Leaders:  Ron & Susan Altemus 

Members:   RL Susan, Fran Jezisek, Gene Villiva, Leesha Saunders, Robin Garnett, Bob Rourke, Paul Adams, Jackie Schoch, Esther Steward, Carl Hattery, Donaro Gardner



Route:   Friday's FAV - Indian Head Rail Trail east from the Livingston Road parking lot to trailhead in White Plains.  After a conversation-filled rest stop, return westward ho! to the start.

Weather:   starting off mostly sunny but clouding over on the return from White Plains.  Winds of 7-10 mph, with higher gusts, out of the west.  Temps started in the low 50s, supposedly rising to the upper 50s, but the return into the wind felt much colder than the outbound ride.

AMS:   varied by rider but most probably in the mid11s to low 12s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

 Report:  as detailed in Weather above,  though the temperature went up during the day, it seemed to get colder riding back from White Plains.  Not that is was bone chilling cold, just not that warm.

We had the usual group of riders, traveling in small conversational pairings to the rest stop and back.  On the return, a number of us stopped to observe an eagle sitting on a log in Pages Swamp.  Jackie was fortunate to see the eagle standing in the water catching small fish. She saw him/her catch 2.  While we were watching, it flew a short distance up the creek and then appeared to resume fishing, though it was now a bit too far away to determine it if was successful.

Fran used her telephoto lens to get the close up on the right.

Other sightings of interest included several hornet nests just before Bumpy Oak Road.  Though named Bald-Faced Hornets, they are actually wasps.  Each nest will contain 400-700 individuals over the course of the season.

Below, a Bald-Faced hornet nest barely visible due to its coloring and only seen once leaves have dropped

Two Bald-Faced hornet nests. They are only used for one year so the lower one, which was noted last year, just hasn't fallen yet.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Ron Altemus, Connie Quickstad, Patricia Sanders
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53277668 
Weather: Blustery and chilly-feeling: 52-57 degrees and sunny, with supposedly 15 mph winds and nearly continuous gusts up to 25 mph
MIshaps & mechanicals: none
AMS: 12.4

A windy ride.  Pleasant company, a nice route featuring roads we haven't ridden in a long time (Gallant Green, Truman Manor).  We had a nice rest stop at Moreland Market, where we learned that internet connectivity was so poor it wasn't possible to display maps to plot alternate routes to escape from the wind, so we rode the whole distance and were pleasantly surprised to find it wasn't really all that bad.  We added an extra stop at the site of the Baden Community Center, mainly just to get a break from riding into the wind on Aquasco Rd.

Leader: Lou Dall'Orso

Members:  none

Guests:  none

Route:  ridewithgps.com/routes/12378617

Weather:  Around 50 at ride start, climbing to the mid 50s by mid ride, mostly sunny and wind, lots of SW to SSW gusty wind, did I mention wind?....

AMS:  A bit under 15 mph, maybe....

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   Didn't have anyone sign up for this late post, so I took my time getting started, probably around 12:20 or so. Knew the first half or more was going to have quite a bit of head and head cross wind, so I talked myself into looking forward to the last legs. The first leg down 228 to McDaniels and Middletown were as predicted, I was hoping the turn onto Marshall Corner would make it better, nope, still windy. Once crossing Hawthorne to the Rose hill stretch, the trees did offer some shelter, and the descent down to route 6 came quickly. Decided to power up the climb off the saddle on 6 up towards the right on poorhouse, and only then realized I had a tad of tailwind, made the right on poorhouse, and while the turn brought back the headwind, the smooth pavement contrasted nicely with the chip and seal shoulder just left behind. Looked forward to the Pisgah store rest stop, where I grabbed a quick snack, and replaced water bottles. From there the wind was minor or helpful, and once on Chick, it was almost like autopilot to Livingston and route 210, where I felt like an e-bike spinning in the strong tailwind. Back at the car a bit after 3, AND, Giant had Halloween candy 50% off! Got 2 big bags...

