Ride 4: Maryland
The Free State
State: Maryland (#4)
Area: Baltimore/Annapolis
Route: Baltimore & Annapolis Trail/BWI Trail
Final Mileage: 50.35
Date: July 18, 2020 (why would we do this in the peak of summer??)
Finally! Back in the DMV area. For all the rides Alex and Michael had done in this region, only a handful had ever been in Maryland, Alex’s adopted home state. (That’s what you get for having a car and the ability to drive down to me, Alex...)
Whereas Michael’s knowledge of northern Virginia’s vast trail network was helpful to launch Ride #1, it was Alex’s turn to map out a route with which he was already very familiar. And why not try to link up two of Maryland’s premiere cities: Baltimore and Annapolis?
Luckily, we were not the first humans to consider this idea, as there is in fact a trail that goes from Baltimore to Annapolis. And you’ll be shocked to learn it is called...the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail (B&A Trail).
So we set off from Mary Kate’s house in Elkridge, just outside Baltimore. Because we are mad men and thought to do this ride in the middle of July, we decided we’d better leave as close to the crack of dawn as we could: 8:48 am.
While the ride was toasty, it was (mostly) easy terrain. We started by heading over to the BWI trail, a 12-mile loop that wraps around Baltimore/Washington International Airport. From there, we picked up the B&A Trail, and it was a straight shot to Annapolis.
The trail itself was paved and flat basically the entire way to Annapolis. Michael was partly aided on this ride by an addition to his family: a new REI co-op bike purchased with that sweet, sweet stimulus check.
The bike upgrade and flat terrain allowed us to get to Annapolis quickly, just in time to meet up with Mary Kate for some delicious crepes at Sofi’s.
(Side note: for those who have never been to Annapolis, it’s a very pretty town!)
Unfortunately, by the time we started back to Baltimore, the temp was already at around 95 degrees. While we had thought about biking all the way back to Mary Kate’s place—which would have put us at 60+ miles—we just wanted to finish with our sanity still intact.
And lucky for us, we would hit the 50-mile mark right after meeting back up with the BWI Trail.
Mary Kate was kind enough to pick up our smelly persons from a nearby parking lot, and that’s how this one ends! Nothing too exciting—in a good way— but plenty to see and great company (and music) all throughout. State #4 = ✅
