May 15, 2003 WE ARE ON THE ROAD! This was our first day on the road, and the bike performed beautifully. There were not mechanical problems, and the only issue was cycle computer related. When that was fixed, all was well. Neither of us slept too well last night – probably the full moon and the anticipation of our first day out. However, we are both feeling great, and the riding was strong – even after having been off the bike for a week. We rode from Dewey Beach, DE to Grasonville, MD, covering 93 miles and gaining 1460 feet in elevation. It was flat, but the variation in scenery kept it from being boring. The tidelands of Delaware and Maryland are very agrarian. The agriculture is very diverse, the farms well maintained and the crops are very well tended. The old farmhouses and barns were a delight to see. It was a good riding day. There was high overcast, but the sun got through a lot, and we had tailwinds and helping side winds the whole time. What a way to start a trip like this. It seemed that the biking gods were with us. The roads were all very good, and we either had a wide shoulder or little traffic to contend with. Drivers were courteous. The route we used came from bikewashington.org, and though there were a few problems, the route kept us off the major roads, and took us through areas that were very interesting. The only problem of the day happened less than 10 miles from our motel. As we approached highway 301, there were all kinds of signs saying “bike route”. As we took the entrance on to 301, we suddenly saw a sign that said “No Bikes”. We stopped, looked around and could not find a way across. After having experienced a lot of bike-friendly facilities all day, we were miffed. We finally solved the problem, but will leave it to you to figure out how we did it. What we did was semi-legal, and we became a car! We will give you the answer in a few days. Ron