Leader/Members:   RL Ron, Janell Saunders, Gene Villiva

Route:   Village Green to Indian Head Rail Trail east to White Plains for a rest stop.  Return Westward Ho! to ride start.

Weather:   Partly cloudy becoming quite sunny with temps ranging from 53-59 degrees - cooler when the sun was hidden by the errant cloud.  NW winds 10-12 mph so noticeable on the return.

AMS:   mid 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none during the ride proper but...  Janell flatted on MD-210 in Indian Head proper.  She was a bit unsure as to how to cope with her thru-axles, so once photog Steve finished his official duties, he went off to assist as possible.  Initially encountering problems, they ended up taking the bike back to Janell's house and then had no issues fixing the flat.  Janell rode back to the trail via Livingston/Pomfret and met up with us near MM 12.

Report:   A nice day on the trail, especially as the sun warmed the air.  Numerous users but not as busy as might have been expected - perhaps others though the day had started a bit too cool  Wildlife sightings (visually or aurally) included frogs, turtles, wild turkeys and different types of smaller birds.  Outbound, an eagle was visible on the nest near Livingston Road while on the return trip, an immature flew diagonally across the trail in front of us below tree top level.  Bald eagles are big birds!  Shortly thereafter, a pileated woodpecker also flew across the trail in front of us.

Walking Home on Woodburn Hill

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Ron Altemus

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50193221

Weather: Cloudy, low 60s at the start rising to the low 70s by 2pm, roughly 10 mph winds.

AMS: 11.5

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: While Walt and Catherine explored Golden Beach, Ron and I took the 3 Notch Trail to Thompson Corner, cutting through the Farmers Market parking lot, then went down Woodburn Hill and back, stopping briefly at the Clover Hill Dairy.  No crowds this time, unlike last week. 

From there we took Locke's Crossing to the 3 Notch Trail across from Mechanicsville Elementary.  We followed the 3 Notch Trail to Morganza Turner, taking that down to Laurel Grove to Baggett Park.  As planned, we met Walt and Catherine at the park, and followed them back on the trail.

It was a pretty nice day.  We're all still wondering, where was everybody?  Were they among the tens of thousands at the "Hands Off" rally at the Washington Monument?

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Jackie Schoch, Gene Villiva, Oswald Martin, Leesha Saunders, Donaro Gardner



Route:  Friday same old same old - Indian Head Rail Trail east from Livingston Rd parking lot to rest stop in White Plains and return

Weather:   mostly cloudy with some sun on the return; temps in the mid 70s; 8-10 mph air out of the NW

AMS:   swept in mid 12s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  weather forecasts had thunderstorms/rain for the regular morning start so rescheduled to 1 pm and most everyone was able to accommodate the time shift.  All of us felt the need for a Friday bike ride, socializing/conversating with pleasant weather.

Enough other trail users today so we didn't feel all alone.   Saw one group of 6-8 mid route and they got to White Plains just before we departed.  Interestingly, they all started stretching having completed their ride.

Minimal wildlife sightings consisting of various birds and turtles, either on the trail or basking on logs in one of the numerous ponds along the trail.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Len Wilkinson, Susan Altemus, Gene Villiva, Fran Jezisek



Route:   Mason Neck trail from Pohick Bay Park to the golf course, then retrace back to High Point Road to the state park visitor's center.  Return included a stop at Gunston Hall

Weather:  plenty of sunshine; temps rising from the upper 60s to mid 70s; pesky winds out of the south

AMS:   11ish

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   a leisurely route for trail riders with only the one hill on the return after High Point Rd.  We rode as a group for the entire trip; surprisingly, we did not see any other cyclists on the trail but there was a steady stream going both ways on High Point Rd.  Three plus ospreys were active near the visitor's center and over Belmont Bay.  When we went behind the visitor's center at Gunston Hall for the view of the house, we encountered club members Joan Oppel and Jessica Hirschhorn.  They were riding the full 28 mile Mason Neck route.

Rest stop at the Clover Hill Dairy

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Catherine Ade, Ron Altemus, Sherwood Byers, Luis Dall'Orso, GloJean Gladden, Karen McMillan, Joan Oppel, Deborah Reynolds, David VanAmayden and Pat Walthers.

Guests: none

Route: 32 mile route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/32015569 and the 38 mile extended version, https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50091140.  My Garmin recorded 1028' elevation gain on the 32 mile route.

