Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Randy & Jackie Schoch, Leesha Saunders, Pat Walthers, Joan Oppel, Darrell Meyer, Tom Short, Patricia Sanders, Donaro Gardner, and Walt Roscello



Route:   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47000538  39.7 miles, 1248' elevation change.  From Friendship Farm, we traveled on Baptist Church, Bowie, Gilroy, MD-6, Jacksontown, Liverpool Point, Beaverdam, and MD-6 again to a quick "bio break" at King James Church.  Continuing on MD-6, Holly Springs and Riverside brought us to the eastern terminus of MD-6, which we followed up to Tayloes Neck Rd.  Venturing onto the neck, we visited Bluff Point, the eponymous Tayloes Neck, and Walters Landing, all out and backs.  Returning to MD-6 (yet again), another brief bio break at King James before Ironsides returned us to Friendship Farm.

Weather:   another great day for bicycling.  Temps started in the mid 70s, ended in the mid 80s under partly cloudy skies for the most part until mostly cloudy after the second stop at King James.  Humidity/dew point remained low with southwesterly airs in the 10-12 mph range.

AMS:   swept at 11.6.  Riders off the front probably were a1-1.5 mph better.

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   the ride leader arrived at Friendship Farm and discovered he was sans cycling shoes (having cleared out the van to transport supplies to the Rural Legacy picnic).  In great despair, he announced his plight and Rabbi Randy offered his winter shoes.  Though size 11 1/2, the did fit the RL's size 12 feet.  A real ride saver!  Bottom line - I could never walk a mile in Randy's shoes, but cycling 40 miles in them wasn't difficult.

Report:   the majority of today's riders had volunteered with the Rural Legacy on Saturday and hadn't been able to ride.  Today's leisurely tour allowed for some pedal turning and exploration of roads less traveled.

Leaving Friendship Farm, we quickly had faster riders out in front, a medium sized contingent of "regular" paced riders, and a few at the rear.  Tom Short, one of the faster/fastest missed the turn at Gilroy; the two immediately behind him hear the middle group calling and turned back onto the proscribed route.  We didn't see Tom for the rest of the ride but since he rides in the Nanjemoy area quite regularly, assume he had an enjoyable solo ride.  (His car was gone when we returned to Friendship Farm.)

It was interesting going north to south on Jackstown, as it seems we rarely ride it in that direction.  Also, no stop at the Nanjemoy store (too early in the ride) and we bypassed Adams Willett/Hancock Run, which is always a fav of your faithful correspondent.  Riding Holly Springs, east to west, was another instance of opposite the usual direction, and it seemed like there was more land under cultivation than had been noticed when riding west to east.

The out and back on Tayloes Neck was a total of almost 12 miles.  Basically flat with very little vehicular traffic, we first wandered down Bluff Point Road to the Tayloes Neck Tract, part of Maryland's Forest Service.  Not much to see other than lots of trees (well, it is a forest! ).  On the map below*, there is a P designation at the end of Bluff Point Road.  One can't see Little Creek, pictured on the map from the road.

We returned to Tayloes Neck Rd and followed it to the end which is a private residence that owns the actual neck.  There are just a few waterfront properties on both Bluff Point and Tayloes Neck roads.

Our final out and back was to Walters Landing and Friendship Acres.  The latter sits on Nanjemoy Creek where it much narrower as it flows out of its watershed west of MD-6.  There is one undeveloped lot that has a large number of young magnolia trees which this observer has rarely encountered growing wild.  There are no views of Nanjemoy Creek until one returns to Walters Landing and heads north, were one finds a sandy beach that can be used as a boat launch for 4-wheel drive vehicles.  During the winter months when there is no vegetation on the trees, Friendship Farm landing can be seen on the far side of Nanjemoy Creek.  At that point, we would be about 1/2 mile from the ride start, though no easy return since is is separated by the creek, quite wide at that point.

The final return had us stop again at King James church.  They were between services and we had a nice conversation with members of the congregation.  At that time, weather apps were saying a 50% chance of rain in the greater Nanjemoy area but it never happened.  A good route with good company and good weather totals out as a good day.

