Day 3 Finale

Another long night. It rained on and off until about midnight. The wind didn't lay down. And the temperature dropped. I couldn't stay comfortable; hips hurt again, but not quite as bad as the night before. I had let a little air out of the Thermarest and I believe that helped some. But I tossed and turned all night. Not a restful night.

At about 6:30am, I had been awake for a while and decided to get up and find breakfast. Hungry again! Got up, put on riding clothes, and got on the bike about 7:00 (time of sunrise on Easter Sunday). Rode up Beach Road towards an interesting-looking restaurant I had seen earlier, but found that it was closed. I knew a McDonalds was not far, so I rode to it. It was open and warm.

Had breakfast and talked with some older men who frequent the place, and went back to the campsite to break camp. Tore everything down and packed it away. Again, it gets easier with practice. Temperature as I got on the bike was 35degrees.

Got on the bike and had to decide whether to continue the ride north and then west and back down the east side of the Chesapeake Bay area or whether to ride back south, take advantage of the discount for 2-way passage price break on the CBBT.

I had listened to NOAA weather on the radio, and the forecast for the area north and west was not too good. Cloudy, windy, and cold, with an overnight low of 34 degrees. Also, some chance of snow showers in the area. Not great riding and camping conditions.

So, I chickened out and went south. But before going south, I rode 5 miles north on Hwy 13 into Maryland, just so I could say I went into Maryland, too. Uneventful, but I did it.

Then U-turned to go south on Hwy 13 and do the CBBT again. Got to the toll plaza, paid the $5 for the return trip, and rode it again. It was sunny, cold, and breezy.

Decided to stop for an early lunch at the Seagull Pier Restaurant near the southern terminus. Gary had recommended the flounder there, so I decided to try it.

In a few minutes, the waitress brought out the biggest piece of flounder I've ever seen! It was on an oval platter (not a smal platter; a big one) and was longer than the plate! And a huge helping of french fries and slaw. Way too much for one person to eat! I tore into it; it was delicious! I ate most, but not all the flounder and some of the fries and slaw. A huge meal.

Got back on the bike and rode home, taking some Interstate road and some back roads. Nothing eventful or interesting to report; a good ride under clear, cool and breezy conditions.

Total miles for Day 3 was 313 for a total of 645 miles on the trip.