Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Tom Short, Patricia Sanders, Rick Hagen, Lisa Petersen, Ron Altemus, Linda Bankerd

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/42130944 36 mi, 1750' elevation gain

Weather: The forecast was overcast skies, the low 50s at the start rising to the low 60s by mid-afternoon and 10 mph winds.  The ground truth was a bit different: 55 and sunny at the start, windy when you were riding into the wind but quite comfortable, until we arrived at the Chesapeake Market.  Sometime during lunch the clouds closed in and the temperature dropped enough we were cold until we climbed 5th St and got thoroughly warmed up.  By 2:30 it started looking as though it was going to rain (as they said on the radio) although it did not do so.

AMS: 13.3

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: We were met in the parking lot by Harold Datz and Rita Z who were doing our ride with bonus miles on their own.  They left before we did, but we met them at the Chesapeake Market; they left there before us, too, but we met them in the parking lot at the end of the ride.

It was a lovely day for cycling, and we met three, perhaps four organized rides and a few cyclists out on their own including several we met at the Market.  North Beach is a very popular cycling destination, and we were on several of the region's premier cycling roads so this was no surprise, but as usual it was very gratifying to see.

At Chesapeake Market, Ron informed me that Lisa scored a turtle rescue, perhaps the first of the season.  We had a leisurely lunch at the Market, so enjoying the day and each other's company we didn't notice the sky clouding over and the temperature dropping until it was time to leave.  We felt quite cold until we started climbing, but by the time we reached Boyd's Turn we'd gained 215' and had warmed up and were comfortable once more.

This route is a bit unusual, putting us on roads we seldom if ever use (well, except for Rick and Lisa, who live down here and ride these roads all the time) riding in directions we seldom go. 

Leader - Jackie Schoch (Randy teaching)

Members - Ron Altemus, Gene Villiva, Linda Bankerd, Donaro Gardner, and  Oswald Martin.

Guests - None

Route - IHRT

Weather - Partly cloudy, 49 degrees, (but felt like 46), 

AMS - Varied per/rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - We saw more walkers than bikers, Gene saw two eagles. High water and running all along the path. 

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Ron Altemus, Pat Walthers, Anonymous User

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/40649260

Weather: The forecast was 40s at the start rising to low 50s, but that was way off: it was almost 60 by the time we finished.  It was cloudy with lots of warm sun, with a light breeze of 6-7 mph that to us felt like a lot more.  In all, a very nice day for riding.

AMS: 12.1

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: It's always fun riding to Goose Bay, and we enjoy exploring all the different ways you can get there and back.  Today, we took Bicknell to Poorhouse, down Annapolis Woods and Fire Tower to MD-6, then up Mill Swamp.  After a very pleasant break at Goose Bay we went up Blossom Point and took 6 to Burch, then Poorhouse to Ripley, Ripley to Hawthorne, Hawthorne to Bumpy Oak and the IHRT back. 

An interesting factoid: Randoplan predicted we would arrive at Goose Bay at 12:04.  We arrived at 12:02.  Randoplan is an excellent planning tool, and gives you a whole lot more than just a weather forecast. Read my article on Randoplan in the March newsletter for more about it.

The most important wildlife sighting was the two whitetail deer that ran across Brentland Rd right in front of us on the way back from Goose Bay.  Here the old adage proved its value: if you see on deer crossing the road in front of you, expect more.  Today, just one more and far enough ahead of us as to present no risk.

"Eagles!"

Wicomico River at Wicomico Shores Landing

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Janell Saunders, Ron Altemus, Janet Shipko, Dave VanAmayden

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/45896776

Weather: Sunny and clear with a brisk 15 mph wind with gusts up to 20 mph.  40 at the start (which felt like the mid-30s) rising to 50 (which barely felt like 40, except for when we were sitting out of the wind at Chaptico).

AMS: 12.3

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: Let's hope today was Winter's curtain call.  The sun was plenty warm, but oh that wind. 