* photo credits - Joan Oppel

Leaders - Jackie & Randy Schoch

Members - RL Jackie, Fran Jezisek, Susan Altemus, Gene Villiva, Oswald Martin, Denny Miller, Leesha Saunders, and RL Randy.  Not pictured:  Donaro Gardner and Ron Altemus, photog.

Route - IHRT

Weather - Wonderful in the 70's with a light breeze.

AMS - Varied per/rider.

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - A good turnout of our regulars and Jackie is feeling well enough to join us. Lots of trail users this morning to include other bikers, walkers, dogs walking their masters, and kids in strollers. Also, we saw lots of wildlife to include turtles, birds, squirrels, deer, a crane, a long green snake, and a goose family with 5 little ones. It was one of those days that you would wish would never end. We saw member Bob Moye who we hadn't seen for a while. A few of the riders went over to the shopping center and got some chicken from a food truck. After a brief rest stop at White Plains, we rode the return leg and went our separate ways. Next week should be good weather too. See yens then!

Leaders:  Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Rick Hagen, Darrell Meyer, Lisa Petersen, Tom Short, Drew Sommers

Guests:  none

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46951571  

From the Waysons Corner Park & Ride, we headed east to Greenock Road/Route 259, then south on Brooks Woods to Bayfront Rd/Route 258.  North on Route 2 to Nutwell that takes us to Nutwell Sudley Rd south and back to Bayside/Route 258.  From there we took Swamp Circle Rd to Deale-Churchton Rd and the South County Cafe.  We went off route in Deale looking for views of the Bay.  Then up the hill to Tracys Landing to Route 2, south to Jewell Rd just to McKendree and north to Bayfront Rd again.  West on Bayfront to Fishers Station, cross Route 4, and enter the Pindells.  We took Upper Pindell and Pindell past Jug Bay to the Route 4 Service Road to get back to the cars.

Weather:  Sunny, temps 80-85, 47% humidity, and little to no wind.

AMS:  14.3 AMS before lunch, 12.5 after

Mishaps:  none.

Report:  Our small group had an enjoyable ride in southern Anne Arundel County.  Lisa set a brisk pace as we zigzagged eastward to the South County Cafe, arriving while breakfast was still being served.  No mishaps with the picnic table umbrella this time.  Afterwards, we wandered on some sleepy back streets in Deale looking for views of the Bay and mostly saw houses that have views of the Bay.  Then we took the slow climb up to Traceys Landing and south on noisy Route 2 to Jewell Road.  On quiet backroads again, we zigzagged our way westward to Route 4.  We carefully crossed Route 4, two lanes at a time, mindful of last weekend’s tragic death of a cyclist in Frederick County.  We wandered through the Pindells, shady and quiet, past Jug Bay to the service road back to the cars.  Very nice, and we got a taste of summer weather to come.

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Darrell Myers and Mary Scala

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46919670

Weather:  Perfect -low 60's to start rising into the 70's

Mechanicals: None

Report:  Another perfect riding day! Bright sun, deep blue sky, a few clouds for interest, low wind, temperatures from 70-80 (as recorded on the bike handlebars). The three of us mostly rode together, doing the popular Mason Neck to Mason Neck Park to Hallowing Point to Gunston Hall to Pohick Bay. First we went down Belmont Road etc to the gates of George Mason Center - so we could practice climbing back up. Then along the bike trail into Mason Neck State Park.

There we took a long stop overlooking the water, saw two eagles, osprey in their nest and lots of tree swallows. The male is the colorful iridescent blue.

At the viitors' center, we indulged in - bird watching, and bike watching, and the old sport of rocking chair.

Some bike riding occurred as well - near George Mason's house on his estate from the 1700's

The Spherical Sundial on River Road at Hallowing Point (T Jefferson had one.)

It was a stunning day -

I enjoyed a scenic back ride with my personal coach/trainer/racer Chaundr Little and a guest rider, Vanessa ?. Also a professional racer.

A wonderful day biking under clear skies and warm sunshine. Since this quickly turned into a personal training session, the goal was to focus on spinning.

No mechanical issues and little to no traffic!!!

