Bikes, Barges, Bridges, Boats and Beer

After two hikes in two days, we got another day of glorious Fall weather and decided to hunt down a bike trail to explore.  We discovered that, while South Jersey has numerous bike trails, none are very long.  The long ones are generally on the west side of the Delaware River and we didn't want to drive very far to get our exercise.  After some research, we finally found the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal Trail, which stretches from Delaware City, Delaware, 12 miles west to Chesapeake City, Maryland.  It was only a half hour's drive, so off we went.

The C&D Canal, first proposed in the mid-1700's, dug in the 1800’s and widened in the early 1900’s, links the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River via a 14-mile route through what were once swampy marshlands. Today, the canal continues to be one of the world’s busiest, as much of the shipping traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore—one of the largest ports in the United States—makes its way through the channel.  As we pedaled west from our trailhead in Delaware City, we spotted this tug and barge coming the opposite direction from the Chesapeake Bay:

 

On our 12-mile ride, we saw six bridges spanning the canal, testifying to the dense development in the area.  Yet, along the canal, we saw little but beautiful fall vegetation and diverse wildlife.  By the time we reached this beautiful suspension bridge, we had spotted a pod of dolphins fishing in the canal and a bald eagle looking for her share of the fish.

Most of the bridges were modern, but this vertical-lift railroad bridge from the era when the railroad line that was converted into the trail was constructed.

 

The trail was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers on land alongside the canal owned by the Federal Government, in cooperation with numerous state and local governmental agencies.  The trail preserves wild meadow, grassland and trees, including some late-blooming wildflowers we spotted alongside our path:

 

About halfway along our ride to Chesapeake City, we were routed away from the canal to accommodate a marina.  As we climbed the path up the cliff toward the marina, we spotted a "long-term" storage site for boats.  It looked like the boats had been stored there for so long that they might not be expecting to return to the water:

 

The marina, while itself modest looking, boasted some extravagant boats -- all pleasure fishing boats and yachts:

When the Corps designed the trail, it provided for a variety of types of recreation.  An adjoining trail is suitable for horseback riding, and we saw two fishing piers that were designed to be accessible from the trail, including this one, within sight of one of the ubiquitous bridges crossing the canal:

The fishing piers also offer scenic views of the canal and its surrounding environment:

 

Eventually, about 2 miles before we reached Chesapeake City, we crossed the state line from Delaware to Maryland.  The "Welcome to Maryland" sign boasted intricate designs and important information about the remainder of our ride:

However, we already knew our goal:  Schaefer's Canal House, where we planned to have our favorite seafood for lunch and quaff one of our favorite beers -- Victory's Golden Monkey!  A better recreational lunch we could not have found!  Kathy had a crab cake sandwich and raw oysters.  David chose three appetizers of calamari, jumbo shrimp, and a stack of seafood, mango and avocado.  We'll remember this restaurant for quite some time.

In fact, the lunch was so satisfying, that Kathy decided to take a nap along the trail and took this sign literally:

Back to the serious stuff.

In 1919 the federal government bought the canal for $2.5 million and designated it the "Intra-coastal Waterway Delaware River to Chesapeake Bay, Delaware and Maryland." The purchase included six bridges and a railroad span owned by the Pennsylvania Railroad. These were replaced during the 1920s by four vertical lift spans and a new railroad bridge.  Responsibility for operating, maintaining, and improving the waterway was assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  As we worked our way back East toward Delaware City, a sleek Army Corps of Engineers boat sped the opposite direction, presumably scanning the waterway for debris and obstacles: 

 

We mentioned all the wildlife we saw.  On our return trip, we spotted a mated pair of eagles cruising the canal, another bald eagle we surprised so that she fled her telephone pole perch before we saw her, and a second pod of dolphins trying their luck for fish in the canal.  Unfortunately, all of those wild creatures were too quick for our camera; but this great blue heron was much more accommodating, and let us get just opposite him to snap his portrait:

The two most beautiful bridges along the canal exhibited symmetric design and glowed in the lowering sun as we headed East toward them:

Now, we were within a mile or two of our original trailhead, but, in fact, it seemed that we were finally back in Delaware, which, when we entered it earlier in our return trip, greeted us with its cheerful sign:

 

  

 

What a beautiful ride on a beautiful day over a beautiful trail.  We'll remember this little gem for some time.