We rode down Woodburn Hill Rd hoping to see eagles (you often do in the Spring, thanks to Amish Meat on  Westham Ln) and our hopes were fulfilled.  We were all alone on Woodburn Hill Rd, except for a number of curious horses and sheep, and of course the eagles.  After a while they flew overhead to check us out.

We fought a headwind backtracking on Woodburn Hill, and continued fighting it on Dixie Lyon.  There were only a few cars on Thompson Corner, but traffic picked up quite a bit on Budd's Creek.  It was quit pretty at Wicomico Shores Landing, but there was no sheltering from the wind that brought us the engine sounds from Potomac Speedway.

With the wind at our back we fairly flew down to Chaptico.  It was only six miles from our previous stop, but we rested there out of the wind, basking in the sun, talking about ice cream and cold days until it was time to leave. Baptist Church was almost empty, as was the Three Notch Trail.  We were happy to arrive back at Northern Senior Center feeling as though we'd ridden far more than 33.5 miles, and climbed more than the 931 feet recorded by my Garmin.

This is a very pretty route, and on a mild day would have been a fine introduction to Spring. 

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Gene Villiva and Leesha Saunders



Route:   Indian Head Rail Trail, round trip from Livingston Rd parking lot eastbound to White Plains trailhead.

Weather:   chilly with temps only in the mid 40s; a bit of sun at the start giving way to cloudy conditions; 8+ mph air out of the eastern quadrant

AMS:   varied by rider but mostly in the 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   a brief period of balky shifting outbound that seemed to cure itself on the return

Report:   a small contingent, not surprising given the weather conditions.  We basically rode as a moderately spaced out trio with the usual amount of lively conversation.  Other trail users included walkers and cyclists though not in large numbers.

Wildlife sightings included an eagle on the nest just east of the Livingston Road parking lot, a bluebird, a Great Blue Heron, and lots of unidentifiable brown something birds.  We also saw a cow closer to Livingston Road than the Bumpy Oak farm where is should normally be grazing.

On a cold and windy Thursday morning, Linda Bankerd, Janet Shipko, Jessica Hirschhorn, Sue Gunter, Esther Stewart,  Althea Johnson, Robin Garnett, and Anonymous User  joined Sherwood Byers and Steve Palincsar, Ride Leaders for the Oxon Hill Bike and Trail Club (OHBTC) annual Cherry Blossom Tour.

All meeting at Daingerfield Island Sailing Marina, and a short pre-ride briefing the tour started on time.  The decision to do this tour during the week instead of the weekend to avoid the chaos of the traffic and crowds proved to be of great benefit.  The weather conditions also helped. 

We continued our ride to Hains Point where the ride was pleasant and virtually free of pedestrian and motor vehicle traffic.  We took a group photo just west of the point and then continued on to the Tidal Basin

for some final memory photos before the cherry trees are cut down for the reconstruction of the Tidal Basin Wall.

After a tour around Haines Point and the Tidal Basin a brief respite was taken at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial the group began its trek up the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) to Kenwood for the tour to continue of its viewing of cherry blossoms.  No one seemed to want ice cream today so we just continued past Sarah's Ice Cream and into the Kenwood community.  Climbing a slight incline toward the incline the blossoms started to come into view.  All met at the circle where we all rode through the neighborhood viewing the trees in there glorious showing of blosoms.  After the viewing we all returned to the circle to regroup and continue to Bethesda for a rest stop.

During our time at the rest stop it was starting to get late and approaching rush hour we all decided to return utilizing the CCT which allowed us to save time without being involved in the Rock Creek Parkway "Mad Rush".

Flickr photo album here.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Donaro Gardner, Pat Walthers, Walt Roscello, Patricia Sanders

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44628163  As ridden, 30.6 mi, 962' elevation gain.  We skipped the development-that-never-was on Fenwick.

Weather: 53 at the start, 73 by the time we finished.  Initial gloomy, dark clouds gave way to a bright, sunny day that turned out 10 degrees warmer than forecast.

AMS: 11.3  Sometimes you just don't feel all that much like hurrying.

