Day one: from Kent Island to Rehoboth

  
We finally made it yay! Here’s how today went…

We drove to Kent Island, MD to start our trip.  Fully loaded, L is on the right (carrying about 40 lbs) & 7 is on the left (carrying about 60 lbs total). The first few pedal strokes under a full load are always a little wobbly, but after a few miles it becomes normal and is not that much different than without weight (just be careful with turns!). Big thanks to Jeff Barlow & his daughter Sidney for the hospitality and send off. The fact that you sent us off by biking with us along the Cross Island Trail was awesome!  

Passing along we met a young businessman selling his baked goods in hopes to raise enough money to go to Disney World. For $2 we got a lemon bar & bacon cheddar biscuits…before we left we asked him how much money he had made and with a confident grin he said,”I have about 10 dollars.” He was on top of the world! Keep going Mason you are almost there! 

Biking all day = eating A TON! Can you believe we burned over 3000 calories?! (According to map my ride anyway). Despite already eating lunch & having tons of snacks, while in Denton we just had to make a pit stop at our favorite spot, the Public House. Great hospitality & yummy food fast!  

 
10 miles later is another favorite pit stop the T.S. Smith & Sons! The BEST peaches…and they grew just behind the building… 

 
When you’re traveling by car, you appreciate more of your surroundings than by plane. When you’re on your bike, you appreciate even more than by car…while biking a specific route we found online, we noticed every turn we made had F100 spray painted on the road with arrows pointing in the same direction we were going. We saw it so often that we started calling it our “guardian angel” since last year. (Truthfully it helped us when we questioned our directions!) Every milestone our guardian angel would even have motivation & a smiley face… if someone actually knows what F100 actually is, let us know! We still don’t, just appreciate it 🙂 

By the time we got to Redden State Park, we were about 70 miles in our journey & fatigue started settling in…laying down felt SO GOOD!  

With about 10 miles left, who wouldn’t want ice cream…especially when it’s made fresh from the dairy behind it. How often can you thank the cow who made the milk?! By this point our knees were aching, we were tired and hungry, and the idea of sitting in the saddle for another 10 miles was the last thing we wanted to do, but the ice cream was a perfect “pick me up” and boost for us to crush the last 10 miles! 

Map summary of the day…

   
After a great welcoming at Aunt Sue Ellen & Uncle Bill Radhe’s house with Uncle Everett & Aunt Nancy and Louise, it was so nice to park the bikes and settle down.  A hot shower never feels better, and a hearty meal never tastes so good! Not to mention when they have leftover MD crabs!  91 miles of biking, there’s nothing else like it! Cheers!!!

L7