Leader: Joan Oppel

Members: Ron Altemus, Randy Schoch, Jackie Schoch, Don Gardner, Steve Palincsar

Route: Starting at the Livingston Road parking lot, we beelined for 9 miles along Chicamuxen to Riverside, then 5 more miles to a right on Liverpool Point Rd. Down to the river, u-turn, then to Adams Willett, Hancock Run and Rt 6. Return on Poseytown,  Bowie, 6 again, Masons Spring, Pisgah Marbury, Chicamuxen and back to the parking lot.   https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44919458

Weather: Overcast and cloudy early, with the sky opening to some sunshine and then some clouds as the day went on. Temperature: 64 at start, 73 by mid-ride. 

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: Once again - Nanjemoy delivered a delightful ride. It was pretty warm from the start and got warmer. Many trees were still holding their fall colors and providing a cheerful show. Shout out to the oaks and sweet gums. From Riverside we turned right on Liverpool Point, which trails off to dirt for a couple hundred feet and then a trail, leading to a small beach on the river (Potomac). We walked down the trail to see what we could see - a lovely expanse of water, shore view south to Douglas Point and Clifton Beach, across to Virginia (south of Quantico base). And cat fisherman on the beach. 

Jackie provided another insight when she described how she and her siblings came down to Liverpool Point beach with their  grandmother to deliver lumber to be loaded on barges from the beach to be sold elsewhere.  

So little traffic once on Riverside, one hand counts all the cars that passed us along Riverside, Liverpool Point, Adams Willett and Hancock Run to Rt 6. Nice rest stop at the Nanjemoy Community Center.

Catfishing in the Potomac while looking south from Liverpool Point Road's end, toward Douglas Point, which we often pass riding along Riverside Road 

Don, Randy, Jackie, Joan and Ron - Photographer: Steve P.

Photo Op on the Bridge at Kellys Ford

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Sarah Clement, Janell Saunders, Tom Short

Guests: Gregory Harris

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41097032

Weather: Sunny, 62 at 10:00 rising to the low 70s by mid-afternoon, with 10-12 mph winds; a day fully worthy of an 8/10 rating by the Capital Weather Gang and a lovely day for cycling.

AMS: 13.1

Mechanicals/Mishaps: A dropped chain that wedged itself between the bottom bracket shall and the crank spider made for a slow recovery resulting in nothing worse than lost time and greasy fingers.  Two of the riders had a close encounter with a free-roaming pit bull on Cemetery Rd but escaped unscathed.

Report: Eight registered, but by the time we left the parking lot at HM Pearson Elementary School in Catlett VA there were but five of us, the rest having canceled in the morning. 

It's been several years since I led a ride from this ride start -- I stopped when the road construction on I-66 made the drive there slow torture -- but I'm happy to report things have greatly improved. 

The road work on I-66 is done,  and VA-28 between the Prince William Parkway and Nokesville has been widened to four lanes so travel time is even better than it was in the 1990s.  I'm also happy to report the park a quarter mile down Bastable Mill has portolets that Greg, a local resident, believes to be year-round now.  Fauquier County seems to have retained its rural charm, and I think we'll be back from time to time.

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:    Cindy Halliday, Joan Oppel, Jill Thompson Riese

Route:   From Gunston Elementary, an out and back on Belmont Blvd for a scenic view of Belmont Bay, then the Mason Neck trail/Springfield spur to a rest stop at the State Park visitors center.  Departing the park, east on Gunston Road to tour Hallowing Point followed by Gunston Estates.  Brief jogs into Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay Park, and Pohick Bay golf course completed our route.

Weather:   Another fabulous day - plenty of sunshine, temps climbing from the upper 50s to probably 70, and marginal air movement from some direction or other.

AMS:   leisurely mid 11s

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  another initial club ride for a new member as Cindy just joined and rode this route for the first time.  She was surprised at the rural nature of Mason Neck and the large sections of property under government control which precludes further development.  Welcome Cindy - we hope to see you on more club rides.

 With Jill on her eDomane and Cindy riding an etrike, the decision was made to include two additional descents/climbs to the usual route.  At the overlook of Belmont Bay, we continued down the hill on Old Spring to the George Mason conference center.  Though the gate was locked, we got a bit of hill work in retracing our route back to Belmont Blvd.  Then at Pohick Bay Park, we added the descent down to the bay.  The return back up the hill saw a steady 11% (with a flash of 12) grade, most of the reason why we don't usually go down there.

A most enjoyable conversational cycling ride today. 