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar
Members: Patricia Sanders, Sherwood Byers
Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53224307
Weather: Overcast and gloomy at the start, temp around 63 and breezy.  There was evidence everywhere that it had rained last night and in the morning, but as predicted the rain had stopped well before noon.  As we were leaving the first rest stop the sky cleared and the sun came out, but it had clouded up by the time we turned onto the Indian Head Rail Trail.  Near the end of the ride one of the local churches had an illuminated sign that read 70 degrees, which was close to the forecast for 4 pm.
Mishaps & mechanicals: Sherwood got a flat about 12 mi from the end.  Since he'd used his only spare tube, we decided to shorten the meanderings through the neighborhoods east of MD-210.
AMS: 11.1
Report:
A very nice ride, considering the gloom of the day.  This being a local rather than an express ride, we stopped for a break at the Dash-In at Lower Wharf & 210.  Excellent stop; nice facilities, easy to get into and even easier to make the turn onto 210 than staying on Lower Wharf.  I'm going to modify the route to make it official, and I recommend that any ride originating in Manokeek that comes back on 210 or Chapmans Landing stop there. 

Ride Leader: Diane Harris 

Members: Sherwood B,  Theresa R, Liam H, Lou D

Guests: Solomons Island club members, Matt, Garrett, and another cyclist 

Route: Back roads of St. Mary's County, with occasional sightings of members of the Mennonite community 

Weather: Clear, sunny with temperatures in the low 60s, occasional breezes. Roads mostly dry after an overnight rain 

Mechanicals/Mishaps: One rider with a flat tire. A few missed turns, resulted in having to backtrack to get back on the route 

AMS: Ride leader, 14.9

Report: This was the first joint ride of the Oxon Hill and Solomons Island bike clubs, and the route chosen was one along roads traveled by members of the Mennonite Community. It's a beautiful area with lots of farmland and trees still holding onto colorful red, yellow, and orange leaves. There was not a lot of motor vehicle traffic which made for a very nice ride. With many cycling groups, there's the assumption that the cyclist in front knows the route and will keep everyone on course. Our mishaps occurred with that assumption, as we got off course several times, having to backtrack. Anyway, this was a very nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon, sharing the road with members of the Solomons Island Cycling Club.

Ride Leader: Dan Donahue

Members: Pat C, Lois L., Ron A., Linda B. Steve P. Sue C., Ray L., Deborah B.

Guests:  No Solomons Island club members showed up for this joint club ride,

Route: Back roads of St. Mary's County, with occasional sightings of members of the Mennonite community 

Weather: Clear, sunny with temperatures in the low 60s, occasional breezes. Roads mostly dry after an overnight rain 

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Two riders with flat tires.   One rider with ongoing mechanical problems. A 24 mile shortened route resulted from lengthy flat tire repairs for the rear rider grouping .   

AMS: Ride leader, 13.0

As often happens on group rides, the CCers split into front and rear groupings.  It was a beautiful sunny fall day for a ride, but on mile 7 a rear flat occurred to an e-bike rider with the rear grouping.  This led to a lengthy repair delay.  Only with the arrival and assistance of a mystery rider were we able to resolve mechanical problems related to the flat repair.  Once ready to resume an agreed upon shortcut route, a second e-bike in the group had a rear flat.  Three riders with Pat Colvin as a temporary ride leader continued the shortcut route.  A rescue of the second e-bike and rider was initiated. 

In the meantime, Steve Palincsar had become the unofficial ride leader of the faster group, which completed the 37.7 mi. without any flats or mechanicals.  Once I caught up to the shortcut riders, it was discovered that the e-bike rider who had the first flat was experiencing ongoing mechanical issues but was able to finish the ride.  As the shortcut group was making the turn on the last road to the library, a dog broke away from its owner and began chasing us.  Judging the risk from the dog to be low, I stopped (my usual inclination is to go as fast as I can to escape).  The dog stopped chasing and its owner was able to catch up and get it under control. 

A final loop was made to hook up with the faster CC riders to escort them back to the library.  This is only a personal opinion, but for club members considering switching to an e-bike, consider the advantages of a mid-drive system instead of a rear hub motor.  Changing rear flats with a mid-drive is much easier and less time-consuming.   

