WEEKEND RIDES, AUGUST 29 & 30, 2009

Dear Friends,

The weekend forecast has brightened up a bit, and we're planning to ride
both days. We'll take it easy on Saturday down in southern Maryland so
as to have a little something left for a very special, extrEEEMely
"scenic" ride on Sunday!

Here's what's up:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29, 2009
"COBB ISLAND CENTURY," starting from the College of Southern Maryland,
La Plata, Maryland. MEETING TIME 8:00 am. **NOTE meeting time is a
half hour later than usual.** A gentle ride, with some flat stretches
and a few hills. Points of interest include Port Tobacco, Chapel Point,
Popes Creek, and a nice tour around Cobb Island. Lunch at Captain
John's Crab House on Cobb Island. 101 miles, with MANY shorter options.

Directions to the ride start:
COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND, 8730 MITCHELL ROAD, LA PLATA, MARYLAND
From DC Beltway, exit 7A, Route 5 South (Branch Ave.) towards Waldorf.
In 12.7 miles merge onto US301 South/Crain Hwy/Blue Star Memorial Hwy.
In 8.7 miles turn right onto Mitchell Rd (traffic light, 1st right after
Turkey Hill Rd). In 1.6 mile turn right on North Campus Drive into the
college. Immediately turn R into 1st parking lot.

**********************************************

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30, 2009
"BURY MY HEART ON THE BLUE RIDGE," starting from the VDOT commuter lot
in Marshall, Virginia. MEETING TIME 7:30 a.m.
This a very challenging ride, OK? It's also very, very beautiful, worth
every drop of sweat. The first 20 miles over the rolling hills of
Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties pass scenic horse farms and
vineyards. Then, after a fairly mellow climb over the Blue Ridge on
US522, we turn left onto Chester Gap Road, and the real drama begins.
The ensuing climb to the road's end at a foot trail into the Shenandoah
Back Country is less than two miles, but it's one you'll long remember.
It starts out steep and gets steeper. There is an ever-so-brief
"respite" when you reach the tiny village of Chester Gap, but then it
steepens yet again. Don't ask me what the grade is. It's as steep as
Coxey Brown for longer, but it's not as steep as the beginning of
Jackson Mountain Rd. Bring low gears. You'll feel exhilarated once you
reach the top, and there are some great views when you turn around and
descend (if you can look around you and control your speed at the same
time). But the ride is not over. Leaving Chester Gap, we'll plunge
down into Front Royal, briefly refuel, then ride south on Skyline Drive
(with its lovely overlooks and long stair-step climbs) to Thornton Gap,
with a lunch stop at the Elk Wallow Wayside (great blackberry milkshakes
are to be enjoyed here). After another wonderful descent on US211,
we'll take the beautiful back way into Flint Hill by way of Gid Brown
Hollow and Harris Hollow Roads (1-mile section of hard-pack on Gid Brown
Hollow). We'll have a final rest stop in Flint Hill, then it's back to
Marshall on hilly but pretty Crest Hill Road. 103 miles, with a 50-mile
option that goes straight back to Marshall from Front Royal (why bother
coming out for just that?) and an optional 6-mile shortcut that omits
the unpaved road (and some gorgeous scenery).

Directions to the ride start:
VDOT COMMUTER LOT, MARSHALL, VIRGINIA
From DC beltway I-495, take exit 49 onto I-66 west, In 36 miles, take
exit 28 for US17 toward Warrenton/Marshall. In 0.4 mi. take the Bus.17
ramp right toward Marshall. In 0.7 mi. turn left on Main Street/VA55 at
traffic light. In ~ 0.2 mi. turn right on Frost St. & follow to parking
lot at end of the road.

Crista
Work 202-662-4557
Cell (weekends only) 202-365-3738
**NO EMAIL ACCESS ON WEEKENDS**

Dear Friends,

The weekend rides notice will be posted on Friday, as we're monitoring
the weather forecast closely. We hope to be able to ride both days.

Til tomorrow,

Crista

SUNDAY RIDE, AUGUST 23, 2009

Dear Friends,

We'll be out of town on Saturday and so will be leading a ride Sunday
only this weekend. It's a good one, and I hope you can make the trip
north to Perryville and join us!

