# Flat & Empty - Eastern Shore Ride report



## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

Beautiful morning, so I thought I'd give you'all an idea about some of the roads we normally ride here on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 3 things you need to know about this area. 1.) It's pan Flat, 2.) There is very little traffic, the roads are practically empty, especially after labor Day, & 3.) more than half the county is within 1/2 mile of some estuary of the Chesapeake Bay or the Bay itself.

Below is me heading out of the development, going north on Oxford Road, and then West on St. Michael's road before I make the turn up toward Unionville. Notice how little traffic and the size of the shoulders on the main road....a great place to ride.

Len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*More Flat & Empty*

North on Unionville road and across the bridge (more water) & then a turn onto some of the backroads (now it will get really empty) towards the village of Tunis Mills.

Corn is down so from the roads you get a view as to how flat the land really is.

We are gonna hate this section of raod in about a month when the winds are back up.

Many of the larger homes on the shore are just that, out on the shore.......most of them can't be seen from the roads, only from the water side. The last picture is an example of one of the many driveways to some of these estates. Give you some perspective.

Len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*& more Flat & Empty*

Now we finally get into and through the village of Tunis Mills. The Wodden bridge is dead center of the village.

Again, notice all the traffic.

Len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*Even More Flat & Empty*

Now we are moving away from the water. You see a few more farms and a sense of the flatness.

The one downhill I show you is a run down to a creek that rises on the other side. I think it is one of 5 "climbs" (and I use the term loosly) in the county.

Len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*Even More...F & E*

The road I'm showing in the first picture runs Parrellel to Rt 50. 50 is the main road between baltimore/Washington and the Delaware & Maryland Beaches. In the summer, it's almost uncrossable. You can just make out some of the traffic in the first picture....but not on the road I'm on!

I'm moving my way back into the town of Easton now.....see how congested it is?

The Cows are Belted Galloways....and are part of a working cattle farm that is part of the development I live in. We had 9 calfs thrown this spring.......it's pretty cool for a guy that grew up in the inner city to be able to actually watch a cow birth a calf.

Len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*Final Flat & Empty*

Finally, back into the development.

and back home.

Total time 2 hours....total distance about 36 miles....total elevation gain about 40 feet.

But it was a great morning.

Hope you enjoyed.

Len


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## singlecross (Nov 1, 2006)

Good to see you enjoying the Sachs. Beautiful bike, although I also love your Serotta Anny edition. I'd love to have those flat roads to go and "Zen out" on. I've been thinking of you and your sister. I lost my aunt to pancreatic cancer just over a year ago. She was the inspiration to get my custom Strong and not a ride goes by that I don't think of her. Hope you are well. BTW, nice to see you here in Commuting, Touring and Ride reports. Post pics here more often.

singlecross


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Sweet bike and sweet ride and sweet post.

I'm not sure Miss M would ever ride a gearie there.

BTW 'bout time you showed off your mad photo skills here-not to mention your mad empty roads.


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## SilasCL (Jun 14, 2004)

Nice pics Len.

I think I saw one roller..

A friend of mine lives in north Delaware and complains about the flat riding, but this is other-worldly, not a single hill in sight.


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## DrRoebuck (May 10, 2004)

Fantastic report. 40-feet elevation gain? That sounds like my ride in Chicago a few weeks ago. That's a sweet bike indeed, but, given your terrain, you should convert it to a fixie. :thumbsup:


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## ChuckUni (Jan 2, 2003)

Ah, thanks! Love the eastern shore. You can find like 30ft rollers, but that's about the most of it. That said, it's wide open in most spots and now we are getting to the winter months the wind will pick up and it can be wicked. I've done rides on the fixed where its been almost nonstop wind the whole way in one direction, head down, seem like I'm barely moving. On days where the wind would be an absolute non issue up in the hills of SE PA, it becomes a significant factor on the Eastern Shore. The best thing about it is, except for the major divided hwys and a few touristy type summer spots, the roads have little traffic. Plus the roads with medium traffic have a 10ft+ perfectly paved shoulder. 

Northern DE? You can't find long sustained stuff, but if you go to the NW of the state or venture in to SE PA or the northern part of MD you can find endless rolling hills. Great roads too.

A profile of a big hill eastern shore ride....


