I really should learn not to ride in the rain, but once again I set on the C&D trail on a cloudy gray day with heavy storms approaching. My ride was still enjoyable, but not as relaxing as it might have been on a sunny day.
The Michael N. Castle Trail is an 12 mile newly paved out and back trail along the north shore of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal in Delaware. The mostly flat paved trail parallels the river offering a nice, but relatively unchanging view along the route. Although the trail claims to host 200,000 visitors each year, arriving just before the rain, I found myself alone at the trail head (and saw only one other rider along the way).
Coming from the east, I chose to access the trail via the Briddle Point Trailhead parking lot: A large lot (big enough for multiple horse trailers) with restrooms, trail maps etc. (Note: there is a dirt road involved with this one, but it wasn't too bad.) Using this lot also allowed me to briefly explore the Ben Cardin Recreational Trail into Chesapeake City, MD without adding extra miles to my trip.
Again, most likely because of the weather (and the fact that I was the only one out there, san's a black Camaro randomly running its engine at the far end of the parking lot), I felt a little uneasy here and only rode 10 miles in each direction. I suspect that on a sunny day this would have been a very enjoyable ride, but ... well, the best laid plans, I guess. If you're in the area, it's definitely a nice way to spend an afternoon, but it's not a trail I'd go miles out of my way for again.
Though I have to admit, it was kind of fun to ride across the state line. (Photo below on the far right shows the pavement change leaving DE and entering MD :)
Wildlife wise, I saw a few heron, but that's about it. Riding in mid-June, I had no problem with bugs, which is a huge plus along a canal! Word to the wise: There basically no tree cover - so sunscreen is a plus and all three trailhead water fountains were out of service in June of 2022. So plan accordingly.
I was camping in Vandora on this trip and with the storm approaching, both the bike and I slept in the van that night.
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