After years of participating in local bikepacking trips, Danielle Parnes and Kimberly Wiman were fed up with the male-dominated rides—which felt more competitive than welcoming—and started searching for ways to create more inclusion within the region’s bikepacking scene.

Once they learned how groups in other cities organize trips for bicycle adventurers who identify as women, transgender, femme, and non-binary during the WTF Bikexplorers Summit and Ride Series last August, they looked to build a similar community in Baltimore. “It was very powerful to see that riding bikes, having fun, and getting to know each other on a personal level could bring such a wide range of people together,” says Parnes.

The two now co-lead WTF Mid-Atlantic Bikepacking, a group that encourages local women and trans, femme, and non-binary people to strap camping gear—including tents, food, and water—to their bikes and ride together to a campsite destination. Since forming the group in October, Parnes and Wiman have hosted four trips, including rides along the C&O Canal and through Michaux State Forest, as well as an introductory workshop at Baltimore Bicycle Works.

Along with making the excursions free and accessible to those without cars, the pair also prioritizes creating an open dialogue so that bikepackers of all experience levels feel comfortable asking questions and traveling with the group. “Some people feel like they need to have a ton of knowledge or experience before they start riding—that’s a big barrier in WTF groups,” says Wiman. “When in reality, we can support and teach each other a lot.”

Above all else, Parnes and Wiman strive to empower fellow bikepackers by creating a space for them to create relationships based on honesty and a love for the outdoors. “Bikepacking is really difficult,
and oftentimes on non-WTF rides, there’s not much acknowledgment of how physically and mentally tough it is,” says Wiman. “That vulnerability of feeling able to ask for help allows for a much deeper bond to form between people who go on a trip together.”

When Bob Wagner was a kid, he’d jump on his dad’s Schwinn bike in his 1970s tube socks, short shorts, and sneakers and take off by himself all day. “I was the youngest of three,” Wagner recalls. “We lived in Towson, and by the time I came around, Mom had her hands full. She’d say, ‘Be home for dinner.’ Later, she’d ask what I did, and I’d tell her, ‘I went to Pennsylvania. I ate a sandwich and then rode back.’ Mom would be like, ‘Great.’”

When Wagner, a picture framer by trade who majored in folklore and does not own a cell phone, started the long-distance Rando Rambles bicycling series a decade ago, the now 53-year-old wanted to re-experience that childhood feeling of adventure. (Rando is shorthand for randonneuring, a form of all-day, non-competitive bicycling from city to city popular in Europe.) He dubbed the first “ramble,” a 97-mile, down-and-back ride to the Washington Monument in the nation’s capital, the “Monument to Monument” ride, and it unexpectedly has become a must-do event—if you can call it an event—for local cyclists. There are no entry forms, no fees, no support vehicles, no commemorative T-shirts or rules. Wagner simply posts the date on his WordPress blog with the route, a surprisingly scenic run on quiet roads through Anne Arundel, Howard, and Prince George’s counties, and photos from previous years.

The annual jaunt attracts as many as 100 cyclists—college students, amateur racers, and Medicare-eligible participants—in sunny years and as a few as a half-dozen when forecasts call for showers. For the 10th anniversary Monument to Monument ride this year, about 40 riders met on the cobblestones of Mt. Vernon in June, departing for D.C. at 8:30 a.m. Inevitably breaking into smaller groups by the time they twirled around the towering obelisk on The Mall, most grabbed lunch at Union Station—some got a beer with Wagner at a nearby Irish bar—before returning to Baltimore. For about half, the mileage was no great feat; for others, more than a few inspired by Wagner’s bike blog, it was their first century ride.

Vinny DeMarco, the state’s irrepressible grassroots lobbyist, smiled nearly the whole way, occasionally singing verses of “Volare”—Dean Martin’s Italian-English hit (“To Fly”)—which he calls the official song of the M2M.

All apparently made it home for dinner.

“It’s a weird shift in perspective that takes place,” says Lars Peterson, a mechanic at Race Pace Bicycles. “Suddenly D.C., which you’re used to being snarled in traffic trying to get to, becomes a place you can reach on your bike.”

Other Rando Rambles over the years have included trips to Havre de Grace, Gettysburg, and Chesapeake Beach. Most have particular, sometimes unique, destinations in mind. The “Pancake Intercept” ride, which rolls through the farms and woods of Carroll County, just happens to include a rest stop at an all-you-can-eat breakfast at a Union Bridge firehouse.

When he started the Rambles, Wagner, who sets a moderate pace and keeps an eye out for those in the back of the pack, says he just wanted to create personal challenges. In the early years, he biked up to 10,000 miles a year, meticulously documenting the best off-the-main-thoroughfare routes. (That’s more annual mileage than he puts on his 1964 Chevy station wagon, which remains in his Hampden garage most of the week while he bike commutes to work in Timonium.)

