Riders:  Jessica Hirschhorn, Lynda Honberg, Kathy King, Alan Huguley, Lisa Oken 

We had a delicious, delightful and damned near perfect ride today in the Montgomery County Ag Reserve. 

We started at Dillingham Park, and rode a 30 mile route that included Sugarland, The foxhound retirement farm, and the new plaque to honor the Jerusalem School, a Rosenwald school.  We met Lisa, who chose to start at Riley's Lock, on Sugarland by the polka-dotted pigs and adorbs goats and alpaca. 

We were all a bit cool to start, but warmed up quickly with sun, rising temps, and decent climbs. 

29.37 miles

1821'

Average speed 10.8

Date: April 4th, 9:30

Route: North Keys Celestial, No Gallant Green, A/B, 32 miles

RideLeader: Diane Harris 

Members: Liam H,  William C, Lou D, Theresa R

Guests: None

Weather: Clear, sunny, cool at the start but warmed to mid to high 70s

Mechanicals/Mishaps: None except a water bottle left behind at the rest stop

AMS: Ride leader, 14.4 ams

Report: It was a beautiful day for a ride along lightly traveled backroads of Southern Maryland. The five of us worked together to maintain the posted pace, easing up and regrouping following hills on the route. We stopped at Moreland's store for our break and were joined by the CC group. Following the break, we continued back to the start location. The only incident was me leaving my water bottle (a Christmas gift from my son) at the rest stop. I returned by car after the ride and was happy to find it still at the rest stop.

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members/guest:   (while taking the picture, commented that I would touch the wrong place on my phone and have unforeseen complications.  So it appeared everyone was in the frame but I had inadvertently switched to the wrong aspect ratio.  Apologies to those out of the frame.)

(L-R)  Gene Villiva's left shoulder, Bob Rourke, Connie Quickstad, Maureen Flynn, Susan Altemus, Esther Steward, Pat Walthers, Oswald Martin, Peter Stelman, Tom Short, guest Yacoub Elayyadi, Donaro Gardner, Denny Miller's right shoulder 

Route:   Indian Head Rail Trail heading east from Livingston Rd parking lot to rest stop at White Plains trailhead.  Return westward ho the wagons to ride start.

Weather:  cloudy, 53 degrees at ride start but sun breaking through at White Plains with temps quickly climbing to the low 70s.  7-10 mph air out of the southern quadrant

AMS:  varied by rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   ride leader had a bad day using electrons.  As noted above, group photo wasn't the best and then forgot to stop my Garmin until heading east on Hawthorne which added 3+ miles and dramatically increased the AMS. 

Report: great turnout for a day that started out weather-wise well short of mid-week predictions.  A couple of non-regular Friday ride club members plus a guest, all looking to get some miles in after being off their bikes for the winter.  Lots of conversation in both directions, with numerous comments on Strava about "catching up" with one another.

A few wildlife sights including deer crossing the trail, both outbound and on the return; plenty of birds calling out though only a few brown somethings seen.  Of particular interest - the Port Tobacco creek pond at White Plains was devoid of wildlife when passed heading east.  With the sun breaking through during our rest stop, when we rode past the pond heading back, turtles had quickly appeared and begun sunning themselves on logs.

The registrants were dropping like flies, with only a sole rider left to accompany me on this delightful ride:  Thank you Carl Hattery  for your company, great conversation, and a terrific attitude! 

After figuring out parking (apparently it is paid parking up to the golf course and free beyond it) we met at the pro shop. 

The route took us past the stunning near peak cherry blossoms of Hains Point (see photo), The Wharf, Audi Stadium, and over the beautiful Douglass Bridge. 

We headed up the nearly empty Anacostia River Trail at a relaxed "party" pace, stopping for a short sit at Bladensburg Water Park, then on to Vigilante Coffee, where Carl re-fueled with a chocolate croissant and a banana.  

The skies were suddenly looking ominous (but never delivered any rain) so we decided to head back home, crossing the Anacostia and stopping at the bridge over King/Heritage Islands to be amazed at the ABSENCE of RFK Stadium . 

FlyBy Diane Harris and Theresa with their gang.  

28 miles

Pretty good wind! 

Leader: Diane Harris 

Members: Theresa R, Soup  C, Randy S, Lou D

Guests: None 

Route: Allen Pond To Harwood 

Weather: Perfect! A cool 56° at ride start that had me wearing arm warmers and a vest, increasing to ~70, sunny, a little breezy at times.

AMS: 15.3

Mechanicals/Mishaps: None 

Report: A perfect day for a bike ride! This route started at Allen Pond and traveled along backroads of Eastern Prince George's County into Anne Arundel County.  Although some of the roads tend to be busy during the week there's usually light traffic on Sundays. That was the case today.  The group worked together to keep at the advertised A/B pace (~14-16ams) being mindful of when we needed to adjust for climbs and descents. The rest stop was at the 11 mile mark (7-Eleven) we stopped for snacks and a restroom break. There were 17 miles left, composed of rollers, climbs that got your attention, flats where we could push the pace, and the rough bumpy speckled shade of Queen Anne Bridge Rd. We finished within the advertised pace! This was a very nice Sunday morning ride with a good group of riders. Thanks to all who joined me.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Walt Roscello, Bob Thompson, Chantale Brier, Ray Luckenbach
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40019673
Weather: Sunny, high 50s at the start, predicted to rise to the low to mid 60s, but instead it got up to the low 70s.  A gentle breeze at the start turned into moderate winds as we got close to the Potomac.
Mishaps & mechanicals: none
AMS: 12.7

A pleasant, very scenic ride that took the easy way to Goose Bay.  As planned we arrived back at Pisgah Park in plenty of time to change, visit T&J's BBQ to buy ribs for the potluck, and proceed to Grace Lutheran for the annual meeting.