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:  Steve Palincsar, Patricia Sanders, Connie Quickstad



Route:  From Livingston Rd IHRT parking lot, we headed west and then onto Hawthorne to Chicamuxen, taking Marbury Run, Bicknell, and Sweetman back to Chicamuxen to Smallwood Church.  Onwards via Mason Springs to a bio stop at Pisgah Park, then Poorhouse, Annapolis Woods, and Firetower to a rest stop in Welcome at Scott's Store.  Continuing via MD-6 to Valley, up Hawthorne to Marshall Corner, with Preston, Pomfret, and the IHRT back returning us back to the start.   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53189874  38.1miles, 1,254ft elevation change

Weather:   Cloudless blue skies, temp range 53-59, mostly constant 12 mph wind out of the NW gusting to mid 20s way too much of the time.

AMS:  swept in the upper 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  As mentioned above, a bit breezy (down right windy!) today.  This was a rare Thursday ride which did not start at North Keys, usually considered the windiest place in Prince George's County.   Guess the weather gods wanted us to feel right at home no matter where the ride started.

It is fall, and the windy conditions of the past several days have seen many a tree lose most of its leaves.  All the same, there was still some vibrant color here and there:  a bright red ornamental maple on Smallwood Church;  then more red leaves, this time young red oak trees on Annapolis Wood followed by 4'-5' yellow and orange sweet gum saplings taking over an uncultivated field.  Lower level plants are also losing their leaves or dying off if they are annuals so there is more to see when looking into some of the wooded tracts.  As the weather gets colder, the views will continue to change.

The first part of Chicamuxen had a lot of vehicular traffic but then we were mostly car free to Welcome.  MD-6 was very busy though there wasn't a car in sight either direction when we needed to turn left onto Valley, which we traversed its entire length without any traffic at all.  Back to busy on Hawthorne and the first part of Marshall Corner.  It was nice to have the final four miles on the serene IHRT to end the ride.

Leaders - Lisa Petersen and Rick Hagen

Members - none

Guests - None

Weather - Beautifully sunny, but breezy. Started at 55, warmed up to 65 by the time we finished. Winds were out of the SW increasing from 7 mph at ride start to 18 mph at ride end.

Route - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53206571

Route - We started at the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail Park and rode north along the northern half of the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail, clockwise around the BWI airport loop, then back to the start. 

AMS - 11 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - Bike/pedestrian traffic was light on the trail as we made our way north from the park ranger station. We crossed over the highway 100 bridge and swung around the Marley Station Mall and continued to the end of the B&A trail at Dorsey Road. From there we went west on the connector trail past the Sawmill Creek Park (where we pitied the poor pickleball players forced to play using the tennis nets).  Continuing west on the BWI trail we passed through a wooded area where the trail was thickly covered with leaves and pine needles. The Dixon Aircraft Observation area was quiet today as the flights were not using the N-S runway. When we reached the NE corner of the loop, we stopped for a snack at the picnic table that overlooks the airport which didn't seem very busy today. We then continued past the horses at the equestrian center and turned south to complete the loop. As we retraced our path on the B&A Trail, we ticked off the planets on the scale solar system model along the trail, reaching Pluto just as we reached the ride start. The temperatures were pleasant, and the wind was only really noticeable when we crossed some of the open areas around the airport.

Wildlife: turtles on logs, great blue heron.

Ride Leader: Diane Harris 

Members: Theresa R,  Sam P,  Sherwood B,  Tom S,  Lou D,  David W, Walt R 

Route: From Accokeek, to Waldorf to access the Indian Head Rail Trail, to the short climb up Hawthorne, to Chapman's Landing, then off and on Indian Head Hwy until turning onto Manning and back to the parking lot. 

Weather: A beautiful Fall day with sunshine, temperatures mid 60s and low humidity 

Mechanicals/Mishaps: None

AMS: Ride leader ended with 16.4, others were higher

Report: Before starting, we discussed maintaining a paceline in order to keep to the advertised pace by sharing the workload. We were successfull. On the Indian Head Rail Trail we noticed quite a few runners, water stations, and police manning some of the trail/road intersections. This was the day for the We Got Your Six Running Festival, benefitting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. According to one of the water station volunteers, it's also a qualifying event for the Boston Marathon. Following the Rail Trail, in spite of some of us wanting to alter the route by staying on Indian Head Hwy, we all agreed to stick to the route by taking Chapman's Landing, a road that's shaded with rollers which eventually gets us back onto Indian Head Hwy. We arrived back to the parking lot with plenty of time to sit, talk, and enjoy post ride beverages and snacks from Starbucks. Thanks to all who joined me on this ride.

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.