Enjoy it immensely!!

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26805271

Robin Garnet, Rick Hagen, Alan Kurzweil, Denny Miller, Lisa Petersen, Janet Shipko, Thomas Short, Catherine Ade, Ron Altemus, Linda Bankerd, Sue Gunter, all Oxon Hill Bike and Trail Club (OHBTC) members joined me, Sherwood Byers, Sr., Ride Leader on a great ride to Great Falls.

The weather was gorgeous.  It was the perfect day for a tour.  Once on the pedals after the briefing of the ride and a group photo, the ride went at a touring pace with regrouping stops along the route.  Regrouping at Washington Harbor a photo was taken before our next regrouping at Fletcher's Cove.  this is the point where we exited the Capital Crescent Trail to ride the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal (C&O).  The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, abbreviated as the C&O Canal and occasionally called "The Grand Old Ditch", operated from 1831 to 1924 along the Potomac River between Washington, DC and Cumberland Maryland.

Trail is 184.5 miles with 74 locks and a maximum depth 6.004'.  Our ride was only 11 miles or roughly 5% of the trails maximum distance.

Great Falls is a series of rapids and waterfalls on the Potomac River 14 miles upstream from Washington, DC., on the border of Montgomery County, Maryland and Fairfax County, Virginia.

The ride was not without its share of challenges.  Besides the trail being what some trails are "Bumpy" a major undertaking of a repair at mile 11 there was a three quarter mile detour to make a major repair to the trail structure.  The detour was soft to very muddy surface in some spots of mulch. For some of the riders this was not an easy undertaking.  But, this was good.  It allowed those who have not gone on fully unsupported tours to get the knowledge and feel of the unknown.

Once we arrived at Great falls and the visiting the views of the falls and rapids, there were requests of another route back (Many did not want to revisit the detour) and a possible visit to Glen Echo Park, a once very popular Washington, DC area amusement park.

One rider decided to turn around at the falls overlook and return via the canal path while the rest of the group continued after the overlook visit to the visitors center.  While at the visitors center some got food from the vendors before the return.  Most of the group decided to return via MacArthur Boulevard.  There were some that returned via the path due to not wanting to climb the very long hill out of Great Falls to MacArthur Boulevard.  Later during the return the group did reunite where we all made a rest stop at Glen Echo.  From there the group split only to come together again and all returned together.  There were no mishaps reported to me. The AMS was a modest touring pace.

Thank you to all who toured with me .  It was a truly great day of riding.

Sherwood, Ride Leader

Leader:  Dave VanAmeyden

Members:  Walt Roscello, Liam Healy, and Leslie Tierstein 

Guests: Three members from Potomac Pedalers

Route:  The ride started in Arlington at Thomas Jefferson Rec Center and stayed within the beltway by going up through through Virginia Square, then over to McLean, Langley, and down through Falls Church and Springfield to go back up to Arlington.  The highlight was the Greek Festival at St. Katherine's Greek Orthodox Church only three miles from the end. There were over 70 cues on the route!

Weather:  Sunny, mid 60s at the start and low 80s at the end.

AMS: About 12mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  Past rides were often plagued with mishaps; from a bent chainring to a frozen freewheel.  This time it was the leader's turn!  Right at the start was malfunctioning speedometer. But wait, he had a GPS gizmo!  Unfortunately, it was a brand new unit and he struggled to figure it out on the fly.  The good news the riders stayed together and no one got lost this time.    

Report:  This was a moderately challenging ride with the steep hills, many turns, and heavy traffic.  However, this is a rare route within the beltway, and half the riders rode to the start.  Leslie pealed off not far from the start to explore parts of Arlington. 

The rest of the group stayed more or less together, waiting after stoplights to regroup.  The group was able to figure our some of the RwGPS quirks, like Military Rd was missing.  Crossing Chain Bridge Road south of Vienna was tricky - it's been re-routed a couple of time and may have to be again.  The traffic has been getting heavier; so the next time the ride may start a half-hour earlier. 

Leslie arrived at the Greek Festival about 15 minutes before the rest of the group and we all took part in sampling the Greek cuisine.  The local riders rode home from there without further incident.   

