Sunday, March 23, 2014

Spring Riding: Prettyboy Dam and Tailwinds

Spring has been stubbornly refusing to show itself this year. We've had promises of 60 degree weather that never materialized, to say nothing of temperatures, say, in the 70s. Yesterday looked like it was going to be another day like that. When Michael, our friend, and I arrived at the Oregon Ridge parking lot, about 15 minutes north of the Baltimore Beltway, it was cloudy, windy, and cold. It even vaguely looked like it might rain. Nothing makes you want to ride like shivering in the parking lot in spandex.

Things rapidly improved, however. We got underway and the sun came out. By the tenth mile, we had to stop and peel off a layer of clothing. The wind never abated, but after lunch, our route aligned perfectly such that we had a strong tailwind for a good portion of the ride. There is nothing quite like getting blown up a hill at over 20 miles per hour. Of course, when it wasn't at our backs, it was a wicked crosswind bent on blowing us over. I have done a lot of soul-crushing rides where it seems like the wind is in your face no matter which way you turn. I have even fought the wind all the way out on a ride, only to have it change direction right when I reached the turnaround, so I got to fight it all the way back. This might be the first ride that I've done where the wind seemed like it was at our backs most of the time, no matter which way we turned. It was a good day and a beautiful ride, for a total of 73 miles.

All of the pictures were taken with my phone, so the quality is what it is.
A railroad bridge over the road near New Freedom, Pennsylvania.
 A pretty creek near the railroad bridge.
The spillway of Prettyboy Dam, which was built in 1932 on the Gunpowder. Prettyboy Reservoir is one of the water sources for the city of Baltimore.
Looking downstream below the dam towards Gunpowder Falls State Park.


  1. What was your route for this occasion? I am new to the area and would like to explore the Pretty Boy Dam area.

  2. Sean, The route starts at Oregon Ridge Park north of Baltimore. I have a cue sheet from the Baltimore Bike Club, but I can't find a copy of it to easily link to. If you search through their library, you should be able to find it. It is the Seven Valleys Ride.