Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Oswald Martin, Donaro Gardner



Route:   Via Hawthorne to climb mighty Mt Pisgah, then descend Rose Hill, and use MD-6 and Blossom Point to a rest stop at the Goose Bay Ship's Store.  Return via Welcome, Fire Tower, Annapolis Woods to Poorhouse/Bicknell then Sweetman to Chicamuxen back to the start.  https://ridewithgps.com/routes/38820055  33.1 miles, 1,094 elevation change.

Weather:   Heavy overcast until after Pisgah Store where it started misting/light rain to the end of the ride; temps arc of 64 at the start, 68 at Goose Bay, and 66 at the end; 5-9 mph air movement out of the east

AMS:  13 mph

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   Oswald had a flat on Chicamuxen just before Lackey High School.  Given the weather conditions, it was decided that the RL would finish the ride, get his vehicle, and go back to pick up Oswald.  However, just prior to departing the parking lot, Oswald and bike arrived, recipients of a ride from a local good samatarian. 

Report:  Not that bad a day for bicycling and the weather was fine until the final stretch.  We moved along quite nicely - even a few PRs for the ride leader.  Traffic was almost nonexistent on some of the roads (Fire Tower to Sweetman in particular) and not too bad on the others.  We all agreed it was a good ride.

When this ride was posted, weather forecasts said NO RAIN.  On the morning of the ride, multiple forecasts (National Weather Service, Apple/Dark Sky, Weather Channel/Weather Underground) were saying light rain that would be gone before 10 am.  Driving over in the rain, forecasts continued to say rain would end prior to ride start. 

There was a steady light rain when Greg Acs, Joan Oppel, Jackie & Randy Schoch, Dave Van Ameyden, and Anne Wittenberg all showed up at the Accokeek Firehouse hoping to ride.  Most of us spent 45 minutes looking at various weather apps, all of which indicated rain would continue until 11:30 or noon, with an indication of some heavier rain before it stopped.   Since the forecasts hadn't gotten it right up to that point, we decided at 11 am to cancel.

Credit due to some dedicated club members who like to ride!

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Gene Villiva and Debby Bowman taking their leisure at Mason Neck State Park visitor center



Route:   Causal tour of Mason Neck - out and back on Belmont Blvd, Gunston Road to Mason Neck trail to High Point Rd and the park visitor center.  Retracing to Gunston Road for leisurely wandering through the Hallowing Point and Gunston Manor neighborhoods then retrace to the Mason Neck trail.  Visits to Gunston Hall and Pohick Bay park preceded the final ride back to the start.

Weather:   Varying degrees of sunshine versus clouds; temps a repeat of the previous day ranging from 73-79; moderate humidity; winds out of the east.

AMS:   low 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:  just getting in some miles sans major hills at a relaxed pace that allowed for plenty of conversational cycling.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:  Gene Villiva, Susan Altemus, Fran Jezisek, Randy Schoch, Donaro Gardner, Leesha Saunders, Mark Garrison, Robin Garnett, Jackie Schoch.  Not pictured - Dan Donahue who started at White Plains and met us where Mattawoman Creek goes under the trail.


Route:  the best Friday ride option - Indian Head Rail Trail, Livingston Rd parking lot to White Plains trailhead and return

Weather:   another "late" summer day (actually, astrologically speaking, the first day of Fall is Sunday, September 22).  Bright sunshine with brilliant blue skies; temp range of 73 - 79; a slight hint of humidity; and 3-6 mph air flow out of the north.

AMS:   Ride leader averaged low 12s, others pedaled their own personalize speed.

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:  for as nice a day as it was, the trail wasn't very busy.  Long stretches, particularly west of Bensville, were devoid of other users.  We did espy fellow club member Bob Moye riding in the opposite direction.  First time we've seen Bob this summer and Donaro, as part of his plan to get extra miles, turned and rode with him.

Wildlife sightings consisted of two eagles near the nest just east of the Livingston Rd parking lot, a hawk, common white egret/white heron, and a cardinal representing the bird family.  Mammals observed were a couple of deer crossing the trail near the 12 mile marker and several kamikaze squirrels on or alongside the trail proper.   With the days still warm, butterflies and reptiles were also present on the trail.  Yellow swallowtails and a Monarch were seen along with several 5-line skinks and a good size eastern black rat snake as photographed by Robin:

Leaders - Jackie & Randy Schoch

Members - Donaro Gardner, Ron & Susan Altemus, Gene Villiva, Robin Garnett, Bruce & Gail Black, Mark Garrison, Susan Henn, Oswald Martin, and Leesha Saunders. 

