Leaders:  Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Pat Silva, Bill Silva, Lisa Petersen, Andrea Clayville, Rick Hagen, Eric Nielsen (not shown - photographer Darrell Meyer)

Guests:  none

Route:  We started in the parking lot of the Route 260 Recreation area, a little-used and a little-hard-to-find Calvert County park.  Went west on Route 260, north on Route 4, then onto quiet Fishers Station Rd.  A short ride on Route 258 aka Bayfront Rd. to Little Rd., then south on Brooks Woods Rd. back to 258/Bayfront.  We went south on Route 2, and carefully turned left onto Old Solomons Island Rd. to get to Fairhaven Rd.  From Fairhaven we took Franklin Gibson to Leitch, down & around Tacaro Farm, then on Town Point Rd. to the cliffs at Fairhaven.  Up Fairhaven and down Friendship Rd. to the lunch stop at Chesapeake Market & Deli.  We took the scenic route around Holland Point to North Beach, then on the newly-repaired bike lane along the boardwalk.  Up some neighborhood streets in Chesapeake Beach to Route 260, then right onto Boyds Turn Rd.  We went west on Friendship Rd. to Sansbury, then north on Wilson Rd over the newly repaired bridge, to Jewell, and west some more back to the parking lot. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46592249  30 miles, 1425 ft elevation gain.

Weather:  Couldn’t have been better.  Sunny, temps in the 60s, low humidity, and light winds out of the southwest.

AMS: 13.4 mph

Mechanicals:  none

Report:  This was Rick & Lisa’s first time leading a ride.  The park we chose for a start is convenient to get to, but the entrance, the first right after the first mansion on the right, is not marked and easily missed.  It has a portolet but no water.  After introductions & some discussion about the ride, we left promptly at 10:05.  The whole ride was new to Andrea, and some of it was unfamiliar to Darrell.  Eric, who lives near the route, rode his new fixie to the start.  

The loop north on Fishers Station, Little and Brooks Woods went smoothly.  We very carefully turned left from Route 2 to Old Solomons Island Rd. about a mile south of Traceys Landing Post Office.  On Fairhaven Rd. we stopped just before the turn onto Franklin Gibson to see a memorial stone for a World War II veteran pilot who crashed there in 1949.  The brush has been cleared around the field, making the monument visible to passersby for the first time in 10 years or more.  We went down scenic Leitch Rd. and stopped to gawk at the beautiful Tacaro Farm, a large property now used for events and weddings.  To Rick & Lisa’s amazement, there was no standing water on Town Point Rd. after months of there being an inch or so that put a damper on the nice downhill & momentum going up the hill after crossing the creek.  We stopped in Fairhaven for a group photo with the Fairhaven Cliffs in the background.  We went up Fairhaven Rd. to Friendship Rd. and had a nice descent down Mailbox Hill to Chesapeake Market & Deli.

 Although we called it a lunch stop, most of us had snacks.  Bill, Pat and Darrell left early, concerned about their afternoon commitments, riding up Mailbox Hill back to the route and parking lot.  The rest of us continued along the shore to North Beach.  Here we decided to ride the newly-repaired bike lane that runs along the boardwalk.  Very nice, and we encountered only 1 pedestrian.  From here it’s all uphill, through Chesapeake Beach neighborhoods and up Route 260 on the nice wide shoulder.  We turned right on Boyds Turn Rd., then westward through the little village of Friendship to Sansbury Rd.  Wilson Road is very nice but had a problem - a raised lip on both leading and trailing edges of the bridge over Hall Creek at the bottom of the hill that was jarring to hit going 20 mph (and caused a cyclist in the End Hunger ride last month to crash and need an airlift out) but has now been fixed with new asphalt the whole width of the bridge.  At the north end of Wilson, we said goodbye to Eric, as he was going directly home from there.  Rick, Lisa and Andrea arrived back at the parking lot at 1 pm, and found Bill, Pat and Darrell, bikes on cars ready to go, still talking.  Nice ride today!