Ride report: An unexpectedly nice day for this expanded version of our Wednesday night classic.

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Janet Shipko, Catherine Ade, Ron Altemus, Jessica Hirschhorn, Janell Saunders, Tom Short, Sherwood Byers, Linda Bankerd, Sue Gunter

Guests: Jim Belcher

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/6397811 37.4 mi, 456' elevation gain according to my Garmin, less mileage and more elevation than RWGPS shows

Weather: Sunny, 51 at the start rising to around 59 by afternoon, and breezy: 8-10 mph but it seemed much windier than that along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.

AMS: 12.1

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: A crisp spring day with a brilliant blue sky and strong breezes almost everywhere we turned -- and turn we did, over a hundred times -- as we explored one waterside neighborhood after another, winding through picturesque lanes then riding as a cohesive group along the Shadyside Rd and Deale Churchtown Rd, the main arteries that tie these communities together. 

We stopped twice at Christophers Fine Foods and twice at South County Cafe and also had a rest stop at Shadyside Park near the far end of the peninsula and a photo op on the Bay shore at Franklin Manor.  There's a lot of variety, large upscale homes with yachts moored just across the road, modest bungalows on narrow lanes that could almost be driveways, and almost everything in between.

The 12.1 mph AMS conceals as much as it reveals.  We had a total elapsed time of 4 hrs 41 minutes and a total riding time of 3 hrs 5 minutes, 1 hr 35 min stopped, including easily a half-hour at South County Cafe at the very end of the ride.  The speed while riding varied from close to 15 mph traveling from one neighborhood to the next, to less than 10 mph cruising through the neighborhoods seeing the sights.

The ride is designed to easily be shortened, and two of the group decided  to head straight back after visiting the far reaches of the Shadyside Peninsula, and several more who skipped the Cafe stop a half mile from the end.

It was great fun, and a lovely day to be out enjoying the scenery, touring in a way that can only be done by bicycle.

Leader - Jackie Schoch (Randy is still subbing Tai Chi)

Members - front row:  Gene Villiva, RL Jackie, Donaro Gardner.  Back row: Leesha Saunders, Ron and Susan Altemus.

Route - IHRT

AMS - Varied per/rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - We only saw turtles and one black snake (I helped a small turtle across the trail). There other walkers with dogs and bike riders. We saw new member Pam Montgomery on the trail.

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: (L to R) Donaro Gardner, Rita Z, Patricia Sanders, Harold Datz, Oswald Martin, Janet Shipko, Pat Walthers, Anonymous User

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/43783609  36.5 mi, 1672' elevation gain.

Weather: Sunny, breezy (8-13 mph with gusts up to 22 mph), 53 at the start, predicted to rise to 68 but it actually 75.

AMS: 12.7

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Harold flatted on some debris on the shoulder of Chicamuxen Rd just at Lackey HS.  Others were luckier and avoided it.  One rider missed the turn from Ironsides onto Baptist Church (one of many who've made that same mistake over the years) but we waited and he caught up.

Report: A terrific day for March, and fabulous to be riding in weather over 70 degrees, although dressing for the day was a challenge, with a greater than 20 degree difference in temperature between ride start and ride end.  The start was a bit delayed because Anonymous User ran into heavy traffic, but that gave time for Harold and Rita, who decided to join us at the very last minute, to get ready.

It was a breezy ride up Chicamuxen, Bicknell and Pisgah Marbury to the Stuckeys and Poorhouse, south on Annapolis Woods, west on 6 and up Durham Church.  We regrouped (a convenient excuse for clothing adjustments, one of the percs of being a ride leader) on Pisgah Marbury, Annapolis Woods, Durham Church and Baptist Church but after the rest stop at the Nanjemoy Community Center (an SRO crowd today watching a presentation, we never did find out what the subject was) we evened out the pace. 

We stopped at Smallwood Park for a photo op and a rest (this ride was fairly long and challenging for this early in the season) then went down to the shores of the Mattawoman Creek before riding the final miles back to Livingston Rd.