I was joined by guests Dan Hoefert and Ray Salvagini along with Ken Meredith on a route that went from Theodore Green to 301 to Demarr to St. Charles Pkwy to Washington Ave to Hawthorne to get on the trail.  Now with all the nice 70 degree days we have been having, it would have to be a slightly below average 55 at the start of the ride.  This was a shorts and long sleeve jersey or arm warmer day.  Very good ride.  This was Ray's first group ride.  Hes showed up in the parking lot, and we asked if he wanted to ride, and low and behold he came on with us.  He said it was better than talking to himself on a ride.

After 86 degrees and sunny on Friday, today's wintery 36 degrees when I left Accokeek to ride down to Bryans Road, and the 40 degrees when the ride left, were a bit of a shock.  Shorts and short sleeve jerseys, developing tan lines, and next thing you know, it's back to booties, balaclavas, long sleeve wool and fleece-lined tights! 

We might not have had much of a Polar Bear winter, but today was definitely a Polar Bear day.  And none were there but the hard-core polar bears: Mike Bivens, Linda Bankerd, Sharon Miller, Darryl Lowery, Richard Harrington, Grant Bagley, Randy Schoch and leader Steve Palincsar.

We'd done this route once before, on Feb 7 -- to warmer temperatures, sunny skies and strong winds.  Today we had the sunny skies and strong winds too, but not the warmer temperatures and, for some reason, not the spectacular lighting.   Bottom line: a winter ride with pollen.   Last one in by a long distance (there's something about being amply endowed with frontal area on a windy day to really slow you down at times), 14.1 mph average.

The title "No Deale" turned out to be especially appropriate. It was cloudy, misting, cool and somewhat unpleasant. No one showed up, except for Paul, Obie (our grandson) and myself. Paul opted to go back to the house and visit with the other grand kids. Obie wanted to go so we did. We did need the rain jackets, our glasses were hard to see through, and I made a wrong turn, adding  a few extra miles. Ice cream and Crackerjax at the convenience store fueled us for the last 10 miles. Obie wants to go again.

Today's ride included members: Diane Gorman, John Riconda, Walter Carr, Larry Peed, Walter Measday, and ride leader John Gorman. Summer came early on the 2nd day of spring with near 80 degree at the 1pm start, but w/ nice bay breezes. (Today was the 1st time we saw each other's arms/legs since fall...lol) The ride started from over the Bay Bridge taking exit 41, departing  from the Chesapeake Exploration Center. From here you enter onto the Cross Island (hiker/biker) Trail heading west to Romancoke (RT 8). Well the ride leader mistook the cuesheet directions @ mile 5, sending us north for a side spur of about 5 more miles in the direction of Love Point, well after a few miles we turned around and headed back to pickup the published route, eventually we were back on track. From here you travel about 8 miles before turning right into Matapeake Park and getting onto the South (hiker/biker) Island Trail (offering much tree covering). After traveling to mile marker 14 we took an 8-mile spur to the end of the island @ Bloody Point. After retracing our route, we continued south east into the bay at the Romancoke Fishing Pier.  From here we retraced our route and finished the day's ride without any mechanical or other concerns. This ride probably should be modified to ride on the actual road/shoulders down RT 8 vs using the South Island Trail for a more efficient / direct riding experience. (next time!) Afterwards we gathered for dinner at a  local favorite casual waterfront restaurant (Kentmorr). 

Ride leader Randy Schoch was joined by Jimmy Bartlett, Rudy Elly, Steve Palincsar, Pres. Mike Bivens, Catherine Kitchell, Jim & Jane Hudnall, and Bob Moye for the warmest (80*) and one of the most pleasant days yet this year.  Sadly, Jackie was feeling poorly and wasn't able to join us today.  We had a great ride at a good pace with the leader bringing up the rear.  Lots of frogs, geese, ducks, hawks, cows, herons, and other wild life to keep us amused.  We saw Walt Chalmers on the trail along with a goodly number of other bikers, hikers, strollers, joggers, etc. getting some exercise before the foul weather moved into our area for the weekend.  Jackie drove down to join Jim, Jane and me for an early dinner at CaloJero's Deli after the ride.

