Leader - Joan Oppel

Members -  Linda Bankerd, Lois Lightfoot, Alan Kurzweil, Sonya Newman, Patricia Sanders, Pat Walthers       Guest - Dion

Route - Chicamuxen, Marbury Run, Bicknell, Pisgah Marbury, the Stuckeys, Poorhouse, Burch, 6, Goose Bay, Mill Swamp, 6, Welcome, Fire Tower, Annapolis Woods to Hilltop, 6 to Mason Springs, then Smallwood Church, to Sweetman, Bicknell, Chicamuxen and back. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44564234

Weather -  Sunny, delightful 72 at start, about 80 at the end, very nice day

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report -  A really nice day for a bike ride. Goose Bay was a treat as always, the manager was doing her work on the porch and reiterated that we were welcome. Other than the main roads (Rt 6 and Chicamuxen plus Hawthorne), traffic was very quiet and the ride felt quite peaceful. Everyone liked the "roundabout return". 

Ride Leader: Janell Saunders

Weather: warm

Riders: Sherwood Byers Jr, Carl Hattery, Lou Dall'Orso, Dennis Miller

Report: I thought it would be 3 of us and when I got to the firehouse, Lou and Denny had signed up as well.  I discussed modifying the route as I'm want to do by skipping the first neighborhood and rejoining the route to go to Bryans Road and explore the new neighborhoods along Marshall Hall road.  Not everyone heard me (even tho I mentioned it a few times) so  one rider did the first section in full before we got to Bryans Road. We were altogether after that till another rider missed a turn.  But, all were regrouped at the boat ramp.  Heading back, we did another detour after Barrys Hill and went left to the Mayoane area and retraced back to the finish.  The mileage was 18 for all but one who did the little extra. I ended up with 25 since I ride to and from the start.  Lou had extra as he rode from home as well.  

Stay tuned for more Wednesday eve rides (weather permitting)

B Leader: Diane Harris

CC Leaders: Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Linda Bankerd, Sherwood Byers Sr, Barbara Butcher, Rick Hagen, Diane Harris, Joan Oppel, Steve Perakis, Lisa Petersen, Theresa Rowell

(The CC riders stopping for a photo OP on the way back)

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47751085

We started at Waysons Corner Park & Ride on Route 4 in southern Anne Arundel County and headed north on Sands Road (no dump trucks on Sundays!) and Patuxent River Road. We then followed the East Coast Greenway along Route 214/Central Ave., up Queen Anne Bridge and Mill Branch roads, along Excalibur, Mitchellville and Collington roads to a bike path that took us north over Route 50. From there it was quiet neighborhood streets to the Melford Town Center and the race tents, vendors and food trucks. The ride back was the same route in reverse.

Weather: Nice! Mostly sunny, temps 75-80, humidity 61-40%, and light winds mostly out of the northwest but variable.

AMS: 12.5 mph for the CC riders

Mishaps/Mechanicals: Steve’s rear brake cable came unhooked from the brake lever and we couldn’t get it to stay back in place with the tools we had, so he cautiously rode back with only his front brakes.

(Lisa and Steve trying to fix his brake problem)

Report: We were so lucky with the weather today! We went to the Melford Town Center in Bowie to watch the Getting It In (GII) club’s annual Backyard Boogie bike race, a circuit race for licensed riders of all ages. We started at the Waysons Corner Park & Ride on Route 4, headed north on Sands and Patuxent River roads (not a single dump truck!). Then we followed the East Coast Greenway for 7 miles up to Bowie. We had some debris from Tropical Storm Debby to deal with, including gravel from driveways that washed down and onto the roads. Diane and the B riders arrived first and hung out with GII people, while Lisa and Rick and the CC riders arrived at about 10:30. The CC riders spent an hour watching the races, while the B riders hung out longer. This race attracted 370 riders from the East Coast, even some from Florida! Riders seemed to stay together in a peloton, perhaps unable to break away and stay away. It’s a little nerve-wracking to see how fast they are going and how closely bunched up they are. We did not offer the prime — we’ll plan that better next year. To leave the race area, we rode the town center streets in the opposite direction from the racers and got to see them pass on the other side of the median several times. The rest of the ride on the way back was uneventful. The CC riders stopped at a veterinarian’s office on Central Avenue for a photo op.

