Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Susan Altemus, Gene Villiva, Debbie Bowman, Janell Saunders, Mary Scala, Karen Morgan, Bob Rourke, Paul Adams



Route:    casual tour of Mason Neck, starting with an out and back on Belmont Blvd with some of the group venturing down to the George Mason University Carter Center and then retracing on Belmont Blvd.  Gunston Rd took us to the Mason Neck trail followed by a short spur on Springfield before rejoining the trail.  We left the trail at High Point Rd to head down to the Mason Neck State Park Visitor Center.  Retracing on High Point, we used Gunston Rd to tour the Hallowing Point and Gunston Manor neighborhoods and then back to the trail.  Gunston Hall and Pohick Bay Park were visited including a spin through the latter's campground.  Three hardy (masochistic?) souls rode down to the water and back up the hill.  We returned to the trail and then another out and back into the golf course before the final short stretch on Gunston Rd to the ride start.

Weather:   really nice.  Temps started in the mid 50s and rose to the mid 60s; in the sun, it was quite warm though on shaded sections of the trail or roads, a bit cooler.  Air movement of 7-8 mph mostly from the southern quadrant.

AMS:   probably in the mid 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   One of those days weather-wise where one could ride forever.  Today, with this nice group, it was most pleasant ride travels with many trees showing vibrant colors - yellows, reds, and especially orange (though since that is your faithful correspondent's color, perhaps he was just more attuned to those trees).

It was great having Janell back for a club ride.  As photographed below by Mary, she leads some of the riders on High Point Road through the colorful foliage:

Afterwards, several of us went to Glory Days in Lorton Marketplace for a most enjoyable lunch.

Leader: Lou Dall'Orso

Members:  Sherwood B. and Liam H.

Guests:  none

Route:  ridewithgps.com/routes/12378617

Weather:  Right around 60, maybe a little over for most of the ride, a mixture of sun and clouds, and wind, lots of wind....

AMS:  A bit over 14 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   Happy to have Sherwood and Liam sign up for the ride today, thank you both for the company.  As is the norm for this ride, we rode together or within sight of each other for the majority of the ride. There was a strong head/cross wind for most of the ride, kept thinking we would have some tail after the next turn, didn't seem to happen until we turned right onto route 210 from Livingston, but once we did, it made for a quick last leg back to the parking lot.  Good weather, good roads, good company,  can't ask for more.

Leaders:   Robin Garnett, Ron & Susan Altemus

Members:   Vicki Garlock, Bob Rourke, Paul Adams, Esther Stewart, Maureen Flynn, Connie Quickstad, Peter Stelman, Robin Garnett, darl Hattery, Susan Altemus, Pat Colvin, Denny Miller (and a few decorated bicycles)



Route:   haunted Indian Head Rail Trail from Livingston Road parking lot east to White Plains trailhead.  After a short rest stop, return west to ride start.

Weather:   Sunshine and blue skies with an occasional cloud; temp range mid to upper 50s; westerly winds 12-16 mph with gusting into the upper 20s/low 30s (making the return ride a bit more strenuous that usual)

AMS: varied by rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   a major accident closed the outer loop of the Beltway just beyond MD-210 so some of the Virginia members (your faithful correspondent and one of the ride co-leaders) were late or didn't attempt to cross the bridge.  Robin led the group to White Plains and the latecomers joined them there for picture taking and conversation.

Numerous other trail users with only one reported wildlife sighting of a deer though a number of domesticated, but free range, chickens were seen busy searching for food just east of Middletown.

Several riders did don costumes for this Halloween ride:  Skelecyclist, Señora dia de los muertos, Bikerina, Girafferino

(photo courtesy of Robin G)

Leader: Lou Dall'Orso

Members:  none

Guests:  none

Route:  ridewithgps.com/routes/12378617

Weather:  High 50s maybe kissing 60, and overcast with partly to mostly cloudy skies for most of the ride, not much wind.

AMS:  right around 16 mph, maybe a little less

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   Didn't have anyone sign up for today's ride. Got going right at 12:00 pm, back at the car at 2:30 pm, only made one quick stop at the Pisgah store. Saw a deer just past the entrance to Thomas Stone Historic Site on Rose Hill Road, and played dodge the caterpillars on some of the wooded roads. Another fun and uneventful ride. 

