Ride Name: Wayson’s Corner Lothian-Deale-Shady Side 45 Touring B (14-15)

Leader: John Gorman
Members: Brad Francisco  Guest: John White
Weather:  8:00am start. Cloudy mid 70’s, breezy, BUT Never had one sprinkle even, though the forecast w/ the storm offshore, showed potential 50% rain.  

Stats:   Rider Leader swept @ 14.9AMS/Elv- 1041ft/ 3:11hrs riding time/3:35 total elapsed time

We added 2-extra miles for 47.55 total.  

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  Perfect NONE!    

Report:  Both other posted rides canceled today due to the potential dire forecast for east of  95, I decided to take my chances on the 50% forecast that morning that I read. Glad two others joined me. When I saw Brad, I asked what are you doing on my type of ride and he said he would take it easy. Which he did and other than a few longer stretch of hills we all stayed together during the ride. The route, explores the Lothian gentle-rural rollers, the flat bayside views/community streets in Deale-Churchton (Franklin Manor) and out/back of Shady-Side, I decided to also include the end of Chalk Pt Rd. (rumor has it that NBC 4’s Wendy Reiger, lives down there on water.  We took Bay Front Rd W back thru the nice rural equestrian loop of Brooks Woods/Little Rds before heading back to the Wayson’s Corner Park-n-Ride.

With all the hot sunny days we had in August, it was nice to have a cloudy day w/ pleasant breezes, and NO rain at all. John White recently located from NJ, and currently resides in Alexandria got to see some new sights and Brad shared with him the various rides/road conditions in lower Prince Georges’s and and Charles Counties.

Thanks Brad and John for joining me on a nice ride today.

What do you do when only the ride leaders show up for the ride?  You do the ride...So, there you go .  We did the ride.

Ride Leaders: Randy Schoch (Jackie is sick)

Members: Michael Dong, John Riconda, Bev White, Judy Mutty, Walt Rosales, Steve Forman, Belinda Acre, Robin Garnett, and Jim Hudnall.

Guests: None

Weather: Very nice weather (70's).

Route: IHRT 

Mishaps & Mechanicals: None

AMS: 12mph (for the leader)

Good turn out to ride this morning. There were many trail users including bikers, walkers, joggers, and many dogs taking their humans for a walk. We didn't see a lot wildlife out and about today (a few deer, wild turkeys, and crains). Member Bob Moye was riding the trail today. It was good to have John and Walt riding with us after their medical problems (John - fall and crash on his bike, Walt - back operation). Walt rode from his home a caught up with us on the trail. At our White Plains rest stop, we met up with Bev and Judy for a nice visit. After the ride, Jim and Michael went to George's for lunch. I headed straight home to take care of Jackie. It felt good to be back on a bike after a two week bus tour of Ireland and Scotland.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Pat Walthers, Jessica Hirschhorn

Weather: The promised beautiful Friday appeared.  Temps in the 70s (chilly feeling as we left the park, I thought, and I wore arm warmers for the first half hour) never exceeding 79, cloudy to partly cloudy, breezy and not too humid.

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16285391  Meant to be 44 miles, but I lost the plot when we crossed Rt 5 onto Mt Wolf and confused Triangle with the shopping center driveway, ending up with an additional mile goofing around getting things sorted.  1371' of elevation gain, per RWGPS: a few rolling climbs but nothing serious enough to count as a real hill (although I'm sure Hill Haters would complain that All Faith Church and Rt 6 were terribly hilly).

Mishaps & mechanicals: a flat on Rt 6 near the end of the ride -- quickly dispatched, but even if it had not all would still have been well, thanks to Benny Bud's timely arrival with an offer of help just as we were getting the wheel back in.

AMS: 13.1

Bottom line: a thoroughly delightful ride.  The route would have been familiar to those present at the Three Notch Trail Ribbon Cutting Ceremony ride. 

Speaking of the Trail, those killer poles seem to be proliferating: the entire section from Mechanicsville Road down to Rt 5 should now be called "Pole-land" (just as the section between Rt 5 and Laurel Grove Park could similarly be referred to as "Gate-land").  They're extremely dangerous; at least three of them are located in areas always in deep shade. 

It's not like our sport is so safe it's boring, and that we need the spice of added danger to liven up the bike trail so why not put hazards like poles out there for us to crash into.   They can't argue, as they do with the bollards down under the Wilson Bridge, that they're necessary to protect us from terrorists.  But what of runaway motorists driving down the trail?  I think I'll take my chances with them rather than face the Poles.

Ride leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Pat Walthers

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16134617  38 miles, 1709' of elevation gain  As ridden, the B group decided to skip the exploration of Patuxent River Park and since Pat had turned back by then I thought it might be nice to keep them in view for a while on Croom Airport so I skipped it as well, ending up with 36.2 miles.

AMS: 13.9

It rained on the way to the ride start, and as a result many stayed home.  Temperatures were lower than they have been: low 70s at the start, rising perhaps as high as 79 by the end of the ride and 80 on the way home, overcast and humid.  The weather radar showed a broad band of rain extending west to east and moving eastwards, the southern edge just reaching Alexandria, Arlington and Camp Springs, with a little blip hanging down over Waldorf and Brandywine.  The forecast said it would stop by 10:00, and so it did.  It stayed cloudy but dry for the first five miles and then began to rain, a light drizzle at first and then a bit more.  When we reached Van Brady and Old Indian Head, Pat decided to turn back.  I kept on, riding through rain for the next couple of miles, and it stopped again, this time for good.

