Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:   Mark Garrison, Janell Saunders, Joan Oppel, Patricia Sanders.  Not pictured:  Butch Counts & Ron Altemus, photog.



Route:   From Gunston Elementary, an out an back on Belmont Blvd to a view of the aforementioned bay (pictured above), then Mason Neck Trail to Mason Neck State Park with a short jag on Springfield.  Following a rest stop at the park visitor center, retrace to Gunston Rd for neighborhood tours of Hallowing Point and Gunston Manor.    Final return back onto the trail and side excursions into Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay Regional Park, and Pohick Bay golf course.  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40798783  27.6 miles, 738' elevation change. 

Weather:   Very nice with partly cloudy skies, temps starting in the mid 70s rising to the low 80s, humidity/dew point okay, and negligible air movement (2-3 mph) out of the south.

AMS:   really varied by rider.  Leader ended at just 11 mph with a few less miles, as noted below.

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   Two!  #1 -  when Dave Van Ameyden arrived at the ride start, he discovered that one of his tires had a large exposed area in the center of the tread.  He had to abort and head home to do some tire shopping.  #2 - After the jag on Springfield, as Patricia came onto Gunston Road, she flatted.  This action occurred with a very loud bang that sounded like a rifle report (the ride leader was still on Springfield, heard the bang, and thought someone was indeed shooting a gun).  Fortunately, Patricia didn't go down but needed to carry her bike to the trail so we could begin fixing the flat.  First off, a long strand of wire was found seemingly wrapped around the fork and  wheel spokes.  It was removed and examination began of the tube and tire and a bit more focus on the wheel.  It was realized the the aforementioned strand was actually part of the wheel rim and had completely separated, causing the flat.  In the picture below, the bright metal is where the strand of rim came off.  The yellow arrows point to the separation points.

The ride leader returned to the starting point to retrieve his vehicle, fortunately only 3 miles away via the trail, and then sagged Patricia back to her car.  A trip to the bike shop was now part of her afternoon activities.

Report:   Far and away, Patricia's rim separation was the big event of the day.  But additionally, the Washington Women Outdoors club had also scheduled a Mason Neck ride for the same date, time, and starting location, with 19 members signed up.  Since they were so large, they were slow to start and our smaller group rode out first.  We saw them at multiple points, usually  going in the opposite direction since their routing was slightly different then ours.

Joan acted as interim ride leader for the trip to Mason Neck Park where bald eagles and a pileated woodpecker were observed.  Retracing out of the park on High Point Road, Butch split from the group to head home.  Your faithful correspondent (aka your friendly neighborhood ride leader) was able to rejoin the group in Hallowing Point on Chapman.  Our visit to Gunston Hall resulted in the obligatory group picture, taken by Joan, but she is represented by her bicycle held by yours truly.

For some of today's riders, great fun.  For others, disappointment.  All in all, life!

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Harold Datz, Sue Gunter, Jessica Hirschhorn, Janet Shipko, Pat Walthers, Rita Zeidner

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45332011 --  35 miles and nearly 2200 feet of climbing. 

Leaving from Riley's Lock, we climbed River to climb Montevideo, then Sugarland to White Ground, Old Bucklodge, Bucklodge to Moore's Road. Peachtree to Cattail Lane/Jonesville/Jerusalem Church/Jerusalem (a very back way into Poolesville) and finally to a rest stop at the cyclist friendly K2 Cafe. Backtrack to Whites Ferry then Edwards Ferry to Offutt and Mt Nebo - downhill - to River, then Hughes to another part of Sugarland and return on Montevideo. 35 miles and nearly 2200 feet of climbing. Many of these roads are designated Rustic Roads by Montgomery County 

Weather: Warm to hot - sunny, about 75 at start and 85 at end, and hotter in the sun. 