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Patricia Sanders, Steve Palincsar, Ray Luckenbach



Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49615056  30,4 miles, 735' elevation change. 

From Accokeek firehouse, we used the regular Tour de Accokeek routing to the intersection of Mathews and Marshall Hall road.  At that point, we went straight to continue on Mathews to use Basingstoke, Belden, Timber Vista, and Timber Ridge for a tour of the newer Timber Ridge subdivision then onto Marshall Hall road heading towards the river.  An out and back on Fenwick, including a spin through Fenwick Shores, returned us to Marshall Hall Rd to head down to the landing.  After a rest stop (pictured above), we retraced for a second out and back on River, then Marshall Hall Rd to the climb up Barrys Hill (main elevation gain for the day).  A left at the top for the third out and back on Old Marshall Hall Rd taking us down to Chapin Farm before retracing to Accokeek Rd, after which Livingston Rd returned us to the start.

Weather: Starting temp of 50 rising to 60 by ride's end under mostly high overcast conditions so that there were extended periods of sunshine, just no blue skies.   Winds of 3-4 mph out of the northern quadrant

AMS:  proclaimed a "leisurely ride" at the start, we rode accordingly, finishing only in the mid 10s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   A nice Sunday ride with minimal traffic throughout with some sections being car free.  The only time we had to concern ourselves about vehicles was crossing Marshall Hall Rd in Bryans Road to stay on Mathews.

This was Ray's first time riding in the greater Accokeek/Bryans Road metropolitian statistical area so we spent a bit of time explaining to him the peculiarities of Livingston Road, the original routing to Marshall Hall(which once had an amusement park on the site), and the history of Moyonne Reserve.   The out and back on Fenwick included a nice fall display at the corner of Fenwich and McCrea:

Only wildlife sighting of interest was a bald eagle sitting high up in a tree on Fenwick close to the Marshall Hall Rd intersection.  An eagle had been spotted there in the past, so much like Friday's IHRT ride eagle sightings, it would appear these raptors are once again getting ready for colder weather which means mating, egg laying, and hopefully hatching of chicks.

Construction news:  hadn't done this extended route since early February so there was some new building to see.  A big development of town homes has gone up on Mathews just down the road from the shopping center.  New individual single family homes were under construction on Fenwick.  On River, clearing of a lot towards it terminus probably means another single house being constructed while building has commenced on a second house on the old Denison orchard site, as pictured below:

Leader:  Lou Dall'Orso

Members:  Liam H.

Guests:  none

Route:  ridewithgps.com/routes/12378617

Weather:  Temperatures in the high 50s to a degree or two over 60 throughout the ride, sky started with a mix of sun and clouds, and increasing to overcast towards the latter part of the ride, no wind to speak of.

AMS:  Between 13 and 14 maybe?... 

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   Was happy to have Liam join me on the ride, made for a more enjoyable time. We rode together or within sight for it's entirety, making stops at both the Pisgah store, and the Livingston IHRT Portalet, as well as an earlier quick pit stop at the Park on Rose Hill road for a wardrobe adjustment. Saw a deer crossing the road at the top of Livingston hill (of all places) as well as two Trunk-or-Treats, one at the Pisgah Fire House, and one at a church on Livingston on the way to route 210. Doing it again tomorrow, same Bat time, helmets mandatory, cycling shoes optional...   :) 

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Steve Palincsar

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/49789942 Visit to Cumberstone and Galesville via Sands, Harwood, Mill Swamp, Muddy Creek to Cumberstone, then into Galesville and return on all the Sudleys, Rt 2 and W Bay Front, with a detour on Brooks Woods and Little back to Bay Front to reach Wrighton and Plummer.

Weather: Spectacular - sunny blue skies with fluffy white clouds, temperatures about 48 at the start, warming up to about 55. Perfect riding weather.

Report:  A nice route with some stretches on the shoulder of  busy roads to reach quiet ones. And some detours off the busy roads, such as the quiet and hidden Lansdale and the lovely Brooks Woods and Little Roads. Plus the always beautiful out and back on Cumberstone. Today was simply a great day for a bike ride.

Our rest stop at the tiny park in Galesville next to a marina provided all the pictures.

