What are your requirements to an alternative to this ride? If it is not about distance, but more views, multiple point of interests, odd towns. I suggest driving up and parking at the Walmart or mall in Cockeysville and cycling the North Central Rail Trail to York, PA. Yes, it may not be hundreds of miles long. What it offers to me is the creativity to expand upon it by visiting towns it goes through, choosing to make it a day trip or making it a two day with a nights stay in York, and an easy time. I have ridden it multiple times as a way to get around going thru Bmore. I find it way more adventurous to ride mid week and at dusk or dawn. At York, you can easily turn it into a loop versus out and back by connecting to PA route S which runs east and west. Going west towards Gettysburg is a great ride. One could B line to Hagerstown. Then hop to the easy C&O completing a loop back into DC.