The Chesapeake and Delaware (C & D) Canal stretches across the top of the Delmarva peninsula from the Chesapeake Bay to the Delaware River. The idea of a canal was first proposed in colonial times to connect Maryland commerce with the industrial colonies to the north, but a working canal was not completed until 1829. A hundred years later the canal was improved, widened and lowered to sea level.
The York County Heritage Rail Trail is a recreational trail in southern Pennsylvania that follows the tracks of the old Northern Central Railway (NCR) from the Maryland line to the Colonial Courthouse in downtown York. In it’s heyday, the Northern Central was a busy carrier of farm and industrial products between Sunbury, PA, and Baltimore, MD. The railway also provided passenger service in its earlier days and carried President Lincoln on the way to deliver his Gettysburg Address in 1863.
The Western Maryland Rail Trail (WMRT) is a 10-mile recreational trail that follows the former route of the Western Maryland Railroad east of Hancock, MD. This trail is especially suitable for families, for novice cyclists, and for anyone seeking a pleasant, leisurely ride. We fit the third category. Most notably, the trail is completely paved, making it easy pedaling for any type of bicycle.
Gold Mine Trail is a 19-mile Pennsylvania rail trail that overlooks the Stony Creek Valley, stretching from Schuylkill County at the east end, across Lebanon County, to Dauphin County at the west end. As far as I can tell, it has no official name, since it is not officially a recreational trail. I have found references to it on the Internet as the Stony Creek Trail, and as the Schuylkill and Susquehanna Trail, and as the St. Anthony’s Wilderness Trail.
Susquehanna State Park is located along the west shore of the river a few miles from where it empties into the Chesapeake Bay. The park offers a variety of recreational opportunities with camping, picnic grounds, pond, creek, and river fishing, as well as trails for walking, biking, and horseback riding. Historical sites within the park include the Rock Run Grist Mill, the Jersey Toll House, and locks from the Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal.
We loaded our our bikes on the back of the car and headed down the eastern shore of Maryland, hoping to enjoy this clear spring day. Following the directions in our tourbook, we ended up at Assateague Island National Seashore just south of Ocean City. Assateague is an undeveloped barrier island on the Maryland-Virginia line, known for it’s wild ponies which migrate annually back and forth to Chincoteague Island. The story of the ponies was made famous by Marguerite Henry in her children’s books, the Misty of Chincoteague series.