Biking 'round the Old Line State

This was my bike ride on Sunday. We estimate it to be about 22 miles, although Map My Run says 18. Considering we were on trails for a portion of the ride and Map My Run doesn't always pick up on trails, I'm going with 22 miles. It sounds more impressive, anyway!

It was really nice to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city and bike among horse farms, rivers, marshland and even the osprey at the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary. A far cry from home. We ran into some fisherman along the way, trying to catch catfish and two park rangers who really helped us navigate our shoddy map. (Thank you!) This area of Upper Marlboro, along Croom Road and through Patuxent River Park, was virtually deserted on a beautiful but hot Saturday afternoon. Aside from a family of four that we saw biking through the wildlife center, we were the only ones on two wheels.

The traffic was minimal and not much of a factor except on the relatively "busy" Croom Road. In fact, the park ranger urged us to move along from the visitors center around 4pm, worried that we may get caught in rush hour traffic. I laughed, and then realized she was actually being serious. Most of the route was hilly - some tough uphill climbs tempered by some long downhill coasts.

This area of Maryland comes with some history and we were able to catch some sites along the way. The site of the first African American owned airfield which is now merely one of many cornfields in the area, the town of Nottingham (population 1800), which was home to the British invasion of 1812 and once the third largest port in Maryland. Today it is virtually a ghost town, with several large plots of farm land and the old one room schoolhouse. And we rode by the ancestral home of the Bowies, who founded the town of Bowie, MD. Today it is owned by the Catholic Church and serves as a youth center.

I wish I had brought my camera on this trip because we really encountered some beautiful scenery. And the pictures would have made this post much more interesting!

So 22 (or 18) miles later, depending on who you believe, we definitely earned our meal at Komi. A review to come later this week.