I found the B group at Patuxent River Park and kept them in sight on Croom Airport until Croom Rd.  They had a lead, I got stopped by traffic, and the next time I saw them was at Merkle.  We left Merkle together and stayed together for the rest of the ride.

In all, except for a couple of miles of light rain, it was a great ride, and even those couple of miles were pretty good.  Of course, after a call from the dealership at 8:55 and a frantic rush to return the loaner car and get my own back I was able to switch bikes, leaving behind the one without fenders that fit through the trunk passage of the loaner car and bringing one with full fenders instead.  With a rain jacket and a bike set up for rain riding, I was comfortable and happy, even a bit sad to see the rain end so soon.

Ride Leader: Tom Short 

Members: Bob Howell, Larry Peed, Lou Dall'Orso, Tom Roberts

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/16134617  36 miles, 1509' of elevation gain.  Due to the threat of more rain, the B group skipped a tour of Patuxent River Park.

AMS: 15.8

At the outset we knew there was a chance of rain but being an intrepid group and thinking that the chance of rain was slight we headed off.  For the first five miles, all was well and then began the barest amount of moisture which steadily increased to a light rain. But our group forged ahead without ever once considering turning back. At mile twelve, Larry Peed announced he was stopping to put on his rain jacket. The jacket was not for him since he was already wet. Its purpose was to keep his smartphone dry. As soon as Larry got the jacket on the rain stopped and did not start again but we insisted Larry keep his magical rain jacket on for the rest of the ride and he did although it blossomed out in the wind like a parachute.

Steve Palincsar arrived at our first rest stop, Patuxent River Park, just shortly before we left. Steve must not have rested long there because he arrived at Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, the second rest stop, shortly after our arrival.  We all left together and stayed together for the 10 miles to the finish.

It was a good ride with good companions. The light rain was actually refreshing and, thanks to Larry's magic rain jacket, not long in duration.

Leader: Tim Murphy

Members: Lynne Blake-Hedges, Kirsten Watts, James Denmark, Jim Hudnall and Jane Hudnall.

Guests: None

Route: The usual ride from the Accokeek Fire Station around Accokeek down Marshall Hall Road to the river for a break and then up Barry's Hill and back to the Fire Station.

Weather: Sunny and temp was in the high 80s at ride time.

AMS: 15+mph for the front pack and 13.5 for the true CC rides that held a steady pace for the ride.

Mechanicals/Mishaps: None.

Report: Great evening for a bike ride. As we ride from week to week you can tell that the amount of daylight is getting shorter and shorter. For the first few miles everyone rode together. Then the B riders went ahead and rode to the river and took pictures of the CC riders as they made it to the rest stop - sometimes it pays to be second. Then we asked someone to take a group picture of us down by the river.

As we rode down Marshall Hall Road we encountered a foul smelling animal. And if you looked the trees were filled with vultures - too many to count. (This would not be a good place for a mechanical problem with your bike. LOL).

We spent a few minutes at the rest stop and then headed back to the Firehouse as the amount of daylight is getting shorter and shorter as the weeks go by.

We learned that the Indian Head 100/Southern Maryland Century is full with 1,000 riders and has a wait list to get in.

Have a great Labor Day weekend!

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:  Steve Palincsar, President Sam Perry (though signed on the B roster)

Route:  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/12709894  Briefly:  Livingston/Pomfret/Marshall Corner then Hawthorne down to Valley/MD-6/Chapel Point to a rest stop at St. Ignatius.  Onward to Bel Alton Newtown/Fairgroud/US-301/St Marys into LaPlata.  MD-6 West, up Rose Hill, down Bumpy Oak and onto the IHRT.  Short stint on Hawthorne/Lower Wharf/MD-210 to shady Chapmans Landing.  Finally, MD-210/Hungerford/Livingston back to the start.

Weather:  Decent temps (78-86) and okay humidity with plenty of sunshine.  Shade was still appreciated.

AMS:  13.8 at the rear

Report:  It was great to have Mr. President ride with us today.  He's getting back to riding and thought that a "Conversational Cycling" pace would be the perfect way to look to ride over 30 miles for the first time in a while.  Sam continuing on up Bumpy Oak back to the start, thus shortening his ride by a few miles.  But he got in another hill, so it must have been worth it.

It was a warm ride through some beautiful country roads with lots of shade. What impressed me the most was the wonderful condition of all the roads around Nokesville. It make the drive there worth it. We had ten of our members join the 100+ Potomac Pedalers for a multi-distance, multi-class ride. Many thanks to Steve Palinscar and Holly Carr for leading 2 of the rides. (And another big thank-you to Steve for reviewing and editing the cue sheets.) 

The picnic after the ride was great. Baja Fresh catered the picnic again. They do a very good job of providing healthy, delicious food every year. 

For any members who have not journeyed to Nokesville in the past, it is really worth the effort. The picnic ride is always the last Sunday on August so mark your calendars.