Weather: Overcast, mid-60s at the start rising to a sunny, humid 82 with 10-12 mph breezes.  The forecast suggested the possibility of light rain but no rain was seen on the ride.

AMS: 13.1

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Leading the fast contingent, Sherwood encountered some aggressive dogs on Ryceville Rd.  He reports that it appeared for a moment as though he was going to get bitten, but he drove the dog off. 

Later in the ride, after the 2nd break (when he'd unfortunately been left behind because his riding companion failed to hear he was going into the Gents to remove his base layer) Sherwood took the long route and got a flat on the debris-laden shoulder of Golden Beach Rd.

Leaving Gilbert Run Park after the 2nd break, my foot slipped out of the pedal on my first start-up stroke, and came down onto the roadway.  I was off balance and was unable to regain my balance, and eventually I went down.  I got a few scrapes on my knee and elbow. 

Traffic instantly stopped on MD-6 in both directions, and passers-by (including a passing police officer) offered to call an ambulance, but Joan and Pat quickly bandaged me up.

A note in passing: superficial scrapes like that -- the ones we not-so-lovingly refer to as "road rash" -- sting well out of proportion to their seriousness.  Modern bandages like the CVS Advanced Care series transparent dressings and BandAid ProHeal with hydrocolloidal gel pads do a wonderful job removing the pain and eliminating scabbing.

Report: There was a bad crash on MD-5 at Cedarville/McKendree that brought southbound traffic to a crawl this morning.  I didn't arrive at the Northern Senior Center until around 11 am. Early arrivals who'd been fortunate enough to take alternate routes that avoided MD-5 through Waldorf found a parking lot full of cars belonging to participants in a 5K race and a Senior Center building open so they could use the rest rooms.

It was chilly and overcast when we got started, warming enough to require a clothing change by the time we got to Woodburn Hill Rd.  It was scenic there, as always, but hopes for views of bald eagles were disappointed; perhaps we were too early in the season.

We stopped for a rest break at the Clover Hill Dairy.  I was in line behind a couple of customers as I waited to purchase a drink.  When the second customer at length finally had the contents of her shopping basket (mainly large foot-long blocks of cheese, two shopping bags all told) rung up, she was given a bill for $961 and some change.  She presented around $80 cash in 10s and 20s.  "It's nine hundred and sixty one dollars."  She presents another $20, up to $100 now.  "It's nine hundred and sixty one dollars."

At that point I thought better of my purchase and put my drink back in the cooler, went the loo and then rejoined the group waiting outside.  Either someone made a big mistake ringing up the order, or at $3-10/lb .those foot-long blocks of cheese are a lot heavier than I would have guessed. (I mean, like who buys almost a thousand dollars worth of cheese?)

We continued through Amish farm country on Dixie Lyon and Ryceville, where Sherwood had his dog encounter, but didn't see any dogs, then rode on Olde Mill and Plater, I believe to be old alignments that at one time were the route of Budds Creek Rd, before taking Bowling to Trinity Church and MD-6 to our second rest stop at Gilbert Run Park.

After our break and my fall, we took Keech to Oaks to the Three Notch Trail back to Northern Senior Center.   Aside from the massive delays in getting started, and of course the mess that happened leaving Gilbert Run Park, it was a very enjoyable day.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Susan Altemus, Donaro Gardner, Gene Villiva, Robin Garnett, Leesha Saunders



Route:  Indian Head Rail Trail, Livingston Rd parking lot east to White Plains.  Return to start after a rest stop.

Weather:   mostly cloudy>partly cloudy>mostly cloudy; mid 50s to upper 60s temp range; 5-7 mph SW airs

AMS:  varied by individual

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:  as pictured above, we started off somewhat bundled up but by the time we returned, it was quite nice.  The number of other trail users rose along with the temperatures.  Wildlife sightings included several bald eagles, turtles, crows and numerous smaller birds.  Heard but not seen was a noisy woodpecker.

Robin and I had a lovely ride to view the cherry blossoms.  We rode around Hains Point, past the Tidal Basin and the Washington Monument, stopping for photo ops.  Unfortunately, the bright sunrise I saw on the way to the ride at 7 AM didn't last, so we had overcast skies. The blossoms look like they are near peak, so you still have time to see them. 