Report:  This route uses many quiet rural roads through planted fields and horse pastures, orchards and spread out houses and even an active polo field. Today the traffic was very sparse and we frequently had roads to ourselves for quite some distance. I should note that some of these roads have been recently resurfaced and some have not been resurfaced in decades.

Jessica had recently become aware that there was an historic Rosenwald school at the Poolesville Beauty Spot (official town sign) aka the recycling depot. Our route passed by it at the corner of Jonesville and Jerusalem and we went in. 

Quick summary: Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, teamed up with Booker T Washington in 1917 to build better schools for black children (mostly in the south) who had greatly inferior buildings than white children. Rosenwald set up a $70M fund for the project. Each community had to add material and/or labor to the seed money and the result was far sturdier, larger schools (also workshops and teacher housing) with heat and plumbing and large windows. Over 5,000 were built by 1938.

This particular school has added structures attached since its function is no longer as a school - but the windows gave it away.

We had a nice rest stop at the K2 Cafe in Poolesville, which has installed a water bottle filling station for cyclists. Our group stayed mostly together and it was a delightful scenic ride.

Leader - Randy & Jackie Schoch

Members - Mark Garrison,  RL Jackie, Susan Altemus, Donaro Gardner, Leesha Saunders, Denny Miller, and RL Randy.  not pictured:  Vernon Daly and Ron Altemus, photog.

Route - IHRT

Weather - What a great day with perfect weather. Sunny in the 70's with a light breeze.

AMS - Varied per/rider.

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - As you can see from this good turnout of riders that Jackie was with us this morning. She is recovering slowly from her medical problems. We saw quite a few other trail users and dogs and several other bicycle riders on this sunny morning. There was a lot of wildlife active today including the ever-present squirrels, birds singing for us, a snake, a young turtle crossing the trail, two eagles, and Jackie and I stopped to watch and encourage a mother turtle laying he eggs on the north side of the trail near the 6-mile marker. We all took a short break at the White Plains rest stop. Jackie stopped to take a break and rest on a bench near the Middleton Road crossing and we picked her up on the return leg. We all look forward to many more mornings like this one. Come and join us.

Leaders:  Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Linda Bankerd, Sue Gunter, Rick Hagen, Jessica Hirschhorn, Darrell Meyer, Joan Oppel, Lisa Petersen

Guests:  none

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46674045  From the little-known Route 260 Recreation area in northern Calvert County, we took Fishers Station, Little and Brooks Woods to Route 408 aka Mt Zion Marlboro Rd.  Then Ed Prout, Sands, Bayard and Polling House roads to Route 2 and the difficult left turn onto Owensville Sudley Road.  Stopped at the South County Rec Center.  Continued south on the Sudley roads to Bayfront Road aka Route 258, which brought us to Deale, Swamp Circle Road and the South County Cafe.  Then up up up the hills on Deale Road aka Route 256 to Route 2, south to Jewell Rd and Calvert County, which takes us to Route 260 and Shields Dr. and the parking lot.

Weather:  Seemed warm.  Sunny, temps in the low 80s, 58% humidity, and light winds out of the south.

AMS:  guessing 12 mph

Mishaps:  the picnic table umbrella at the South County Cafe decided unilaterally to break, bend, somersault, and push Jessica’s bike over, causing her alarms (accident! accident!) to go off. Sue’s bike was also dumped over, along with her helmet, causing the release button of the clasp to break.  Fortunately, she was able to hook the clasp securely as usual, but she will need a new clasp to be able unhook it.  

