My favorite bicycle is a peach-painted, wicker basket donning, single speed cruiser. When it comes to bike riding– living on a peninsula that is extremely flat is definitely an advantage. The Delmarva coast provides a great network of flat, rural, and lightly trafficked roads that lead to beautiful sights.
When I’m feeling extra ambitious, I’ll break out my real bicycle – the one with more than a single gear and real brakes, as opposed to back-peddle brakes that suffice for more leisurely rides. For the first time ever, after speaking with Bill Mahoney, a representative for the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, I rode across the Worcester – Wicomico county line on two wheels, powered by my own muscles.
“The largest track of nature conservancy in the state runs right through the Eastern Shore of Maryland,” said Mahoney.
Being a nature-lover, his statement piqued my earthy interests.
“One of the biggest cypress trees in Maryland is located right off of Sixty Foot Road, too,” he continued.
After those words, I already knew that I’d be seeking out more information on this giant tree and our local nature conservancies.
I put on some warm clothes, filled my Camelback with icy water, hopped on my bicycle, and peddled like lightening out of my neighborhood. After pumping my peddles for about 45 minutes I already knew that the back of my neck was going to be sunburnt and my legs were going to be tired the next day. I traveled the back roads from Berlin to Pittsville.
DLITE, short for Delmarva Low Impact Tourism Experiences, offers a great map of over 2,500 linked roads on the Eastern Shore for bicyclists to travel. The routes cover cyclist-friendly roads through historic towns, farm country, cypress swamps, marshes, and over creeks. The biking guide, designed to serve the interest of bicyclists of all levels and abilities, is a nice reference when trying to navigate the local roads that wind through Maryland farmland.
Mahoney told me that the Cypress wasn’t visible from the road, but down a small path through the woods. This wooded area is actually part of the Great Cypress Swamp. A mushy, wet area filled with bald cypress, deciduous trees with needle-like leaves. These trees can grow up to 120 feet tall and live up to 600 years. The ones found in the freshwater swamps on Delmarva are generally only 100 years old.
While traveling southwest on Sixty Foot Road, just off of Route 50–if you’re driving, I made sure to take in all of the fall scenery. The abundance of local birds hovering around the golden colored fields and fallen burnt orange leaves was a site to see. It’s a sign of fall when you see single Kestrel perched on a bare tree limb.
I ditched my bike and wandered down a tiny overgrown path to what I thought would be ‘the one’, the lone gigantic bald Cypress. Wrong. I went back to my bike and peddled down the road a little father to another path. Not the right one either. How about the next path? Not sure if that’s the tree either.
I’m not sure if I ever saw the one huge Cypress that Mr. Mahoney had been specifically describing, but I did see a nice variety of beautiful towering trees and brightly colored autumnal foliage. The nature preserve is known as “Waste Gate”. I only know this because I noticed those words printed on a small sign while on my two hour bike ride back home.
The Mid-Atlantic coastal plains that we call home are perfect specimens of unspoiled wilderness–wilderness that truly is worth a good look. If you decide to take a similar journey to this marshy, tree-filled area, remember that this trek is no walk in the park–it is a swamp. The area is a densely vegetated area of nature conservancy with limited public road access.
After spending a morning in search of a tree, a new hiking path, and a new bike route, I felt satisfied with my little journey. Even though I’m not certain that I actually spotted the furtive cypress tree, I did have a fantastic time perusing the shore. Every time I drive westbound on Route 50 I’m going to look at the dark gathering of trees and think of Mahoney saying,
“The bald Cypress is right off the road, down a path. You’ll know when you see it.”
Has anyone else heard of this mysterious tree rumored to have a 40-foot circumference? If you’re up for a wild goose chase, I suggest you try to find it. If you are not up for the challenge, it’s understandable. At least try to get out and enjoy the brisk fall weather and beautiful scenery that covers the coast during this time of year.