Wildlife sightings:  Eastern Box turtle, blue heron, black rat snake, ducks, geese, squirrels

Leader: Walt Roscello with Catherine Ade

Members: Tom Short, Sue Gunter, Linda Bankerd, Liam Healy

Route: From Mechanicsville School down to Colton's point and return

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46573940

Weather: Near ideal, 60-65 degrees with scattered clouds.  A somewhat stronger wind than expected but not too bad and sometimes it was working with us.

AMS: 14.6

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: Not much to report except that it was a beautiful day and the view from Colton's point was very enjoyable.  A good time was had by all.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/5QtQiXisvqF1eQ268

Leader: Janell Saunders

Members: Paul Hamilton, Sonya Newman, Pat Walthers, Denny Miller, Sarah Clement, Sherwood Byers.

Route: A loop from Mechanicsville School down to 7th District Park and returning through Chaptico

Weather: Very springlike, mid 60s, light wind and puffy clouds. 

AMS: 11 - 12

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: A lovely day for a bikeride.  Back to cooler temps had us in a couple layers at first. We started out with the B group, some splitting at Laurel Grove bypassing the park.  We all re-grouped at 7th District park, with the hill up up up into the park surprising a few.  After the break, the B's went their way and we went ours. I managed a few pictures along the way.  After the ride, I went back to the Chaptico market for their famous chicken and icecream.  Happens the B group were there for a rest stop so stopped for a chat as well.

photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBpXZA

Leader:  Dan Donahue (and reporter!)

Members:   Ron Altemus, Rick Hagen and Lisa Petersen

Route:   Back country roads to a historic African-American schoolhouse, then via Piney Point Rd to the eponymous Piney Pt. Lighthouse for a rest stop.  Next a tour of St. George Island before returning on Piney Point Rd to the start.  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43148060  32.3 mi, 500' elevation gain.

Weather:  Low humidity, sunny day, but it did require windbreakers and cycling tights, with starting temps in the high 50s, reaching the low 60s by ride's end.

AMS:   12.1

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   this was a trip that averaged 12.1 mph, but it doesn’t give the full picture. At times, we did 14 mph. At other times, we were down to 8 mph, looking at lots of osprey along the water and admiring other unique Southern MD scenery and wildlife. This was also a very social ride where, at a turnaround on St. George Island, we met a couple who were also cycling, and we spent what seemed like 15 min. chatting with them.

The purpose of the ride was to expose people to some of the unique St. Mary’s County history that spanned the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War, and WWII. This included touching bases at the Drayden one-room African-American schoolhouse and Piney Point Lighthouse and Museum, which was our rest stop.

	<-  We also toured both sides of St. George Island (seen from Piney Point), taking in the watermen culture of the county.

Leader - Randy Schoch (Jackie is still recovering)

Members - Randy  (RL), Tom Belote, Donaro Gardner, Darrell Meyer, Leesha Saunders,  Dennis Miller, and Gene Villiva.  Not pictured - Ron Altemus, photog.

Route - IHRT

Weather - Not nice - cool 50's, breezy, and sprinkles of rain.

AMS - Varied per/rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - The weather was definitely questionable, but we went anyway. We got cold and damp by the time we got to the rest stop at White Plains. We didn't stay very long to head back to the parking lot. It would have been a great ride if the weather would have cooperated? Not too many other trail users today except for the birds and squirrels. Spring weather should be warming up soon. See yens next week.

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...).

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Leesha Saunders, Fran Jezisek, Susan Altemus,  Oswald Martin, Barry Green (guest), Darrell Meyers, Vernon Daly, Donaro Gardner, Randy Schoch



Route:  standard bill of fare for Friday mornings - Indian Head Rail Trail, Livingston Rd parking lot to White Plains trailhead and return

Weather:   delightful - plenty of sunshine with partly cloudy skies, temps ranging from 70 to 73;, low humidity, and, 7-8 mph air flow form the east

AMS:   swept at 12 mph.  Everyone else would have been a bit higher

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   A very nice turnout, with returning member Vernon Daly joining us, along with guest for the day, Barry Green, who might reinstate his lapsed membership.  Additionally, George Martin, Bob Moye, and David Schnirel were also riding the trail, though not technically part of our group.