Guests - None

Route - IHRT

Weather - Perfect, cool (70's) and very light breeze

AMS - Varied per/rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - A great turnout of our Friday regulars. I was surprised that the trail was not heavily used by others today. We did see some wildlife consisting of the ever-present squirrels, birds, turtles, etc. We took our rest break at the White Plains Area. We visited with other trail users and had a chat with Wes (one of the regular trail riders). We saw David and Jules (the trail maintenance crew) doing their separate tasks. I had a nice chat with Jules. After the ride, 10 of us went to the St. James Episc. Church for their fish dinner. It was a very good dinner and dining with friends is a great way to end a bike ride. See yens next week. 

Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Lou Dall'Orso, Denny Miller and Patricia Sanders

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48198550  From Pisgah Park, we took Bicknell/Sweetman/Chicamuxen to circle back on Smallwood Church. Then circle to Bowie, Poseytown, Greenleek Hill and on to Sandy Point and Riverside to arrive at the Nanjemoy Store. Then Adams Willett and Hancock Run to 6 and to Baptist Church to return on Ironsides and Mason Springs.

Weather:  Mid-60's to finishing in the mid-70's, sunny, low humidity - delightful.

Mishaps: None - though mechanical issues were part of the ride (see report) 

Report: Another member met us at the start, only to discover that she had forgotten her helmet! So, only four of us rode. We enjoyed the quiet roads, there were stretches of miles where no car passed us or just one or two spread out. 

As to mechanical issues: my bike has been making clicking noises for a while, all diagnostic attempts have been unsuccessful to date. As we started to ride and the clicking started, Lou suggested he and I swap front wheels at the rest stop (something not tried yet). We did and neither his bike with my front wheel nor mine with his made any clicking sounds. As we rode and talked about it, I guessed quick release not tight enough, but Lou said quick release not operating correctly. It turned out Lou was right, one of the springs on the quick release had malfunctioned and did not allow the hub to sit exactly right in the dropouts. Solved! And many thanks to Lou!!!

Ride Leader: Janell Saunders

Weather: another beautiful evening

Members: Janell Saunders, Ron Altemus, Pat Colvin

It was another evening for a pleasant ride. I thought it would be just Ron and I, but then Pat arrived to join us.  We did a modified route, skipping the old neighborhood altogether and heading right out of the parking lot to head to Bryans Road.  We then crossed over Marshall Hall road and toured the new neighborhood (Pat had not been there before).  We made our downhill run to the boat ramp. There was a corvette tailing me as I sped down before finally passing me.  He was at the ramp and said he thought I hit 40mph on the hill!  Wheeeeee! Pat was happy to have her ebike for the ride up Barrys Hill (and other climbs) and we returned with no incidents.  

I will continue to post this ride as weather and daylight permit, so the time may be earlier. 

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Susan Altemus, Denny Miller, Steve Brown, Dave Van Ameyden, Debby Bowman, Patricia Sanders, Mary Scala, Ray Luckenbach



Route:   Starting at Gunston Elementary, an out and back on Belmont Blvd to view the eponymous Bay, then a short bit of Gunston Road to the Mason Neck Trail.  We followed the trail to Mason Neck State Park for a rest stop at the visitor's center, as pictured above.  Retracing out of the park, another segment of Gunston Road allowed us to we tour Hallowing Point followed by Gnston Manor, both in a clockwise direction.  Returning to the trail, brief spur trips to Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay Park, and the Pohick Bay Golf Course completed our ride back to the start. 

Weather:   a real hint of autumn as temps ranged from 64-70 degrees, brilliant blue sunshine w/cloudless skies,  NW breezes up to 9 mph, and it felt like absolutely NO humidity with dew points in the 40s.

AMS:   rl in the low 11s; others similar, maybe a bit faster or slower

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  the weather made this a delightful ride.  For a couple of attendees, all new miles as this was their first time visiting Mason Neck.  We were the only trail riders, the road into and out of the park had little traffic, and Gunston Road was mostly car-free.