Report:  We left promptly from the Route 260 Recreation area in northern Calvert County, passed the turtle pond on Route 4 and headed north on back roads into Anne Arundel County.  Traffic wasn’t bad on Mt Zion Marlboro Rd aka Route 408 and we enjoyed Ed Prout Rd.  Sue helped an eastern box turtle across Polling House Road, and we made a short stop at the South County Rec Center, except for Sue who was off the front.  The route in ridewithgps did not have a cue to stop at the Rec Center or the South County Cafe, so she flew right by both.  When the rest of the group arrived at the cafe, Sue was 2 miles beyond, and a phone call brought her back to us and food.  Ride leaders will insert cues for stops to hopefully prevent this on future rides.  Lunch was good, but see the mishaps.  We went slowly up the hills from Deale on full stomachs, then south on Route 2 to Jewell Road, which brought us to Route 260 and the parking lot at around 1:45 pm.  It’s amazing how different old familiar roads can look when you ride them the other direction.  We enjoyed this ride!

Wildlife:  1 turtle in the pond, Eastern Box turtle, Cooper’s hawk

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Donaro Gardner, Patricia Sanders, Mary Scala, Pat Walthers  

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46748844  From North Keys we followed a good portion of the Rural Legacy route to Eagle Harbor - Molly Berry, Baden Naylor, Bald Eagle, Baden Westwood, Croom, Covington, part of Woodville, Dr Bowen and all the roads and streets leading into and around Eagle Harbor. 

Rest Stop at Cedar Haven Fishing Area on the Patuxent near Eagle Harbor

Report: It was warm - temperatures in the high 70's to low 80's with low humidity and a slight breeze, all combined for a delightful day to bike.

Traffic was surprisingly light, except on Croom. We stretched our legs on all the short hills the route provided. And we chose to return for two short stretches on Rt 381/Aquasco/Brandywine Road. We used to ride its shoulder all the time for long distances but all the truck traffic in the past 5 years (I think due to the several GenOn facilities added) has made for less than pleasant biking. Today was not too bad, 3/4 mile from Baden Westwood to the left on Cedarville and then 1 1/2 miles from Ashbox to Gibbon Church. (However, we will definitely not send the Rural Legacy that way.) Enjoyable day on the bike, good company, shady rest stop, and no serious road issues discovered prior to the Rural Legacy. 

And another turtle rescue

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Riders:  Club Members:  Peggy Alfonso, Caresse Bullock, Andrea Clayville, Jessica Hirschhorn, Diana Donahue, Darrell Meyer, Lori Michaelson, Joan Oppel, Mary Ann Owsley, Janet Shipko

Guest:   Tom Gestner

Weather:             Overcast, with occasional glimpses of sun near the end.  Cool temps (60s to low 70s)

Incidents:            None

Ave. speed:         12.1 mph

Distance:              29.9 mi.

This was a terrific ride to and from Christ Church Chaptico’s annual Strawberry Festival.  We had beautiful scenery.  Some of the back country roads didn’t even have a motorized vehicle pass us (Pincushion Rd. and Sunnyside Rd.)  There was a brief mystery concerning a “lost rider.”  The debate was whether she was way ahead of us or had missed the turn and was somewhere off the route.  Fortunately, it turned out to be the first scenario.  Lori really should have been riding the B ride, she’s so fast.  Speaking of Lori, she deserves credit for rescuing a Luna moth that had crash landed on the Three Notch Trail.  We had the opportunity to drop an Amish buggy pulling a trailer with 2kayaks but lost the chance when we stopped to group up. 

Leader: Walt Roscello

Members: Mario Salazar, Theresa Rowell, Diane Harris, Linda Bankerd, Liam Healy, Lou Dall'Orso

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46624096

Down through Morganza a different way, then reverse along Dr. Johnson Road and a fairly typical route through Avenue and back to Chaptico, then the neighborhoods west of Mechanicsville Rd on the way back.

Weather: 65-70 with overcast varying between thin and darker.  Winds were light which was a nice change from the last three weeks.

AMS: 14.8

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Theresa dropped a chain on a short uphill, then within 1/2 mile got a flat.  With all of us there we used two pumps, a CO2 cartridge, and then got to try Mario's new battery-powered pump.  It was a deep cut but I gave her a boot and she had no further trouble.