A large group (6) moved quickly to White Plains while four of us enjoyed a slightly more leisurely pace to the rest stop.  Lots of conversation during an extended break and then a much quicker return, aided by an easterly tailwind.  Total ride time for all of us was under two hours - the Friday rides have gotten a bit faster with the inclusion of some e-Bike users.

Probably the usual number of other trail users but for the most part, the trail didn't seem very crowded.  Wildlife sightings included sunning turtles, a snake, the ubiquitous kamikaze squirrels, and numerous birds including a pileated woodpecker.

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Lou Dall'Orso, Donaro Gardner, Sue Gunter, Patricia Sanders, Janet Shipko, Tom Short, Pat Walters and Anonymous User

Route: Today we used the Bryans Road ride start so went out Livingston to Bumpy Oak and then straight on to Rt 6, the Causeway and Chapel Point. A nice stop at St Ignatius and then on for 6 miles on Bel Alton, including the nice 3/4 mile uphilll after crossing the little creek bridge. Then Springhill Newton, Glen Albin, the La Plata Dash-In. On to Rt 6, Valley, Hawthorne, Bumpy Oak  again. The IHRT took us back to Hawthorne, then Chapmans Landing and Hungerford.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46459308

Weather: Very sunny, temperatures in 80s and 90s - but with low humidity.

Mechanicals & Mishaps: One rider arriving at St Ignatiius was unable to unclip one foot. Luckily it was the foot that usually remains clipped in. We helped her remove her shoe so she was able to get off the bike. It turned out one cleat bolt had been lost. Because this has happened several times in the past, your ride leader carries spare SPD cleat bolts. And we had the cleat reinstalled quickly. There was a later chain issue dealt with quickly by the rider, who remarked that the chain was properly reseated in a minute but the hand cleaning took much longer.

Report: We got started a little late to a traffic issue and we quickly split into two groups. The shade, the cool bathroom, the water at St Ignatius were welcome, especially to deal with the shoe fix. The slow group regrouped to accommodate different paces. An enjoyable ride, and at least one or two people offered the comment that they were glad to do some hill practice.

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Linda Bankerd, Paul Hamilton, Harry Kidd, Mario Salazer, Randy Schoch, Janet Shipko, Randy Sim, Dave Van Ameyden, Pat Walthers

Route:  36 miles with some climbing. A scenic route from North Keys park, tracing part of the upcoming Rural Legacy route. We took Molly Berry to Baden Naylor, then up to Brooks Wood, around Tanyard and Nottingham, Fenno and a stop at Merkle. Then off to Croom Road, a stop at Mt Calvert, then Duvall to the Patuxent River Park Pavillion. We returned on Duley Station, Van Brady, Molly Berry, North Keys  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46406291

Weather:   Stunning day, in the high 70's but low humidity, deep blue sky
Mechanicals/Mishaps:  None

Report: A 20 degree change in temperature from the past few days - 70's and bright sun throughout the ride. Low traffic (except for the mile and a half stretch on Croom Road between St Thomas and Mt Calvert) and  every tree and flower and field looked bright and beautiful. We were somewhat separated as we rode but regrouped at Merkle, Mt Calvert and the Pavillion and at various corners along the way.  A wonderful day to be riding.

Did I mention it was a stunning day in the country --- 

And yes, buttercups are an invasive plant but they make beautiful scenery.

Leader - Randy Schoch (Jackie is in the hospital)

Members - Donaro Gardner, Leesha Saunders, and Linda Bankerd.

Guests - None

Route - IHRT

Weather - Not bad, cool in the 60's, light breeze.

AMS - Varied per/rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - Leesha forgot her cycling shoes and had to abort. Some of our regular riders are away so the three of us carried on. There were plenty of other trail users today. Several bikers, dog walkers, kids enjoying the morning, wildlife (turtles, birds, geese, deer, squirrels, etc.). We didn't stay long at the White Plains rest area so it was a quick trip. Donaro and Linda kept on riding to get in a few more miles in order build up their yearly totals. Next week the weather promises to be warmer.