Photo op at the end of pavement on Woodburn Hill Road

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Ron Altemus, Dan Donahue, Rick Hagen, Don Haller, Sabine Hentrich, Harry Kidd, Joan Oppel, Lisa Petersen, Walt Roscello, Bill Silva

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44893538  A new variation on the traditional "Hidden Amish" route, featuring an excursion down Woodburn Hill Road (with a rest stop at the Clover Hill Dairy) and a rest stop at Gilbert Run Park.

Weather: A lovely day, well worthy of the 8/10 the Capital Weather Gang gave it.  Sunny, around 50 when we started rising to the mid-60s by early afternoon, and if my car is to be believed, 72 by 2 pm (it sure didn't feel like any 72, so I'm sticking with the official forecasts).

AMS: 13.0 at the front, around 12.5 at the back of the pack.

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: After leaving Northern Senior Center, carefully avoiding the horse droppings on the Three Notch Trail, we made our way west on Lockes Crossing Road up the hill to the intersection with Briscoe Anderson Lane and searched for the location of the elusive Country View Bakery -- which isn't where Google Maps says it is.

There are three gravel roads visible at that corner.  I went down the road to the right, where we'd been told on the Century by motorists exiting there that it was "Back there, just down the road."  What I found was a farmhouse and a couple of yapping free-range dogs that convinced me to turn right around. 

Ron [correction, Walt] went past the misplaced eyedrop (see map above) to an Amish butcher shop who told him the bakery was all the way down Briscoe Anderson about where the X marks the spot (take that, Google!).

Harry and I tried riding down Briscoe Anderson a hundred feet or so, but all we saw was a couple of farm houses complete with laundry and a goat.  When we learned it was "a five minute drive" down that road I decided enough, let's ride on.  I'm removing that bakery from the Century route.

No bakery here, boss

Not here, either

We turned on Thompson Corner, and in 0.1 mi on Woodburn Hill.  We rode down to the end of the pavement past farms, fields and herds of cows, took the obligatory "Kilroy Was Here" photo, then came back, this time stopping for a break at the Clover Hill Dairy.  It's a very nice stop with a friendly shopkeeper, inexpensive snacks and an indoor rest room, a good place to stop even if you don't want any of the locally made cheeses.

Ron riding past the cows that gave the milk that made the cheese sold at the Clover Hill Dairy.

Returning to Thompson Corner, we turned on Dixie Lyon and rode North Ryceville, Ryceville, Trinity Church and down Old Sycamore to Budd's Creek.  Old Sycamore is scenic, with pretty barns and a fast downhill with coarse pavement and some harsh cracks that can give your steering a sharp jolt.

We turned on Budds Creek and then on Steins Store which becomes Newport Church, and once again onto Bowling for three miles through scenic farmland.  A turn onto Trinity Church, another on MD-6, and we were entering Gilbert Run Park for a rest stop at the lake.  After the break we took MD-6 to Keech, turned on Oaks and took it to the Three Notch Trail back to Northern Senior Center.

It's a very pretty route with some roads that are a lot of fun to ride - a perfect introduction to this part of Southern Maryland for the five riders in the group who'd never been here before, and a nice change for those of us who have been here many times before, but always starting from Oak Ridge Park.

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:   Gene Villiva, Randy Schoch, Oswald Martin, Jackie Schoch, Denny Miller, Fran Jezisek, Susan Altemus (not pictured - Donaro Gardner)



Route:   the usual Friday bill of fare - Indian Head Rail Trail from Livingston Rd parking lot to White Plains trailhead and return

Weather:   Plenty of sunshine with crisp mid 40s temps rising to just about 50 by ride end.  Enough wind out of the southern quadrant to make it feel even chillier at times.

AMS:   varies by rider but as a group, a bit faster than in the past due to an increase in the eBike contingent.

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:   New member Denny Miller's first ride with the club and we're hoping he'll be joining us again in the very near future.  Additionally, as noted above, more eBike riders, pictured below:

Not many other trail users today.  In fact, we didn't see anyone else riding, running, or walking until we got close to White Plains.  Maybe too cold for mere mortals.  Wildlife was also almost non-existent other than a dead green snake near the 8 MM while only one eagle was observed on the nest near Livingston Road.

Selfie at the Sausage sign at the Moreland Market

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Sarah Clement

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/30725852 A short, flat ride to Malcolm, 32 miles and 960' elevation gain.

Weather: Sunny, breezy (12 mph wind) cold.  Low 40s at the start rising to the low 50s by early afternoon. 