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:  Randy & Jackie Schoch, Leesha Saunders, Robin Garnett, Larry Poole, Mark Garrison, Donaro Gardner, Darrell Meyer



Route:   Indian Head Rail Trail - Livingston Rd parking lot east to White Plains trailhead and return

Weather:   Excellent - bright sunshine resulting in deep blue skies and verdant green fauna with temps starting in the mid 60s and rising to the low 70s w/absolutely no humidity and extremely clear air.  Winds were forecast to be 10-12 mph out of the NW but it seemed they varied from 2 -10 mph from all cardinal points of the compass.

AMS:   swept in the mid 11s so figure everyone else was a bit faster

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   Jackie forgot her battery.  An e-bike does not perform as well sans battery.  Fortunately, Randy provided a tow so that Jackie could do the entire ride in style, as pictured below:

Report:   the fantastic weather made for a most enjoyable ride.  There weren't a large number of other trail users enjoying the trail, though.  Wildlife sightings included a bald eagle on the nest, great blue heron, same red-tailed hawk near Bumpy Oak pond as seen two weeks ago, and turtles.

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Chantal Briere, Lou Dall'Orso, Don Gardner, Sue Gunter, Cindy Nuzzi, Patricia Sanders, Tom Short, Bob Thompson, Pat Walthers

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46884508    Today we took a departure from North Keys one of the "old" ways - right on North Keys to Brandywine Rd and a quick right on Indian Head, over to Cherry Tree. We wound our way to the shoulder of 301 - to the other Indian Head and then Van Brady, Molly Berry and Candy Hill to Nottingham and Merkle. Then back to Nottingham/Tanyard, Baden Naylor (the hard way) - Nelson Perrie to a left on Bald Eagle School. On Croom there was an option to go up/down Whites Landing, then on Croom to Magruders. Return on Baden Westwood and then 2 1/2 not so pleasant miles on Brandywine to Gibbons Church.

Weather:  Perfect -low 60's to start rising into the 70's

Mechanicals: Tom Short had a flat tire on the short stretch of Brandywine Road.

Report:  The group split pretty quickly. Most of the riders off the front and a smaller group a few minutes behind. Indian Head/Cherry Tree outbound was a nice change. A couple of rangers were at Merkle and let us use the visitor center bathroom and enjoy some time with Benjy the terrapin - who swims in an aquarium sitting on top of a solid wood chest built by one of the staff - with funding help from Oxon Hill Rural Legacy donations.

Regrouping at Merkle and Magruders gave us an opportunity to socialize.

We don't often ride the short steep hills on Croom in the direction from White's Landing to Magruders so that was fun. Magruders is always a pleasant interlude. Brandywine/381 has just become very busy with the dump trucks heading back and forth between the various - I think - power plants. We only used 2 1/2 miles today but used to ride miles on it. 

Back at the parking lot, Don Gardner told us Tom Short was still on Brandywine Road with a flat tire that he couldn't fix. We all probably passed him but no one saw him until Don Gardner happened to notice him off the road in shadows. Don reported to us at the parking lot, so we called Tom a few times, finally reached him and Bob Thompson took his own bike out of his car and went back to get Tom. Several us hung out and waited for the rescuer and rescuee.

All in all a very nice ride.

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Anonymous user,  Lou Dall'Orso, Don Gardner, Sue Gunter, Rick Hagen, Jessica Hirschhorn, Lisa Peterson, Patricia Sanders, Mary Scala and Janet Shipko

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46857801   We took a long way around from North Keys to get to Merkle, then went down to the Pavilion on Croom Airport Road to check things out for the Rural Legacy. And then took another long way around to get back to North Keys. 

Weather: Temperature started in the mid-70's, ended in the low 80's. But still not high humidity.

Mechanicals: None

Report: Our group quickly broke up into segments. For the first half, Rick kindly swept. We all regrouped at the stops - so it was nice to have that social time. We have been riding  this beautiful section of Prince Georges County a lot lately - and today traffic seemed especially quiet for most of the route. 

Great ride!

Photo credits to Rick Hagen