After more than 2 days of soaking rain from Hurricane Debbie, an enthusiastic group gathered on a sunny Saturday morning, ready to ride 49 fast, 44 CC or 36 CC with Oxon Hill. 

Start:  Friendship Farms Park

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47850674

Average speed:  11-ish

37/42 registered riders total

36CC riders were Jessica Hirschhorn (lead from wherever), Linda Blackman, Marc Blackman, Jim Cavanaugh, Mark Garrison, Harry Kidd (thank you for sweeping!) Deborah Reynolds, Janell Saunders,  Mary Scala, Andrew Sommers, Robin Sparer, Esther Steward, Dana Trevas 

We all enjoyed the mostly shady, nearly car free route.  There was no standing water, although there was a fair amount of tree debris on some roads. 

One mechanical (broken spoke) and one medical (leg cramps).  It was quite humid, and 88 by the time we arrived back. 

Many thanks to Diane Harris who staffed the rest stop at the Church. 

Water, chips and protein bars were welcomed by all. 

Leaders - Jessica Hirschhorn, Walt Roscello and Joan Oppel

Members - all classes - Linda Bankerd, Riley Bates, Linda Blackman, Marc Blackman, Jim Cavanaugh, Luis Dall'Orso, Margaret Draper-Harris, Mark Garrison, Diane Harris, Liam Healy, Ashira Jones, Ann Kellogg, Marjorie Khattab, Harry Kidd, Alan Kurzweil, Karen Morgan, Taylor Morgan, Michael "Sue" Murray, Sonja Newman, Steve Perakis, Deb Reynolds, Theresa Rowell, Mario Salazar, Janell Saunders, Mary Scala, Tom Short, Terre Simpson, Andrew Summers, Robin Sparer, Esther Steward, Dana Trevas, Dave VanAmeyden, Bryan VanGilder, Pat Walthers

Routes - 44: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47913686and 49: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47914313

36 has a separate report

Weather - Sunny - with lots of shade. Lots of humidity - Temperature ranged from 75-78 for about half the ride and then climbed into the 80's, 88 at the end

Mechanicals/Mishaps - One broken spoke - rider made it to the rest stop where Joan duct taped the broken spoke to the one closest to it and opened the brakes to accommodate the wobbly wheel (with additional advice from Alan and Lou)

Report -  A nice DRY day after a storm that brought major down pours and flooding - and did leave us with a lot of humidity. The routes got a lot of praise from riders - it really is lovely in Nanjemoy. Long miles of forested road and lots of shade.Very sparse traffic, I think the 44 route had about 15 cars total pass us for all those miles. Long miles of forested road and lots of shade. We did find at least 3 chain-sawed trees that had been down across the road but cleared by the time we got there.

We used the King James picnic tables and bathroom for a rest stop. The club provided water, ice, snack chips and bars. And Walt got a donation from Amrita Foods of energy bars and we put those out as well. The 3 groups met up there and people hung out for quite a while to socialize.

Riders spread out quite a bit and the ride leaders were mostly bringing up the rear. A great time was had by all!!

Old gravestone at King James

Leaders: Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Linda Bankerd, Sherwood Byers Sr, Rick Hagen, Harry Kidd, Darrell Meyer, Joan Oppel, Lisa Petersen

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47871662

Base route was 30 miles, those rode both optional additions did 38 miles.

From the Route 260 Recreation Area, we went south on Route 260 to Jewell Rd and rode the whole length of it. We took Route 2 a short distance to Friendship Road to get to Chesapeake Market for a rest stop. We rode around Holland Point to the bike path through North Beach. We continued south through Chesapeake Beach but turned on Old Bayside Road at Beach Elementary to ride on quiet back roads. Dalrymple and its big hill took us to a rest stop at the 7-11 in Sunderland. The route then continued north on Route 2 to the Owings Post Office, where we got on Old Solomons Island Road up to Friendship. We rode Sansbury, Wilson, and Jewell back to Route 260 and the parking lot.

