June 4, 2022, my thirty-fifth article was published with the Chesapeake Conservancy, A Beautiful Eastern Shore Paddle and Visit to a Town with a Secret History.

This one starts out with paddling on Gales Creek and ends with bicycling in San Domingo, a historic community founded by free Black pioneers that dates back to 1820.

Norma, Daphne, Norma's niece, and I rode the entire Cross Island Trail both directions, totaling 18.9 miles. I organized this ride and was quite pleased with the outcome. Norma's niece is young enough to still want to hang out with Norma but old enough to be able to ride with us at a speed and distance that we enjoy. Not sure how long this phase in her life will last but we will savor it while we can.

Making use of my launch permit, we parked at Jackson Creek Public Landing which is right near the eastern terminus of the trail. Then we rode west. The trail was well maintained and we were frequently shaded from the morning sun by trees which lined the trail. We got an early enough start so it wasn't too crowded in the first half.

We rode over Kent Narrows and then onto Kent Island, a place settled by Europeans in 1631.

Norma and I biked this trail from the west end several years ago and managed to unintentionally get off the trail. I think this was at State Street, where the signage was a little confusing. But this time, we stayed on track.

The four of us reached the west end of the trail at Terrapin Nature Park. Here, we spent some time at one of the beaches where we could see the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the background.

The park is pretty big and mostly nice for biking through, except for some sandy parts. It is good for a hybrid but maybe a little rough for a serious road bike.

By the time we started riding east, the trail was packed with other cyclists.

Veering off the trail, we biked south on Old Love Point Road and Love Point Road to pay a visit to Historic Stevensville.

Here, we ate lunch at Amalfi Coast Italian followed by dessert at Tasty Toucan Ice Cream. Then we found a quiet shady spot behind a caboose and took at nap at the Stevensville Train Station.

Back on the Cross Island Trail, it didn't take long for us to finish our ride. During the last stretch, we rode on a boardwalk with highway 50 just to our south.

It was pretty hot that day but we finished long before the worst part. Daphne spent most of the time in her bike carrier which I towed, but she did manage to get in some play time at the park. She was glad to be back in the car and ready to head home.

Here's our route.

During August 13-16, 2022, Norma, Daphne, and I took her nieces, nephews, youngest sister, and mother out to Pennsylvania. There we did some bicycling on the Pine Creek Rail Trail.

Norma, Daphne, and I spent the day exploring Bowie, Maryland.

We started our day at the Bowie Farmers' Market where Norma purchased pies and an air plant.


Next, we biked 14 miles on the southern side of the Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis (WB&A) Trail, starting at the northernmost lot at the southern section. The northern and southern sides of the WB&A trail are discontiguous. But this may change by June 2023 once a $5 million bridge is built over the Patuxent River to connect the trail.
The idea behind the WB&A Trail goes back nearly 30 years, and for more than a decade, parks and rec departments in Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland have worked to make it a reality.
The Patuxent River has been a sticking point since day one, but on Friday, local officials and advocates gathered to break ground on work to finally literally bridge that one dividing line.
But within about a year, a $5 million bridge will help create a single, roughly 15-mile trail that also provides another crossing from Bowie to western Anne Arundel County.
- from WTOP News - Final piece of Md. trail decades in the making finally coming together

We saw lots of turtles, including this snapper, which we saw from the boardwalk at 38.96568888218167, -76.81307435568591.

After we reached our destination, the southernmost lot at southern section, we took our time on the return trip, doing lots of exploring. We found this wasp/hornet nest near C&E Farm at 38.966745965066906, -76.80757071535477.

We also saw the super-spooky Glenn Dale Hospital.
It served as a home for the criminally insane right up until its eventual closure.
Today, Glenn Dale is condemned and dangerous. The police patrol the area. Asbestos runs rampant. Upper floors have caved in. Also, there are tales of strange things happening.
The morgue is supposedly a hot spot for paranormal activity. It's located deep inside the main adult hospital building. People have reported hearing strange noises in the hospital and seeing the ghosts of patients who died there.
- from World Abandoned - Glenn Dale Hospital – An Abandoned Sanatorium near Washington DC

We did a self-guided walking tour at the Marietta House, a 2.5 story brick Federal house built in 1812-1813.

At the Marietta House cemetery, there was a tombstone for a horse.

I spotted a green heron near the Glenn Dale Splash Park at 38.97335773133362, -76.79963353558783.

Just off the WB&A Trail, we found a kousa dogwood tree with lots of fruit.

Norma found a box turtle on the trail.

Here's our route.


After biking, we drove to Old Bowie where we stopped at the Welcome Center, picked up lunch at the Old Bowie Town Grille, and then visited the Bowie Railroad Museum.