And if no one came to his party, that was fine. If a hundred came, that was fine, too. He was excited either way. “Usually at least two or three people always showed up,” he laughs. “The time commitment is kind of crazy. You have to say to anyone who loves you, ‘I’m going to be gone all day long. I may be even be in some danger today.’ There is the chance you could fall, get in a collision, suffer dehydration, or have a mechanical breakdown. Or get lost. But it’s that feeling—‘I don’t know’—that I’m after. Can I do it? ‘I don’t know.’ What will the roads look like today? ‘I don’t know.’ Will it be dark when I get back? ‘I don’t know.’”

Rock Climbing
Contrary to what you may think, climbing uses lots of muscles in both the upper and lower body—including the ones you didn’t know you had (hello, finger muscles). It can improve your stamina and strength while also boosting brain function. Where to go: Earth Treks, several locations, including 1930 Greenspring Dr., Lutherville-Timonium, 410-560-5665.

Ballet
Whether you took dance as a child, have tried a barre class, or have never danced in your life, ballet is a great way to improve flexibility, balance, and endurance in all adults. It can also build lean and toned muscles while improving core strength and posture. Where to go: Baltimore School of Dance, 4001 Falls Rd., 410-790-6742.

Horseback Riding
It may look like Preakness jockeys and Olympic show jumpers are having the horse do all the work, but keeping your balance on a one-ton animal takes a lot of core and leg strength. Start slow and learn the basics on a calming trail ride, then work your way up to trotting, jogging, and cantering. Where to go: Graham Equestrian Center, 10301 Harford Rd., Glen Arm, 410-663-4445.

Biking
As the weather warms up, save some gas money and opt to ride your bike. Benefits include muscle toning, improved cardiovascular health, better blood circulation, improved joint mobility, strengthened bones, and decreased body fat levels. Take a solo ride or join on the many group rides with The Baltimore Bicycling Club. Where to go: The Baltimore Bicycling Club.

Budoshin Ju-Jitsu
Budoshin ju-jitsu focuses on practical self-defense and teaches students how to protect themselves against a variety of attacks through proper holds, blocking, and striking. While training can help with your overall fitness level, ju-jitsu can also help increase your self-esteem. Where to go: Baltimore School of Self Defense, 11600 Crossroads Cir, Middle River, 410-529-1262.

Standup Paddleboarding
A low-impact, full-body workout, paddleboarding engages your core and legs for balance and your arms for momentum. Because it is low impact, it is also great for people with rehabilitation injuries because it is gentle on your muscles and joints. Where to go: B’More SUP, 8500 Cove Rd., Dundalk. 

Walking into the Baltimore Youth Kinetic Energy collective, you’re greeted by the organized chaos of stray bicycle parts, hand-painted signs, and neighborhood youngsters busily at work. 

BYKE, which was launched in 2014 by Johns Hopkins graduate Chavi Rhodes and Baltimore native Alphonso Blackstone, has grown a lot in its three years. Rhodes, who earned her master’s in public health, started the collective as an outlet for city youth. The bike shop that she and Blackstone frequented didn’t allow kids, but Rhodes saw an eagerness in them to learn about and help with bike repairs. “In a city that has so much passion for bicycles among youth, it made no sense that there were no programs or resources designated for them,” she says.

Located on Oliver Street, the kids-only collective operates as an after-school program. It offers credits to volunteers that can be used toward parts or their own set of wheels, which are donated by local institutions, residents, and police. Volunteer duties range from stripping old bikes to teaching others how to make repairs. “I got my first non-junky bike from here,” says Sean Bushee, 14, who volunteered eight times over four weeks to earn the credits. Bushee is now helping to repair a friend’s ride, too.

The goal of BYKE is to teach kids about work ethic and responsibility—skills that Rhodes feels could not be gained by simply buying or trading a bike. These mechanics-in-training learn from mentors, like Blackstone and his good friend, Lee Peterson, both of whom have been fixing bikes since they were kids themselves. “My father took my bike apart, laid all the tools on the ground, and said, ‘If you want to ride it, fix it,’” says Peterson. “So I did. Now that’s been my hobby my whole life.”

In the future, they hope to take BYKE on the road with a youth-run mobile repair truck, but for now, Blackstone just plans to continue being a role model. “I want to help them do the right thing, gain life experience, and pass it on to the next kid,” he says. “I want them to see that it’s not all bad experiences out there. There’s also a lot of good.”

Bay Watch 

Spring has brought with it a flurry of good news about the bay. First, using sonar technology, scientists from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center found that the Choptank River has more river herring in it than previously suspected. Then, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources found that reproductively viable female crabs are at their most plentiful since 1990 and that the amount of underwater grass in Maryland’s portion of the bay reached a record high of 59,277 acres in 2016. Furthermore, in late April, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation seeded 3 million baby oysters in the Patapsco River, hoping to return oyster shoals to the urban waterway. All of these rehabilitative milestones indicate that federally overseen pollution control programs are stabilizing the bay after decades of environmental decline. And though it briefly looked like funding for those measures would be threatened by the Trump administration’s proposed EPA budget cuts, Congress decided to maintain program funding for the coming fiscal year. 