Weather: Hot! Sunny, temps were 82-90, humidity 80-60%, and a 10 mph breeze out of the south.

AMS: 12.2 mph (sweep)

Mishaps: none.

Report: There was a request to add a few miles to the route to make the drive worth it, so 2 options were suggested: Karyn Drive in Chesapeake Beach would add 3.25 miles, and Pushaw Station Road in Sunderland would add 4.0 miles, both shady and a little hilly. Most riders were interested in either or both. We took off from the parking lot on time, and rode 9 miles past a flock of snowy egrets at Herrington Harbor to our first rest stop at Chesapeake Market. In North Beach, we rode along the boardwalk in the bikes only lane, and only encountered 3 pedestrians. South of Chesapeake Beach, we turned off on quiet roads to Karyn Drive where most riders went into this neighborhood for an additional 3.25 miles, while others waited. We continued on Dalrymple and up the big hill. Some riders reported 8 to 13% grade, so ridewithGPS at 4.9% is clearly wrong. We stopped at the 7-11 in Sunderland and Darrell bought a gallon of cold water to share with everyone, so appreciated on this hot day. After the break, some riders took Pushaw Station Road, a little-used road to nowhere, 2 miles long, while Darrell and Lisa continued on the route. The rest of the ride was uneventful.

Lisa rode 6 miles home from the parking lot to make up for not riding the add-ons.

Animals: deer, flock of snowy egrets

Leader - Joan Oppel 

Members - Catherine Ade, Linda Bankerd, Barbara Butcher, Sherwood Byers, Ellen Goodwin, Diane Harris, Liam Healy, Marcy Kelley, Harry Kidd, Michael "Sue" Murray, Sam Perry, Walt Roscello, Bernard Steward,  Dave Van Ameyden, Steve Wartik

Nonmembers: Melanie Collins and Chris Rossow

Routes - 39: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47719375  40: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47812375  The distance difference is all in the first half outbound to Eagle Harbor, return is the same for both routes. Most of this route is on the nice rural roads of eastern and southern Prince George's County. 

Weather - Sunny, mid 80's for the first half, low 90's for the second half, humid.

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - Diane Harris and Walt Roscello helped out as co-leaders. We had a diverse group, about a third riding the shorter distance outbound to Eagle Harbor and the rest the longer route, and different paces within the large group.

Eagle Harbor was really bustling, with some booths set up, including one about Buffalo Soldiers, food trucks, a contingent from the Prince George's sheriff's office to march in the parade, the Gwynn Park H.S. marching band. The shorter ride group arrived about a 1/2 hour before the longer group and introduced ourselves to Mayor Noah Waters . (Eagle Harbor is an incorporated town, with its own mayor and town commissioners.) When all the riders had gathered, Mayor Waters got on the microphone near the community center and introduced us. Then I made short speech on behalf of the club, I mentioned how the  Rural Legacy got started and its goal to highlight the rural and special places in Prince George's County. Walt and I then  presented the Mayor with the donation from this year's Rural Legacy  event. Mayor Waters told us that our donation played a big part in funding this celebration. 

It was hot and humid, slowing many riders down on the return, three took a shorter route to the North Keys parking lot. Riders arrived back at North Keys in small groups or ones and twos but all made it back. 

Leader - Joan Oppel 

Member - Don Gardner and Anonymous User (plus 2 club members who arrived a little late and said they were not formally "on the ride")

Route - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/26761408  Somewhat of a "reverse" of a "usual" way on several roads. From Wrighton we took Bay Front to Mckendree, then made our way to Franklin Gibson and then a right on Leitch. That took us over to Fairhaven and the descent on Friendship/261 to the Chesapeake Market. We then climbed most of 5th St, and made our way to Friendship, Sansbury, Wilson, repeat Jewell, McKendree, take Brooks Woods and Greenock. Here we deviated from the return on Southern Maryland Blvd to retrace Wrigton/Plummer.

