Leader: Ron Altemus
Members: Donaro Gardner, Robin Garnett, Esther Stewart, Anon UserOne, and Anon UserTwo
Route: Advertised as Chicamuxen to Marbury Run, Bicknell to Sweetman, Chicamuxen (again) to Smallwood Church, then Ironsides, Durham Church and MD-6 to a rest stop at Scott's Store in Welcome. Continuing on MD-6 eastwards to Poorhouse, then Ripley, Hawthorn, Marshall Corner and Bensville Rd to the IHRT and back to the ride to the start. Weather resulted in a slight variation for the slower group as detailed below. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46525006 37 miles, 1397' elevation gain.
Weather: Forecast leading up to the morning of the ride had been iffy but after consulting four (4) sources, all were in agreement to low rain chances until mid afternoon at the earliest. Partly sunny skies with temps in the upper 60s and negligible air movement were the conditions for the first half of the ride as we headed in a mostly southeast direction. But after turning back to the northwest on Poorhouse, the sun disappeared as the clouds thickened. Traveling on Hawthorne, ominous gray skies were apparent to the north and by the time we reached the Craik/Stethem schools, it had started to rain. The rain didn't last much more than 15 minutes, and by the time riders reached the Pomfret/IHRt interesection, via whatever their routing, the rain ceased and temps had risen to the low 70s.
AMS: swept in the low 12s. Faster riders were undoubtedly faster.
Mechanicals/Mishaps: none
Report: As noted above, forecasts had indicated high chances of rain but the turnout was still respectable after "Ride is a Go" notice was given. Our outbound traverse was uneventful other than a turtle rescue (the first of several) on Chicamuxen. Traffic was light, and Smallwood Church was its usual delight, even if we did see five (5) cars as we rode on it. Durham Church was particularly shady, and after the rains of Monday night, very humid. A small fast group waited for the slower riders at each major turn and we arrived together at Scott's Store for a rest stop.
Our journey east had us remaining on MD-6 all the way to Poorhouse. One rider opted to do Mill Swamp/Blossom Point (maybe the pull of Goose Bay was being heavily exerted) while the rest of us climbed the incline with Mill Swamp on our right. Unfortunately, going in an eastward direction does not offer the best scenic viewing opportunity of the swamp since one is focused on the climb itself and the view is over the right shoulder. On the rare occasions that we have gone west on MD-6 at this point, the view of Mill Swamp is much better.
Poorhouse and Ripley also had light traffic while Hawthorne wasn't too bad, just noisy. By the time we turned onto Marshall Corner, our two faster riders were well ahead, and the rider who added some miles was just catching up to the slower group. When it started to rain, several of us decided to take Preston/Pomfret to the IHRT so as not to be riding in the rain on the more heavily trafficked Marshall Corner Rd - vehicularly speaking, a good move. The rain stopped when we reached the trail, losing only a few miles so a still respectable 34 for the day. Actually, it was warm enough that even without rain gear, it was pleasant riding in the rain (or at least your faithful correspondent and favorite local neighborhood ride leader thought so...).
