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Delaware-Maryland-Pennsylvania Tri-state - April 2012 |
 
Zachary and I took advantage of his sophomore year spring break to pay a visit to his brother at the University of Delaware.
We arrived midday on a Thursday and caught up with Taylor for a quick Peace a Pizza dinner before they headed off for
what Taylor claimed was an evening speaker but well I really don't want or need to know.
I headed across the DE-PA line to my parents' place for a visit and lodging. Friday morning saw my first attempt at a ride following my Marathon Monday encounter with a motor vehicle. I parked in the Newark Shopping Center lot and headed west along Main Street just after 7am. My plan was to ride 27 miles and get back in time for a 9am conference call. I turned north up 896 on the debris-strewn shoulder past North Campus. Just before the Maryland line, I flatted out on my rear tire. While I didn't quite test Bob Jenney's 1 minute mark, I swapped out the tube relatively quickly (including a "dollar bill boot" to cover the puncture hole in the tire) for a one-and-a-half armed man. Not wanting to jeopardize the 9am deadline, I planned to shorten the route. The fog had started to burn off back in Newark, but it was still hanging around in Maryland and Pennsylvania--to the point of condensing on every surface--as I headed west on the much less trafficked Strickersville Road. I cautiously descended toward what would be a small stream and then climbed out of the valley on a long grade that hit 7% at points--hardly steep by cycling standards, but certainly noticeable. A later look at the map showed that small stream to start not much more than a mile to the north but extend south all the way to one of the "heads" of the Chesapeake Bay in Elkton MD. Instead of continuing west at Lewisville, I turned south and crossed into Maryland. As the accompanying photo notes, in doing so, I crossed the Mason Dixon Line (and had a sudden hankerin' fer some grits). I zipped down 213 across 273 before heading east back toward campus. I made my way to Barksdale Road and into Newark past my first (Dickenson, where Taylor and Zachary were allegedly sleeping) and second (Rodney) dorms from my days as a Fighting Blue Hen long ago. I took Delaware Ave east back to the parking lot with 5 minutes to spare. The conference call took the expected hour, whence I left my road bike in the van and mounted my fBIKE for the several block ride to Panera and a meeting with two staff members of the University Honors Program with whom I'm planning to do some alumni work. Overall, a great (and safe) re-introduction to my bike and a preliminary look at a new network of roads to explore. |