What a simply glorious day to ride in the Ag Reserve!  We were a party of two, Nancy Kay and myself. 

The temp started out a little cool but we unzipped and delaminated quickly to find the final temp 71 and sunny!   I think I have retired my balaclava for the season. 

29.35 miles Average speed 10.7 

We stopped for a snack and bio break at the foxhound farm, then paid a special visit to the Rosenwald School on Jerusalem .  We were so happy to see a beautiful new plaque about the school placed in 2025.  See photo. 

All and all a day to feel lucky to be alive right now! 

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:  Chantal Briere, Lisa Oken, Gene Villiva, Connie Quickstad



Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40798783  30 miles, 954' elevation change  Casual tour of Mason Neck,  visiting Mason Neck Park, Hallowing Point, Gunston Manor, Gunston Hall, and Pohick Bay Parks. 

Weather:   temp range of 51-57; cloudy with one brief sun appearance; intermittent 10-12 air out of the SW (some stretches noticeable, others seemed calm regardless of directionality).   Another one of those days were it seemed colder than the registered temperatures!

AMS:   low 11s for ride leader's combination of being in front or sweeping

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:  "Better than staying at home" was one rider's comment regarding the weather.  Nice congenial group, staying together almost the entire ride.  Chantal's first ride of 2026 though she rode like had been out on the bike everyday.  Also her first time on Mason Neck.

Wildlife sightings featured Bald Eagles - one soaring above Belmont Bay at the Mason Neck State Park visitor's center, several spotted over Pohick Bay as we toured Gunston Manor.  Additionally, a great blue heron was observed wading along the shoreline just below the visitor's center  

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:  Connie Quickstad, Esther Steward. Oswald Martin, Carl Hattery



Route:   Indian Head Rail Trail heading east from Livingston Rd parking lot to rest stop at White Plains trailhead.  Return westward ho the wagons to ride start.

Weather:  started off sunny with temps in the mid 40s, ended up cloudy with temps in the low 50s; winds out of the south increased from 8 - 16 mph but only really noticed on stretch alongside Bumpy Oak Pond

AMS:  swept in low 10s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report: pleasant day to ride, not as warm/hot as the middle of the week but no rain snow as happened on Thursday.  A couple of riders welcomed back to the Friday ride.   No other cyclists encountered on the trail; a few walkers and/or joggers seen at various points.

Wildlife included eagle above the next near Livingston Rd; lots of brown something birds in the woods at Bumpy Oak Pond; cacophonous frogs at the intersection of the IHRT and Pomfret. 

Signs of spring were the large number of red buds encountered on the trail, most notably east of Pomfret, as pictured below.  Oncoming from a distance, it looked as if there was a red carpet on the trail surface.  

Special note:  - the indoor facilities at White Plains will be open starting tomorrow, Saturday, March 14.

Leaders: Lisa Petersen and Rick Hagen

Members: Ron Altemus, Patricia Sanders

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50948813

Weather: Sunny, 64 to 82 degrees, 5 mph winds from the south. Very nice day and so enjoyed after a long winter.

AMS: 10.8 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: We started at the Glenn Dale Community Center in Glenn Dale Md. where there is plenty of parking, bathrooms, water and vending machines (unlike the official trail parking lots). We rode southwest from there on the Washington Baltimore & Annapolis trail to a pond near the southwest start of the trail, then took a half a mile detour on Glenn Dale Rd. to see the ruins of the old Glenn Dale Hospital, formerly a tuberculosis sanatorium closed in 1981 due to asbestos. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Dale_Hospital From there we took the WB&A trail northeast toward the other end of the trail in Odenton.

The full length of the trail is 13 miles thanks to a new bridge over the Patuxent River connecting two existing shorter segments into one. This was once a railway line, nice and straight, except now there’s a dogleg near the middle to go over the new bridge. The trail is all nicely paved, about 10 feet wide, and passes through forest, along marshes and power lines, runs past peoples’ backyards, goes over rivers and mostly over and under roads (short tunnels). Elevation gains are gentle except for the hill north of the new bridge that switchbacks up a half a mile at an average 3.5% grade.

We stopped at Rieve’s Deli in Odenton for some food and conversation at an outdoor table.

We explored two spur trails near the new bridge: one was to the Patuxent River where the original rail line went over a now-missing bridge, and the other spur took us to the power lines west of the new bridge and abruptly stopped. There we found a rider with a flat tire and loaned her a pump so she could limp back to her car with her slow leak. There are at least 3 self-serve bike repair stations with pumps along the trail, but none where she was.

Wildlife: turtles on logs in the marshes, geese, squirrels.