The mysterious tripod platforms at the marina, colorful but what are they?

The answer is revealed -

This marina has been a caretaker for the neighborhood feral cats for years. The cats are provided with insulated wooden boxes, lined with soft bedding, heavy plastic door coverings - and a special wooden covered feeding structure where they can safely eat. For a long time there were only 2 cat houses, today I counted 7! A sign nearby advises that cruelty to an animal is a felony punishable with up to 3 years in prison.

Rest stop at Magruders Landing

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Patricia Walthers, Joan Oppel, Karen Morgan, Connie Quickstad

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53071533 36 mi, 2000' elevation gain

Weather: Sunny, 53 at the start rising to 63 (actually, 70 by the end, according to my car) and windy.  Officially, prediction was  10-13 mph from the west, with 16 recorded on the road, and according to the weather report on the radio on the way home, we had gusts up to 26 mph.  It's a good thing that except for a couple of very short distances, our route went across the wind.

AMS: 11.4 mph

Mishaps & Mechanicals:

Connie discovered a flat tire: in the back, a piece of glass, as soon as she tried to leave the parking lot.   But no worries: with Joan Oppel on hand, the occasion turned into a class on fixing flat tires in the field.  Once again, all were impressed with Joan's electric tire pump, and very glad she was on hand to save the day.  I have one too, but mine's still in the box and I haven't even looked at the instructions yet.  Maybe it's about time...

Leaders - Lisa Petersen and Rick Hagen

Members - Ron Altemus, Pat Colvin

Guests - None

Weather - A beautiful sunny autumn day. Started at 60, warmed up to 67 by the time we finished. Winds were out of the west about 10 mph.

Route - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48898572

Route - This ride took us through southern Anne Arundel County to a park in Shady Side with nice views of the Chesapeake Bay and Bay Bridge. We began at the Route 260 Recreation Area and went north and east on Fishers Station and Little roads. Route 258 took us to Churchton where we stopped at the Royal Farms for food/drinks to take to the park. It was then a flat ride with a tail wind to the north end of Shady Side where we took the 1/2-mile crushed gravel road into Jack Creek Park. To get back to the cars, we took Sudley and Nutwell roads, then Route 2 south to Jewell Road. We crossed Route 260 to ride on quiet Chaney Rd, then took Routes 4 and 260 a short distance back to the cars.

AMS - 12 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - It was a beautiful fall day for a ride. We enjoyed the 6 miles of quiet country roads at the beginning, then took busier roads to Churchton where we stopped at the Royal Farms for food to take to the park. We then rode the 4 miles to Jack Creek Park and the 1/2 mile on fine gravel to a cute little beach with a clear view of the Bay, the Bay Bridge, and five anchored container ships waiting to get into Baltimore. After our lunch we re-traced our path out of the park and back to Churchton, then went west and south on Sudley, Nutwell, and Route 2 to Jewell. At the Jewell and Rt. 260 intersection we went straight across, then right onto Chaney Road. We then rode a short stretch on the shoulder of Rt. 4 and Rt. 260 back to the cars.

Wildlife: turtles on logs, woolly bears, squirrels.

Rest stop at Scott's Store

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Ron Altemus, Patricia Sanders, Tom Short, Joan Oppel, Linda Bankerd
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/51715526  34.5 mi, 1268' elevation gain on a route mostly on quiet, wooded roads.
Weather: Mid-50s at the start rising to 70 by early afternoon on a sunny, breezy, crisp fall day.
Mishaps & mechanicals: none
AMS: 12.1

A lovely fall day for a bike ride.  We started by heading west on the IHRT and Strauss, then cut over to the IHRT at Blair and came back to Hawthorne, then took Chicamuxen, Bicknell and Pisgah Marbury over to Mason Springs and a rest stop at Pisgah Park.  After the break we headed south on Mason Springs and Ironsides to Durham Church, then went down Durham Church Rd to MD-6 and took that to a second stop at Scott's Store.  Leaving Scott's, Fire Tower took us to Annapolis Woods and Ripley; we turned right on Hawthorne and took it to Bumpy Oak and the Indian Head Rail Trail.

It was a very pretty route, on a day with the sort of clear, bright sunshine that makes leaf color sparkle.  A few trees are starting to turn, but serious fall leaf color is still some time away.