Following such a streak, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science issued a report this week awarding the bay one of its highest-ever health grades. Though on its face an unimpressive C, the grade represents drastic improvement since the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science began evaluating the bay in 1986 and a 1-point improvement over last year’s score. As with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation scorecard—another important third-party bay evaluation—the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science grades the bay in several categories and then aggregates those scores into an overall mark. 

“I really believe we’re at a tipping point,” Nicholas DiPasquale, director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program office in Annapolis, told The Sun. “Once you reach a point where you’ve overcome the inertia of the system, these indicators start building on each other.”

A third regional water quality scorecard, this one measuring the health of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor and its tributaries, will be released on Monday by Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore. 

On Your Bike 

National Bike to Work Day is next Friday, May 19, and the Central Maryland Metropolitan Council has collected a handy list of nearly 40 official events on its website. The events range from bike safety checks to commuting convoys led by experienced cyclers and designed to introduce newbies to the ins and outs of bike commuting. Though Baltimore City is hosting the greatest number of events, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Carroll, and Harford counties are represented, too. Bike to Work Day grew out of National Bike Month, which began in 1956. It promotes the benefits of cycling, which include physical fitness and reduced vehicle emissions and air pollution. 

In The Air 

Speaking of reduced vehicle emissions, The Sun has a good rundown of where the Baltimore region stands in terms of air quality. In short, the Maryland Clean Air report found that, overall, air quality was better in Baltimore in 2016 than it had been in previous years, but that ozone levels ticked up. Ozone is ground level smog created when particles from vehicle and power plant emissions interact with sunlight. It can be harmful to humans—particularly the very young, very old, and very sick—and is the cause of the Code Orange and Code Red air quality alerts that are sometimes issued. 

“We’re making clean air progress with strong partnerships and steady investments, but more is needed regionally and nationally to sustain our pace and protect our health,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Ben Grumbles said in a statement. “Marylanders’ hearts, lungs and waterways will benefit from smart actions at home and in upwind states to keep improving our air quality.”

Birdcam Season Soars 

And now, as they say, for something completely different. Naturalists from all over the world delight each year in the Chesapeake Bay’s springtime birdcams—and this year is no different. The Chesapeake Conservancy hosts live streams of three of the most popular:

The peregrine falcon cam atop 100 Light Street in Baltimore City, which is capturing the growth of four furry fluffballs.

The great blue heron rookery on the Eastern Shore

And the osprey cam on Kent Island 

There is also another osprey cam, this one following a nest with three eggs at Severna Park High School

Follow along as the birds raise their families and the chicks eventually fly the nest. Happy spring and happy birding! 

This isn’t your typical biker bar. Think more Schwinn than Harley as you enter the newly opened Handlebar Café (511 S. Caroline St., 443-438-7065) in Fells Point. Owned and operated by X-Games champ and Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Marla Streb, the cafe’s cycle theme is everywhere—from the repair shop in the back to spoke-heavy décor and artwork, and of course the Spandex-wearing clientele who come riding through the open garage doors throughout the day. High atop the bar are colorful paintings of city blocks and bike racks by local artist Kelly L. Walker. 

With an alt soundtrack churning out tunes from ska stalwarts like The Clash and Operation Ivy, the entire place has a decidedly West Coast feel. That vibe carries through on the menu, which boasts many vegan- and vegetarian-friendly offerings like bean and cheese burritos, gluten-free pizza, and a taco salad.

But things really get inventive on the liquid side of the menu, which is curated by Streb’s husband, Mark. Even early in the morning, customers can imbibe coffee cocktails like a cold brew concoction with Baileys, Kahlúa, and whiskey. Another pick-me-up is the Verde Mary, which uses a green veggie mix in place of tomato juice and makes us realize we’ve been doing our brunch Bloodys all wrong. While daytime, which brings with it a chance to bask in the sunlight of Handlebar’s large open windows, is the ideal time to go, don’t count out happy hour and evening, too.

There’s an extensive beer selection including, not surprisingly, New Belgium’s Fat Tire but also local favorites from The Brewer’s Art, Jailbreak, and Stillwater Artisanal. A modest menu of wine and Mexican-inspired cocktails rounds out the fun and innovative drink list.

You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you left Handlebar without chowing down on one of its many boffo burritos. We couldn’t get enough of the flavorful Delmar with shrimp, smoked beans, Cotija cheese, guac, and a lime-tartar sauce. A calorie-burning bike ride might be in order after that one.

“The ‘water year’ begins October 1. That’s when water use drops after the periods of higher use from late spring through summer, meaning precipitation can go toward replenishing the water supply,” explains Jay Apperson, the deputy director of communications for MDE. “Snow that gradually melts into the ground is particularly good for recharging groundwater.” The Baltimore region has recorded 5.79 inches of precipitation thus far in 2017, 2.07 inches fewer than average. The drought warning triggers more frequent testing and evaluation by the MDE, and Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles says, “Water conservation and efficiency are always smart—especially during extended periods of reduced rainfall.”