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Maryland Covered Bridge Tour & Wine / Spirits / Beer Tasting

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About this event

On Sunday, October 22nd, ODCC will take a relaxed drive up Route 15 to the Thurmont, MD area, driving through the Loy's Station covered bridge and Roddy Road covered bridge. (Unfortunately, there aren't any good staging areas with adequate parking near either bridge, so no photo ops this year.) There will hopefully be plenty of Fall colors in the trees at that time, too. Following that, we'll take a short drive to the Springfield Manor Winery / Brewery / Distillery for lunch and the opportunity to sample the adult beverages of your choice. Everyone who went last year thought Springfield Manor was a great place to relax and have some good beverages & food.In addition to their own kitchen, there will be a food truck on the premises: Grilled Cheese Please.

NOTE: The weather for Sunday looks to be dry, but cool and breezy, Springfield Manor has very limited indoor seating, so it may be brisk on the patio. Those who prefer a warmer (indoor) environment can choose to go to the Thurmont Kountry Kitchen restaurant instead. A full menu of American favorites, and they serve beer, wine and mixed drinks. We'll divide into 2 groups at the park and ride, and one group can proceed to Springfield manor, and one to the Kountry Kitchen (unless everyone choose the same location).

This was a very popular cruise last year, and we've taken some lessons learned to streamline the event this time. Instead of trying to make it through three covered bridges, we're going to settle for two (but not the same one we started with last year), and we won't spend an hour taking photos. We're going to take a route that avoids having to cross or turn left onto Rt 15 at uncontrolled intersections. And if we have as large a group as last year, we'll split up into a couple of groups, each with its own leader, so if we get separated it won't be as big a deal.

We will meet at the Chick-fil-A in Leesburg at 10:00am*, have a short drivers meeting and leave promptly at 10:15 sharp for the ~ 1 hour drive to the Loy's Station bridge, then the Roddy Road Bridge,and then on to the Springfield Manor Winery / Distillery / Brewery. Total driving time to reach Springfield Manor is about 1 hour and 20 minutes, plus whatever time we take to regroup at the park and ride.

Since there's a good chance we'll get separated leaving Leesburg, we've included a brief stop at the Frederick County Park and Ride off Rt. 15 at Mt. Zion Rd. There are ramps there, so it'll be an easy off-on from Rt. 15. We've identified some nice scenic, Corvette friendly back roads between Rt 15 and the bridges so this should be a very enjoyable day.

* If any of our Maryland based friends would prefer to join up en route, you can meet us at the Park and Ride, at the intersection of Rt 15 (US 340) and Mt. Zion Rd. We should reach there ~ 11:00 or so. Or feel free to jump in somewhere else along our route. Just let Bob know where you'll be.

Loy's Station covered bridge

Ninety feet long, the original dates to 1848 and crosses Owens Creek The original was badly damaged in 1991 when a pickup truck was set on fire while in the bridge as part of an insurance fraud scheme. It was rebuilt, and reopened to traffic in 1994.

Continuing on after Loy's Bridge, it's a short hop to the Roddy Road Covered Bridge.

Loy's Station covered bridge

Built in 1856, and the smallest of Frederick county's covered bridges at 40 feet, it also crosses Owens Creek.

Following the bridge, we'll proceed to Thurmont, take the underpass to cross Rt 15, then merge onto Rt 15 south to the right turn onto Auburn Rd and the Springfield Manor Winery / Brewery / Distillery for lunch on their patio, and the opportunity to sample spirits or purchase flights of wine and beer. The venue offers overnight accommodations should anyone wish to imbibe heavily and stay off the roads after.