AMS: 13.0

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: Today was a dress rehearsal for winter riding, both literally and figuratively.  It was time to break out the winter clothing and figure out once again how to put it all on and re-learn what to wear at what temperature.  It's hard to believe that only last Saturday it was 86 degrees, and this week we plunged straight into winter without bothering to pass through autumn.  Of course, by January we're going to think a sunny day with 50 degree temperatures is balmy, but today we were still working through it and missing shorts and short sleeve jerseys.  Still, it was a nice, scenic ride.

Leader:   Ron Altemus

Members:   Joan Oppel, Esther Steward, Steve Palincsar, Robin Garnett, Patricia Sanders at the Pet Cemetery in Riverside Gardens

Route:   Meander through neighborhoods in the Fort Hunt area of Fairfax County, including Stratford Landing, Riverside Gardens, Candlewood, Hollin Hall, and Waynewood. 

Weather:   a tad brisk with temps at ride start in the mid 40s but with more sun than forecast, rising to low 50s by the end.  WInd, out of the NW, was also stronger than forecast.

AMS:   under 10 mph...

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  The bloom must be off Halloween decorations in the greater Fort Hunt Metropolitan Statistical Area as several "must sees" of years past had little to no displays.  As previously mentioned, the day was sunny and fall colors included many vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows.

A few pictures :

	Must be Grateful Dead fans given the "Skulls and Roses" vibe.
Nicely done Grim Reaper along with the ubiquitous cemetery populated with the sandworm from "Beetlejuice"
	A personal favorite

Flickr album of Steve's photos is here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/97916047@N00/albums/72177720312355831

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Tom Short, Paul Hamilton, Harry Kidd, Sabine Hentrich, Dave Van Amayden

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44840964 This approach to Deale is getting to be one of my favorites. 

Weather: Another astonishing day for late October.  Partly sunny, partly overcast skies with a few "Devil is beating his wife" sun showers for the first ten miles.  Mid-60s at the start: jacket, vest and armw armer temps, but once we reached South County Cafe at 11:30 the sky cleared and it warmed up, eventually to around 85.

AMS: 12.3

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Chesapeake Bay at Franklin Manor

Report: It was a beautiful day in South County: moderate temperatures, plenty of autumn leaf color, great roads to ride and even company at the Cafe when a Potomac Pedalers ride from Allen Pond Park rolled in as we were thinking about leaving.  Tom Short was riding his new e-bike, making three in a group of six, and Sabine was riding here for the second time. 

Leader:  Ron Altemus

Members:   Susan Altemus, Fran Jezisek, Jackie Schoch, Robin Garnett, Oswald Martin, Randy Schoch, Mark Garrison.  Not pictured:  Diana & Dan Donahue



Route:   for those pictured above, IHRT from Livingston Rd parking lot to White Plains & return.  Diana & Dan started at White Plains, met us near Bumpy Oak, and returned back to their start.

Weather:   unseasonably warm with temps starting in the upper 60s, rising to the mid 70s due to mostly sunny skies and air out of the south.

AMS:   varied by rider

Mechanicals/Mishaps:   none

Report:  Big event of the day was Jackie back with on her trike for the ride, having received the okay to resume riding since she'd "only" be sitting down to pedal.  As she noted on her Facebook page "after aortic valve replacement and a pacemaker put in and almost a month rest I finally got to go on a bike ride. I rode slow. Getting stronger every day and after the ride I feel great."

The nice weather brought numerous other trail users out today.  At different points on the trail, there was good fall color.  Turtles were basking on logs in the Port Tobacco creek pond at White Plains.  Other reptilian sightings included a box turtle and a brown snake at different points on the trail.  The eagle nest just east of the Livingston Rd parking lot had 3-4 eagles present, as pictured below:

Leader: Steve Palincsar

Members: Randy Schoch

Guests: none

Route: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44821292

Weather: Clear, sunny skies, 10 mph wind.  Around 53 when we started, almost 70 by 2 pm.

AMS: 12.0

Mechanicals/Mishaps: none

Report: This was a nice route.  Today was the first time this year I've ridden down the hill on Bumpy Oak, and the first time in several years that I've ridden Hampshire Circle [fur] and Dorchester Circle [fish].  It was Randy's first time in that area (call it "Westlake" for want of a better name).  Also my first time in years riding on Berry Rd -- dramatically improved from what it was several years ago, with nice debris-free, smooth shoulders.  But the big surprise was Manning Rd E, which used to be end-to-end potholes.  That's all gone now, with smooth new pavement the order of the day. 

We had fun; you would have too, had you been there.