Weather - Very overcast - Mid 70s to start, barely 80 to end. Very pleasant conditions. One rider remarked that the cloudy conditions were welcome for today.

Mechanicals/Mishaps - None

Report - For a last minute ride, it was very enjoyable and we were all glad to get out on our bikes. Once again, traffic was very light and quiet - and we even experienced some extra polite drivers, who noticeably just followed us at a distance on a couple of the windy roads. No wildlife close ups, saw a couple of distant snowy egrets and heard an osprey as we went through Rose Haven and passed the marshes on the way to North Beach. (No picture, I forgot)

18 friends had a great ride on the C&O canal, from White's Ferry to Brunswick.   

It is resurfaced with crushed gravel and is as smooth as BUTTAH. Most of us rode bikes with gravel tires and everyone rode well. 

RIDERS:  Linda Bankerd, Sherwood Byers, Cynthia Cypress, Robine Garnett, Mark Garrison, Rick Hagen (rode from Brunswick then back with us), Pete Hinz (rode from the sunflowers), Jessica Hirschhorn, Lynda Honberg, Ron Honberg, Doug Kay, Harry Kidd, Kathy King, Joe McKenzie (met us at Monocracy Acqueduct) Lisa Peterson (rode from Brunswick) , Dana Trevas, Gene Villiva, and Anne Wittenberg. 

Total milage: 39.15

AVERAGE speed : varied. Mine was 11.3

We rode over two beautiful aqueducts (Monocracy and Cacoctin) and the WONDERFUL new bridge at MM 53.  No more DOWN, ACROSS the stream, and UP detour!  See photo. 

We had lunch at Beans in the Belfry, some inside and some outside in the shade.  We were such a big group that we all called our orders ahead, which made service much smoother!  

We skedaddled back on a slight downhill, and arrived back at White's Ferry as the temp reached 95 (and we felt it). 

Here's the group at Monocracy Aqueduct: 

The new BRIDGE! 

Walking our bikes over Monocracy Aqueduct: 

Beans in the Belfry: 

And my Towpath Tan: 

Leaders: Rick Hagen & Lisa Petersen

Members: Rick Hagen, Joan Oppel, Lisa Petersen

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/47260406

From the parking lot at the Route 260 Recreation Area, we went north on Fishers Station into southern Anne Arundel County and quickly came south on McKendree (ridewithGPS lies - the hill is 10% grade). We took local roads over to the Patuxent side of Calvert County and made a short side trip to the Huntingtown NRMA where there is a portolet and shade. We went back to Lower Marlboro Road to the historic town of the same name and to the pier with a nice view of the Patuxent River. We took Flint Hill Road (ridewithGPS lies again, 10% grade), and continued on to Route 260. We used back roads to Friendship, then Sansbury, Wilson and Jewell roads to return to the cars.

Weather: Nice! Sunny, temps in mid-70s, humidity 40-50%, and a 10 mph breeze out of the northeast.

AMS: 11.6 mph

Mishaps: none, but everyone helped adjust Lisa’s handlebars to a more comfortable position.

Report: We were so lucky with the weather today! This route in southern Anne Arundel and northern Calvert counties is a hilly one, mostly on quiet roads, which was good since we had lots of talking to do. The ride was generally uneventful, except Lisa spotted tobacco growing in someone’s large garden on Mill Branch Road, not something you see much anymore even in Calvert County, so we stopped to look. No eagles or herons on the Patuxent River at Lower Marlboro this time. The construction on Flint Hill Road seems done except for the final paving. We were not able to get water at the Fairview Library as it’s closed on Friday mornings, but we still had water left since the weather was cool for this time of year. It took us 3.5 hours to do the ride, 3.0 hours moving. Maybe we got caught up on all our talking.

Animals: sheep, goats, horses, baby rabbit, 1 turtle