Wildlife: A typical selection of small animals: a turtle, some squirrels, a snake, plus a possible hawk overhead on the way through the fields

Report: We pretty much stayed together for the first 25 miles.  We started on a still-wet Three Notch Trail and then went down "the rest of" Kavanaugh and on the hidden path to ride through the neighborhood.  Shortly after that is when Theresa got her flat.  After taking care of that we continued along Chaptico Road and Dr Johnson in the reverse of the usual way.  It was nice to find that the hill on Dr Johnson is uniform and not that bad going this way.  We made the run down to 7th District park as usual and then on to Paul Ellis Landing, where we stopped to admire the water and boathouses.  It was an interesting contrast from Colton's Point last week where the view over the water is much longer.

After that stop Mario took off ahead to get back earlier.  Lou also got separated when he went all the way down to Bushwood Wharf.  We made it to the strawberry festival as the 30 mi group was preparing to leave - I could have timed the start better.  Four of us had a snack while Linda and Lou left to continue riding.  Our group left at a slightly more relaxed pace after eating and were happy to quickly turn in to Country Lakes after seeing the traffic on Mechanicsville Road.  We had a nice route through the neighborhood which removes most of the hills and traffic from Mechanicsville Road, which we returned to and rode into Mechanicsville and then back to the school.

It was a lovely day for a ride and, even with the flat, everything went smoothly and the group worked well together.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:  Susan Altemus, Mark Garrison, Gene Villiva, Steve Forman, Darrell Meyer, Donaro Gardner, Robin Garnett



Route:  where else to ride on a Friday morning than the Indian Head Rail Trail, Livingston Rd parking lot eastward to the White Plains trail head, and after a rest stop/break, return.

Weather:   overcast, temps in the mid 60s, some air movement out of the east.

AMS:   swept in the mid 11s so everyone else would have been faster.

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

  Report:  a nice turnout given the less than ideal mid May weather.  We welcomed back a couple of members (Mark & Steve) who hadn't ridden with the Friday group for a number of months.   This Friday was "Bike-to-Work" day and Robin visited the "pit stop" at Indian Head prior to our trail ride.  Walt Roscello rode over to it from home and then caught us on the IHRT enroute to White Plains as he was heading back.  We also saw club members George Martin and David Schnirel on the trail.  Otherwise, there was a decent number of other trail users, mostly walkers/joggers, out enjoying the IHRT.

Wildlife sightings included a red tailed hawk which swept across the trail right in front of some of us just before the Bumpy Oak pond on our return.  This happened too fast to be captured by a camera.

Darrell had the opportunity to take photos of a black snake

and a Great Blue Heron, mirrored in water alongside the trail.

Members: Ron Altemus, Lou Dall'Orso, Donaro Gardner, Sue Gunter, Patricia Sanders, Mary Scala, Janet Shipko, Pat Walthers

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46698249  Leaving from Livingston Road, we headed up Mt Pisgah/Hawthorne to Ripley and Poorhouse and Rt 6. Goose Bay was the rest stop, then back via Fire Tower and Annapolis Woods. But then we turned left on Mason Springs to do a roundabout return via quiet Smallwood Church and Chickamuxen.

Weather: Just beautiful! Mostly mid-70's, sunny, some wind but nothing extreme.

Mechanicals: None

Report: Some traffic issues delayed riders and we started a little late, and quickly became two groups - a couple of riders off the front, a couple in the middle and a few at the rear, kindly accompanying the ride leader recovering from a bad cold. A ride to Goose Bay is always a good ride. The climb up Mt Pisgah/Hawthorne on the shoulder was accompanied by a fair amount of traffic. Once on Ripley ~mile 5 and until turning on Chickamuxen ~mile 32, traffic was light. 

It was a lovely day, sunshine and low humidity and winds in our favor (mostly) and good company. A relaxing rest stop on the porch at Goose Bay was a treat. 

Wildlife: Two turtle rescues were accomplished! 

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