Eastern Shore Ride Day 3 - Cambridge to Salisbury

 Today, Jim and I had a typical day of riding across the Eastern Shore, to the quaint town of Salisbury, where there are interesting local businesses.

You may have heard of these guys.

Back in the 80s when I would drive to the beach, I would always stop at the McDonalds across from the Purdue plant and eat some McNuggets as one semi truck after another carrying chickens would drive in.

Today we road through classic Delmarva Peninsula scenery. It's flat, there are endless fields where they raise chicken food, and many chicken houses.

The chicken houses are very stinky ("The Smell of Money!" per the locals) and all the chicken poop produced is an ongoing environmental nightmare which is directly related to the poor health of the Chesapeake Bay. You can have tasty chickens or tasty oysters. Pick one.

Jim spent the morning in Cambridge working, so we didn't get going until 1:00 after lunch at the tasty Cambridge Diner. You know you have a winner when the unassuming looking restaurant's parking lot is overflowing with pickup trucks.

We knocked out 40 miles to Salisbury, and were in right before dark. There was almost no US 50 today, we had to do a circuitous route because no bikes are allowed on the US 50 bridge over the Nanticoke River. The bridge over the Nanticoke in Sharpstown was the highest elevation of the day at 60 feet.

The Jim and Drew Bike Tour Lodging Plan is always "Find the Cheapest Motel where you can walk to the Brewpub". Tonight it was a LaQuinta, for $100, which is two blocks from EVO Brewing  according to Google Maps. Which I booked yesterday. So we ride to where the LaQuinta was supposed to be and see no motel. Jim was saying he knows there is a motel around here because he has stayed at a Holiday Inn here many times. I check my confirmation email and see I have booked a room at a Doubletree. 

Turns out, the LaQuinta only became a Hilton Doubletree the day before. Which is why there are no signs on the building. I was apparently the first person the desk clerk had ever checked in. The manager was looking over her shoulder guiding her through the process. "But he doesn't have a car. What do I do?"

This is a very weird place. The hotel is halfway through a transformation from a very horrible LaQuinta to a fancy Doubletree. Our room is very nice and new, but the door handle jams and you have to beat on it to make it open. The lobby is under construction, but there is a fancy restaurant open for business. There is still plenty of LaQuinta to be removed, like all the names carved into the wood inside the elevator, likely from past (and possibly present) long-term residents on public assistance. 

But the Brewpub was very close and very delicious.

I know that crab cake is tiny, I got a small one on purpose because I wanted to try the calamari. It was a good crab cake though.

Here's the Strava track: https://www.strava.com/activities/16527555308