Assawoman Ride

I have enjoyed boating on the Assawoman Bay for many summers, and have been itching to explore the Assawoman Wildlife Area by land. My newly acquired XT225 (a brand new leftover 2006) would be the perfect little bike for the task.


Disclaimer - This is NOT an epic ride report. I did enjoy a true adventure in Peru, riding to Machu Picchu, but that is a different story entirely:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=700838

The little XT was not yet broken in, so I decided to carry the bike to my beach place rather than running on the highway for three hours at WOT.


Ready to roll


Heading out on Lighthouse Road (didn't see any deer)


First view of the bay


A nice packed sand road enters the wildlife refuge


A small raccoon drinking the brackish water


There is a nice mixture of loose and packed sand tracks


I decided to check out an old fire tower


There is a nice bay view to the south...


And tidal wetlands to the north


The little XT looks even smaller from up here


I've been to this floating dock many times by water


Several of the trails had locked gates, but I managed to find a nice track to the beach




There was a nice trail following the shoreline


And then into a pine forest


A little muddy, but no problem for the XT


Playing with the self-timer on my little Coolpix (tried, but had trouble getting an action shot)


I talked to a sketchy old fisherman who didn't want his picture taken... "only the fish"


The single track connects to an unnamed sand road


I risked my life to capture another wildlife shot


Surprisingly, the sand road spit me out just a mile from Bethany Beach, DE.


I followed RT 1 south to Ocean City, MD for a late lunch


I know this is a motorcycle forum, so here is the mandatory beverage picture


And gratuitous food pic



In all, it was a great day on the bike. I doubt the total elevation change was more than 10 feet, but the soft sand and mud sections made for some interesting riding. I would love to have explored some of the gated tracks...

some good pictures in there

Nice! Checked out your Peru thread, also. Excellent.

Red Bud,

Thank you, I see from your 2011 thread that you've had some good times this year!

Shrimp w/old bay and a beer, life is very good!

Thanks for the report...

Regards, Paul

Great bike for Assawoman. There's also quite a few nice back roads once you head inland from the beach.

Good call on hauling the bike over- the beltway and Rt. 50 are no fun on a 200cc bike- or any bike for that matter.

Nice pics. Anywhere near here?

RedRockRider,

Thank you for replying, I'm glad you checked out the Peru thread too. I live 12 miles from Obama, so there aren't too many local off-road options.

Ride Safe,

Paul,

You have clearly spent some time near the Chesapeake to recognize the Old Bay seasoning. Great on shrimp, even better on crabs! Now those Florida Stone Crab claws...

As you said, life is very good!

Ride Safe,

CyclingTom,

I'd like to get your advice on some nice back roads in the area. RT 54 is mostly Harley riders, 2-up, w/o helmets or gear. Also, I couldn't agree more; the DC beltway is downright scary on my little XT225, and not much better on my F800GS.

Thanks,

great bike .. and nice photographs :)
i loved your bike .. we actually got such a model of bike in our country now but yet to out for sale , the bike is from HERO ..Impulse its a 150cc bike .. but the issue is hard to get spare from HERO .. well KTM is now on the way

Sport,

Strange you should ask; believe the two roads converge...

Nice ride report. I live in Bethany Beach and ride the Assawoman area every day. Not too many hills or twisties in Delaware though.

Thanks Bearcat. If I recall, you posted some nice pictures of the Assawoman area in the scooter thread. Beautiful area, but flat indeed.

Enjoyed the RR very much. I can even smell that spicy power on the shrimp :)

invfr,

Gllad you enjoyed it. Old Bay seasoning is the best!

Great Ride Report, enjoyed it very much!!

Got to admit it, that shrimp got my mouth a watering! What a great little bike for such a perfect day! Thanks for taking us along!
Lyle

Know the area and love the report. Especially the scent of Old Bay seasoning.

I'm more or less local and never realized that this place existed. Sounds like I may have to get out and explore one of these days.

I'm curious, what is the legal situation with the trails you rode? I'd be surprised if it was OK to have gone off of the main roads like you did.

I lived in OC during several summers in the 80s and remember that there were a couple of places around to get some mild off-roading in. I can't remember where, and I'm sure it's all housing developments anyway by now.

Thanks