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   (not as fast group at Walters Landing)  Pat Walthers, Denny Miller, Sue Gunter, Donaro Gardner, Joan Oppel, Jackie Schoch

(the fast guys at Nanjemoy Store)  Sherwood Byers, (onlooker Joan), Luis Dall'Orso

Route:   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41956882    From Friendship Farm, Ironsides.MD-6 to Tayloes Neck for an out and back including Bluff Point and Walters Landing.   Retrace back to King James Church for a bio stop.  Hancock Run>Adams Willet to a rest stop at Nanjemoy Store.  Jacksontown, Poseytown, Bowie, and Baptist Church back to the start point.  35.8 miles, 1215' elevation change.

Weather:  blue skies giving way to mostly cloudy by ride's end; temp range mid 50s to mid 60s; 8 mph NW winds

AMS:   ride leader swept 11ish, the fast guys were around 18 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  a very delightful and leisurely tour of Tayloes Neck followed by some fav Nanjemoy routing.  We split into two groups on Ironside and redistributed numbers near the end of Tayloes Neck with some of the group out ahead slowing while the fast guys did their thing.  With the exceptions of Ironsides and MD-6, roads had little to no traffic, which is why the Nanjemoy area is so great for cycling.

The visit to Walters Landing was memorable.  On Friendship Acres Rd, there is a boggy area that has growing on it a large number of wild magnolia trees (pictured below).  When we stopped at Walters Landing, resident Loretta came out and talked with us and we queried her about the magnolias.  She described the site was "boggy" which is what magnolia trees prefer and she mentioned another boggish area near the intersection of MD-224/225.  Both sites are of interest and concern for State of Maryland Wildlife Conservationists as these types of tracts are disappearing rapidly.   The site below is the only one your faithful correspondent has ever seen with WILD magnolias growing on it.

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Ron Altemus

Guests: None

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/39819531

Weather: Partly cloudy, mid 50s at the start, rising to the high 60s.  Breezy, with 10-12 mph winds.

AMS: 11.9

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none (Well, none on my route.  Lou Dall'Orso had a flat which was repaired at the Nanjemoy store, but he was with Joan's group)

Report:  Not much sign of spring in Nanjemoy yet, unlike Alexandria and the District, but it definitely felt like a spring day, especially towards the end when the temps got up to almost 70. 

This was my first chance for a weekend ride in weeks, and I could definitely feel it.  The 30 mile route was easy by design: it's been a long hard winter with few opportunities to ride.  Surely others must be feeling as rusty as I do and would appreciate an easy start to the season.

Joan was up for a longer route and posted a 35 mile variation.  9 others joined her, several actually on their first rides of the season.  Ron and I did the 30 version.  The two groups rode together for the first 20 miles, separating at the 2nd rest stop at the Nanjemoy Store as the long route went down to the end of Liverpool Point Rd. while Ron and I took a break at the store before returning to Friendship Farm Park.

It was a lovely day, and it was wonderful seeing riders I haven't seen in a year or longer - in one case, not since the Pandemic.  And it was a fine reminder of why this is such a great activity.  

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Chantal Briere, Lou Dall'Orso, Lois Lightfoot, Ray Luchenbach, Karen McMillan, Jackie Schoch, Tom Short, Bob Thompson

Route: The longer version of the ride Steve posted - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/50032848

Weather: Some clouds, some sun - Partly cloudy, high 50's to start rising into mid 60's, a west wind that was rarely felt due to (I think) the wind shielding effect of the forests. Some outstanding cloud formations, like painting in the sky.

Mechanicals/Mishaps: Lou Dall'Orso found a slow leak in a tire, pumped a few times, then checked out at first Nanjemoy store stop and a small piece of glass discovered. Tire/tube quickly changed and on our way.

Report: We gathered with Steve P and Ron A at the start and more or less rode as a group the first 11 miles to the Nanjemoy Store. At that point, everyone split up into small groups. Three's, two's, even one who set out to do his own thing. After the second visit to the Nanjemoy Store (we didn't really stop) at mile 20, Lois, Ray, Jackie, Karen and I rode down to the end of Liverpool Point. We could not reach the beach area due to a massive mud puddle. After we turned right to loop around Riverside Road to Maryland Point, Ray and Lois took off on Riverside and Jackie, Karen and I rode the final 13 or 14 miles together. 

It was a beautiful, warm day, low traffic, good company.