Leader: Walt Roscello

Members: Catherine Ade

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/48352888

I reversed the route for a new perspective.  Down Mechanicsville Rd so we weren't on it as long, UP the steep part on Hurry, but not the steep part on Bushwood nor the uphill south of Rt. 238.  A stop at Bushwood Wharf, then down to Colton's Point for another water view.  Up 470 and 242 in the reverse of usual, then a loop including Old Chestnut and north on Pin Cushion, then use Busy Corner to get to Laurel Grove, then up to the park and return on the trail.

Weather: 60 at the start to the expected high of 72, almost cloudless blue sky.  A light headwind on the first half and a moderate headwind on the second (how does that happen?)

AMS: 14.75

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: We started the weekend with nothing on the calendar, and I wasn't organized enough to get something ready for Saturday, so Catherine and I traded emails and selected a route, which I then reversed and modified for more water visits.

After a warmup on the trail, with a deer sighting in the first 1/4 mile, we turned on Mechanicsville Rd and went past Chaptico, then up the hill on Hurry and enjoyed that road in reverse, as well as Bushwood.  We were mostly chatting and enjoying the day.  Once we reached Colton's Point we took a long break on the breakwater, which turned into looking at some mystery bugs which seem to hang onto the rocks in the wet zone.  Catherine also spotted that there was a lone Blue Crab in the water just off the shore.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/cc8qmesevoTskaW2A

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JqGKvSHZVpLjz6ma7

We ended up stepping into the museum to inquire about the ferry schedule, as Catherine has the idea to do a ride-island-museum-ride event.  Let her know if you're interested.  We also looked at their outdoor exhibits and did a little birdwatching.

After another relaxed stop at the Abell store, we continued enjoying the weather while returning to Rt. 234, then up a hill and onto Bayside, which we then circled around to Pin Cushion which was also nice as we had already climbed the hill on 234, thus we didn't have to climb out as we would have on Colton's Point Road.  

I chose to use Busy Corner and Morganza Turner to get directly on Laurel Grove, as I like riding that stretch.  We took another leisurely stop at Baggett Park (lots to eat and talk about), then straight back on the trail, which already had crunchy leaves on it and tons of squirrels, doing their squirrel thing of being safely off the trail, then dashing in front of us before we pass.  Catherine saw one with a whole corncob, not sure if he got it from a feed station or elsewhere.

We finished with a slight twinge of fatigue, but happy with the route and enamored of the weather.  We had one last wildlife sighting as there was a grasshopper on my car.  We did some planning of potential fall rides, including this one with more mileage.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:  Donaro Gardner, Jackie & Randy Schoch, Mark Garrison, Gene Villiva, Pat Colvin and her eBike, Susan Altemus



Route:  the Friday Fav - Indian Head Rail Trail from Livingston Road Parking lot to White Plains trailhead.  After a rest stop, return to the start. 

Weather:  mostly cloudy, temp range upper 60s to low 70s, marginal air movement - direction undetermined, comfortable humidity

AMS:  swept at 11.4 so faster for everyone else

Mechanicals/Mishaps:  none

Report:   nice to have Pat Colvin riding with the club again and joining us for a Friday IHRT excursion.  Lots of other trails users, including the mom stroller brigade between Middletown and White Plains.  Wildlife sightings were few and far between - common egret (or white heron, depending on your ornithological preferences) and a large turkey crossing the trail.  Numerous other birds heard but not seen.

The Labor Day picnic rides included the IHRT in its entirety.  Today, only four plus days later, there seemed to be an explosion of fall wildflowers.   Between Bensville and White Plains, there was an abundance of tickseed sunflower, as pictured below.  Lots of butterflies were present feeding on the nectar of these flowers.

After Pomfret, goldenrod became the predominant yellow wildflower, interspersed with white flowers (to be identified) and Joe Pye Weed.  The colors of fall will change quickly as the days shorten and temperatures cool.  Riding the IHRT always has new perspectives throughout the year.

Next Friday, September 13, St James Episcopal Church will have a fish fry, 11 am - 6 pm.  After the IHRT ride, a number of us are planning to have lunch at the church.  $13 per person includes fish, potato salad, cole slaw, drink and one of Tom's famous cookies!  A great reason to join us for the ride and lunch afterwards.