Leader: Joan Oppel
Members: Ron Altemus, Lou D'All Orso, Sue Gunter, Denny Miller, Tom Short, Pat Walthers
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48179152 Outbound on the trail, Bumpy Oak, Rose Hilll to Rt 6, Poorhouse to Masons Springs, rest stop at Pisgah Park, Smallwood Church, Chicamuxen, brief visit to Smallwood Park and return
Weather: Mid 50's for most of the ride, about 60 at the end, with a north breeze at 8-9 mph
Mechanicals and Mishaps: None to the riders
Report: Two riders announced at the start that they would be doing the route straight through with no stops and we waved them off to do their thing. Five of us - Ron, Denny, Pat, Sue and me - rode more or less together, with a couple of regrouping stops. It was a quiet ride with little traffic except on Bumpy Oak, Rt 6 and Chicamuxen near Hawthorne - but miles and miles of very few passing cars.
We did have one eventful and sad encounter: about halfway to Pisgah Park on Mason Springs, we noticed a young deer struggling in a ditch, obviously having been hit by a car. We stopped a couple hundred feet up the road and I called Charles County Animal Control, listened to a long menu, called out the most likely number to call. Sue dialed that and then got transferred to the Charles County Sheriff's department. About 10 minutes later, a sheriff's car showed up back down the road and he called out that he had spotted the animal. We left, knowing very sadly that there was no good outcome but at least we could help the animal out of its misery.
On the other hand, it was a gorgeous day for a bike ride, bright deep blue sky and lots of sun.