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

singlecross said:


> Good to see you enjoying the Sachs. Beautiful bike, although I also love your Serotta Anny edition. I'd love to have those flat roads to go and "Zen out" on. I've been thinking of you and your sister. I lost my aunt to pancreatic cancer just over a year ago. She was the inspiration to get my custom Strong and not a ride goes by that I don't think of her. Hope you are well. BTW, nice to see you here in Commuting, Touring and Ride reports. Post pics here more often.
> 
> singlecross


Thanks.....appreciate it.

len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

MB1 said:


> Sweet bike and sweet ride and sweet post.
> 
> I'm not sure Miss M would ever ride a gearie there.
> 
> BTW 'bout time you showed off your mad photo skills here-not to mention your mad empty roads.


Wind was only up to about 6 to 8 today...pretty easy. She would use gears for the 15MPH+ days......7 MPH into the wind and 25 with the wind!

Thanks for the kind words.

len


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

DrRoebuck said:


> Fantastic report. 40-feet elevation gain? That sounds like my ride in Chicago a few weeks ago. That's a sweet bike indeed, but, given your terrain, you should convert it to a fixie. :thumbsup:


Thanks.

I have a killer Kirk fendered Fixie.......I ride it most of the winter. 

The wind is the killer here.

Len


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

Nice Len! I did the same thig today, only about an hour east of you and with a few thousand other people. I didn't take any pics, but yours are better than mine would have been anyway.


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## bigrider (Jun 27, 2002)

Real nice report Len.

The Sachs looks great.


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## Velo Vol (Mar 9, 2005)

Yep. That's pretty flat.


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## MarkS (Feb 3, 2004)

ChuckUni said:


> Northern DE? You can't find long sustained stuff, but if you go to the NW of the state or venture in to SE PA or the northern part of MD you can find endless rolling hills. Great roads too.
> 
> ....


That for sure. I live in Northern Baltimore County and I cannot ride more than a few hundred feet without going up or down a rolling hill. Although we don't have any sustained mountain climbs on the East Coast that can compare to those on the West Coast or in the Alps, I can drive an hour west and be in the Appalacians and drive an hour east and be in Len's backyard. I usually opt for the west rather than the east. But, a nice flat ride is a good thing every now and again (at least when the wind is not blowing).

BTW: Thanks for the pics, Len. Some of those road look like they might have been on last year's RBR Eastern Shore ride. I had a great time that day,


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## nbrennan (Feb 19, 2007)

Did you ride in the Seagull Century this past weekend?


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## StillRiding (Sep 16, 2006)

Nice photos and nice bike! My wife and I have ridden most of the roads you describe. It's wonderful to see such nice pictures of familiar places.


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*No*



nbrennan said:


> Did you ride in the Seagull Century this past weekend?


Don't think I'll ever do that again.

Too dangerous.

Len


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## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

I'm always amazed how you guys get these awesome on-the-bike shots. 

Fess up - how many times did you nearly stack it cause you were fooling around with the camera?


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## Len J (Jan 28, 2004)

*Actually.........*



Brick Tamland said:


> I'm always amazed how you guys get these awesome on-the-bike shots.
> 
> Fess up - how many times did you nearly stack it cause you were fooling around with the camera?


It's fairly easy when there is no traffic.

You just take an awful lot of pictures knowing that many ofthem will be mis-aimed, or have a pole or sign in the way. Anything that I really wnated, I took more than one of. Anything extra special, I stopped the bike. Post includes cropping.

I shoot with my right hand and hold the bars with my left...tight. The camera does everything else. My P & S isn't all that adjustable.

My biggest fear isn't stacking up...it's dropping the camera.  

Len


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

*I think I saw...*

.... a fleck of dirt on your bike!

Nice countryside. Takes me back to my homestead, in Princess Anne County, Virginia (which no longer exists -- now part of the Hampton Roads megapolis).

Something to be said for flat and empty.


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## Guest (Oct 8, 2007)

Like the bike.

Len, I think I get that much elevation gain on my rollers!!!


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

Len, Great report and pics. I don't think I've ever seen anyplace that flat in my life let alone ride it. The deserted roads would also be great. Thanks for the post.


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

Len J said:


> Wind was only up to about 6 to 8 today...pretty easy. She would use gears for the 15MPH+ days......7 MPH into the wind and 25 with the wind!
> 
> Thanks for the kind words.
> 
> len


I guess that heavy steel bike doesn't really hurt you on the flats, but if you had to do some climbing you would definately need something lighter like a Cannondale or a Trek. See you next weekend, I will bring my heavy steel bike unless it rusts away before then.


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