Ride to the Bay on Easter

One of the great things about Lancaster is its location. Full of great scenery in its own right, Lancaster is also close to many other great destinations. For instance, it is only an hour to the Chesapeake Bay.

Having grown up in Erie, I love a bay. And I like the shore towns. But this was the first time I had ever tried to find out just how quickly one could get to the Bay from Lancaster. I took Rt. 272 all the way from Lancaster to Northeast and Charlestown in Cecil County, Maryland. It took almost exactly an hour. Both are very small, but cute towns. Northeast in particular has a number of oyster bars and antique stores that make it look like a nice place to while away a summer afternoon. I bet it's packed during the season.

The photograph is from Charlestown, by the Charlestown Wharf. Built in 1744, it was a supply depot in the Revolutionary War.

Today reminded me of the first time I was alone for Easter. It was 1986, when I was at college. I remember riding a red Schwinn Le Tour II around campus and listening to Genesis' Three Sides Live on a Panasonic personal cassette player. It was a warm spring day, and I had my freedom. Today was not as warm and I didn't have a way to play music... but I had a red bike and I could go much further. And so I was happy. I listened to a little "Dodo/Lurker" this morning, just to get in the mood.

"Fish he got a hook in his throat,
Fish he got problems.."