St. Michael's-Oxford

It's been over a month since my last bike ride, a streak I aim to end during the upcoming three-day weekday. My last ride came during my Eastern Shore trip in late April. While I wanted to leave enough time at the end of day for a thirty-mile loop ride, as is often the case, engaging activities earlier in the day put me behind schedule. I figured I needed three hours to ride thirty miles, plus an allowance for a required ferry crossing, but I didn't finish at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum until 4:00 PM. I also had deteriorating weather conditions with which to contend. Having brought my bike along on the trip, I was determined to complete at least a short ride so I changed cloths and headed out across St. Michael's prepared to turn back when conditions warranted.

St. Michael's is a lovely Eastern Shore town that caters to the tourist crowd, with seafood restaurants, boutique shops and historic inns. I rode to the far end of the small town in five minutes and joined the main highway back toward the mainland. Two-and-a-half miles out of St. Michael's, I turned right toward the northern ferry dock to Oxford. The whole ride was joyfully flat with little wind, conditions ripe for a pleasant, fast ride. As I approached the ferry dock, I saw cars starting to debark. I quickened my pace and reached the landing at the perfect time to catch the boat south.

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The ferry took about ten minutes to cross the Tred Avon River and land in Oxford, another quintessential shore town, but less touristy. I rode around the town until about 5:30 at which point I decided it would be more prudent to return to St. Michael's the way I came. The weather had held and I had just enough daylight to justify completing the circuit, but with a several hour drive to my uncle's in Washington D.C. the longer route didn't seem justified. Plus, this strategy put me on the ferry for one more crossing.

From the ferry dock, it took me about forty minutes to ride back to St. Michael's. It did start to rain a little bit along the way, but nothing heavy. I reached my car at 6:30 PM, a little more than two hours after departing.

Cars debarking from the ferry.

Oxford, Maryland from the ferry.

Benoni Avenue, Oxford, Maryland

East Strand, Oxford, Maryland

Ferry returning to Oxford, Maryland

Statistics
Length: 19.0 miles (20.7. miles with Ferry Crossing)
Ride Time: 1 hour 24 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 17 minutes
Avg. Speed: 13.6 MPH
Max. Speed: 21.7 MPH
Avg. Cadence: 54 RPM
Cumulative Ascent: negligible
Max. Elevation: 26 ft.