Deep Creek Lake is located in Garrett County, in far western Maryland. It is owned by a power company and leased to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a recreation area. Every year my wife's family rents a house there, and we all head up for some well deserved time away from it all. Most years I take a bike along.
One of the great things about a vacation in the mountains is the temperature difference between there and just a few hours drive away where I live. It is almost always about 10 degrees (F) cooler. That makes for pretty nice biking weather for mid-summer.
| Obligatory bike pic outside the rental house. Very nice accommodations. |
| My very first road has me climbing away from the lake. |
| Once I turn onto North Glade Rd. I can see the lake back to the south. Plenty of development of vacation houses along this stretch. |
| Of course, the further you get from the lake, the less crowded it becomes. |
| It is hard to see in the photo, but halfway up the hill is a lonely graveyard. |
| Interesting character at Curt's Corner, a shop at the intersection of North Glade and Bittenger Rds. |
| Along Steiding Church Rd. |
| Ardsley Farm Rd, where chip seal turns to steep gravel. |
| Looking back down the gravel hill. |
| Pysell Cross Cut Rd. |
| Hello! Bike geek here. |
| Sand Flat Rd. I didn't find a lot of flat here though. |
| Paradise Point Rd. I can finally see the lake again. |
| Steep winding roads through the trees. |
| Finally out on the main drag, Rt. 219. Pretty heavy traffic for a weekday, but the bike lane is good. |
| Lakeside Creamery. Mmmmmmm. Not stopping now, but I'll be back...more than once. |
| Lakeview along Rt. 219. |
| High Mountain Sports, the local bike shop. Nice folks, mainly geared to mountain biking. |
| Construction zone ahead. I took my place in line. I had a left turn off the main road just past where the construction started. |
| Lake Shore Drive followed the lake for a bit (go figure), then I turned onto Mayhew Inn Rd. and got away from the lake again. The scenery is still pretty good. |
| Oakland-Sang Run Rd. is the reason I do this ride clockwise instead of counter-clockwise. This is a really steeper-than-it-looks long downhill. |
| Near the bottom of the hill, before the closed bridge, I turn right onto Hoyes Run Rd. This is a long uphill, but a much gentler gradient than the previous downhill. There are two steeper sections, but I never had to consider flipping my wheel around to the easier gearing. This road takes me behind Wisp ski resort, with the entire mountain between me and the lake. |
| Getting back nearer the lake, I stopped at a convenience store for a drink and a snack, then followed the shore again. Soon I was able to see Wisp from the opposite bank. |
| McHenry roadside marker. |
| Quickbeam and the lake. |
| A lake view from Rock Lodge Rd. |
| I met my family at the state park beach, had some lunch and swam with the kids. |
| The state park discovery center. Good exhibits about the regional and lake ecology. |
| Kayakers out enjoying the day. |
| Some of the homeowners have nice gardens along their docks. |
| Last shot, looking back to the state park beach. One last climb and I'm home again. |
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