Best of Brandywine: Trumps Hill & Patuxent River Park  Leader: Steve Palincsar

A foggy morning and overcast, low 60s at 10:30 but clearing and becoming a glorious sunny day in the mid-70s by noon.  As gray as the morning was, I thought the 18 cue sheets I printed for the day would be far too many, but there were already cars at the fire station when I arrived at 10:00, and they just kept on coming: 21 all told. 

Among those present were:  Randy Schoch, Jim McDermott, Grant Bagley, Craig Turner, Darryl Lowery, Joan Oppel, Tom Roberson, Alan Kurzweil, Jane and Jim Hudnall, Barry Winkleman, Richard Harrington, Dave VanAmayden, Mike Bivens, Sharon Miller, Tom Short, Sam Perry, John Early (who joined us at Patuxent River Park), Kelly Bilak (visiting from Atlanta, GA) and one other whose name became a blurred water color when my water bottle leaked on the sign-up sheet on the way home.  (And one other, who arrived without cycling shoes and went home without riding. Don't you hate it when that happens?)

A big group, and fast, too.  I lost sight of the main group on North Keys three miles into the ride, didn't see them again until I arrived at Jug Bay.   Turning left off Duval onto Croom Airport en route to Park Entrance Road I met Tom Short, who had been in the lead group, heading back home; if he'd gone all the way down to the rest stop, the leaders must have been at least 10 minutes ahead.  Those at back of the pack arriving with me were averaging 15.6 mph at the time, putting the leaders up over 18. 

The route was just under 39 miles long: down North Keys, back on Cross Road Trail to 301and Old Indian back to 301, down Trumps Hill to Croom up to the Mount Calvert Spur and down Mount Calvert and Duvall to a rest stop at Jug Bay, then back on Croom Airport and Croom to a second rest stop at the Nottingham store.  

The last part of the route featured a 6 mile loop down Candy Hill to Nottingham, Tanyard, Brooks Church and Croom back to Candy Hill (that some skipped), returning on Molly Berry and North Keys.  39 miles, 2172' of climbing, and 14.2 mph at the back of the pack. 

Photos are now up on Facebook

Ride leader Ron Leak was joined by Ken Meredith on a ride around parts of Charles and Prince George's Counties. The route was changed to accommodate traffic. Instead of going down to Dr. Bowen, we took Horsehead Rd. There were no incidents during the ride.

Ride Leader Jane Hudnall with Richard Harrington, Ron Leak, Holly Carr, Shane LaBrake, Kristen Watts and LoRita Simmons. This was LoRita's first ride with the club and, as a beginning cyclist, she challenged herself to do the 16 mile route. Other beginning or casual cyclists are encouraged to join us for a ride of about 10 miles or shorter to get use to riding on the roads and with a group. Call the ride leader to let him or her know you are planning to ride. Shane and Richard decided to race from the river back to the fire station while the women took a more relaxed pace. Jim and Ron hung back with LoRita and offered encouragement as she completed the ride. [Photo]

Ride Leader Jane Hudnall with Richard Harrington, Ron Leak, Holly Carr, Shane LaBrake, Kristin Watts and LoRita Simmons. This was LoRita's first ride with the club and as a beginning cyclist, she challenged herself to do the 16 mile route. Other beginning or casual cyclist are encouraged to join us for a ride of about 10 miles or shorter to get use to riding on the roads and with a group. Call the ride leader to let him or her know you are planning to ride. Shane and Richard decide to race from the river back to the fire station while the women took a more relaxed pace. Jim and Ron hung back with LoRita and offered encouragement as she completed the ride.

It was a near perfect evening for a ride tonight with temperatures at about 72 at the start. We had another great turnout with 18 riders in total. Club members included Jan Tucker, Ken Meredith, Charles Coe, John Choate, Mike Dent, Michael Blaine, Scott Oglesby, Brad Renter, Drayton Reese, Jeff Lagana, Brad Francisco, Blake Altman, Michelle Dyer, Dave Owens, and both your ride leaders. We also had two guests, Rob Golding and Mike Cordova. It was an excellent ride and the group split early into like-minded riders. We had another flat on Crain Hwy on the way into La Plata; a group effort got it repaired quickly.