Leader: Ron Altemus
Members: Dan Donahue, Jackie Schoch, Oswald Martin, Gene Villiva, Donaro Gardner
Route: Friday Fav - Indian Head Rail Trail, Livingston Rd parking lot east to White Plains trailhead for a rest stop and then return
Weather: Mostly sunny with swaths of clouds occasionally obscuring the sun, winds out of the SW 8-9 mph, and temps starting at 70 rising to mid 70s by ride's end
AMS: immaterial - varied by rider
Mechanicals/Mishaps: none
Report: Quite the weather for the end of January with highs later in the day reaching a record 80 degrees at National Airport. It was a great day to be out riding and anyone who wasn't sure missed a fantastic opportunity. Several in attendance were a tad overdressed, possibly not believing that it would be so warm. By rides end, most of the other trail users, be they walkers, runners, or cyclists, were clothed in shorts and tee shirts.
For a couple of members, this was their first ride of 2024. Understandable, given the weather we had prior in the month. Most everyone rode some additional miles, especially Donaro and Oswald who started/ended at Bensville park and totaled over 40 miles for the day.
Interestingly, turtles were observed basking in the Port Tobacco Creek pond just before White Plains (pictured below on the long logs running horizonally). Per Smithsonian Magazine, it seems that turtles don't go completely dormant during the winter, but instead continually monitor conditions such that light and warmth produce immediate results, hence they stir and find a convenient perch for basking. Also of note: the low water levels in the pond is because the earthen embankment where the pond drains has been breached, probably due to natural conditions, much like a levee failing.