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23, 2009
"MARGHERITA'S MISADVENTURE," starting from Perryville High School,
Perryville, Maryland. MEETING TIME 7:30 a.m. A hilly and scenic ride
(aren't they all?), beginning with a visit to the historic town of Port
Deposit with its interesting architecture and lovely view of the MIGHTY
Susquehanna River. After a fairly steep climb away from the river, the
ride heads north into Chester County, Pennsylvania and continues into
Lancaster County, where we'll visit many Amish farms and covered
bridges. As beautiful as the ride is, a major highlight of the day is
lunch at Margherita's in Oxford, where the stromboli rivals that of
Rocco's in East Berlin! For those who are too impatient to sit down for
lunch, there is a convenience store just down the road from
Margherita's. After lunch we'll seek out two more covered bridges and
have an afternoon stop (and yummy home-made ice cream) at the charming
Landenberg Store. The Landenberg store is in a particularly picturesque
setting ("you can't get there from here"). We pass through the White
Clay Creek Preserve on our way back to Perryville. 101 miles, with an
optional 10-mile shortcut before lunch and a an optional 22-mile
shortcut after lunch.

Directions to the ride start:
PERRYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, 1696 PERRYVILLE RD, PERRYVILLE, MARYLAND
From DC Beltway, north on I-95 30 miles to Ft. McHenry Tunnel (toll).
Continue north on I-95 another 36 miles and cross the Tydings Memorial
Bridge over the Susquehanna River (toll). Take the next exit (Exit 93),
MD222 toward Perryville/Port Deposit. In 0.4 mile, turn left onto
MD275/Perrylawn Drive. In 0.3 mile bear right onto Perryville Rd MD222.
In 0.4 mile, turn left into Perryville High School where St. Marks
Church Rd goes right (flashing traffic light as of 2006).

Crista
Work 202-662-4557
Cell (weekends only) 202-365-3738
**NO EMAIL ACCESS ON WEEKENDS**

WEEKEND RIDES, AUGUST 15 & 16, 2009

Dear Friends,

This Saturday we have a new ride that features a couple of interesting
climbs AND a road that we've never been on before. On Sunday we've
scheduled a familiar but very nice oldy-but-goody, as follows:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2009
"TKO," starting from Maugansville Elementary School,
Maugansville, Maryland. **MEETING TIME 7:30 a.m.** The "Technical
Knock-Out" at issue today is a Tuscarora-Kittatinny One-two punch. The
first punch is a 1425-foot climb on the Lincoln Highway up to Tuscarora
Summit, where your efforts will be rewarded by a fantastic panoramic
view of the valley below from the Mountain House Bar & Grill. See some
really neat photos of old postcards of the area at
http://roadsidephotos.sabr.org/LH/centpenn02.htm. The second punch is a
mere 975-foot climb over Kittatinny Mountain. There are a few less
significant climbs as well, and plenty of fairly mellow riding through
Cumberland Valley farm land. Lunch will be at Johnnie's Restaurant in
McKinney, which has a neat ambiance. The last time Chuck and I were
there, three seriously cute little Amish boys (the youngest looked about
7) rode up to the restaurant on horseback. Other points of interest
include Cowans Gap State Park, the Buchanan State Forest, the historic
Browns Mill one-room schoolhouse, and the picturesque Martins Mill
Covered Bridge (see
http://www.twp.antrim.pa.us/?show=article&id=70&sid=58). 103 miles,
with an optional 66-mile ride that skips the second climb.

Directions to the ride start:
MAUGANSVILLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, MAUGANSVILLE, MARYLAND
From DC beltway go north on I-270 to Frederick. Then take I-70 west to
I-81. Then take I-81 north to Exit 9 (Maugans Avenue). Left (west) on
Maugans Avenue. School is 0.5 mi. on the left.

****************************************

SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2009
"LOVELY LOVETTSVILLE LOOP," starting from the VDOT commuter lot in
Marshall, Virginia. **MEETING TIME 7:30 A.M.** This is a very scenic,
fairly hilly ride that hits most of the classic Fauquier/Loudoun County
horse-country towns and villages, including The Plains, Middleburg ("if
you're not rich you're not welcome"), Purcellville, Waterford,
Taylorstown, Lovettsville, Hillsboro, Round Hill, Airmont, and
Rectortown. Lunch in Lovettsville at Andy's Pizza & Subs. 99 miles,
with PLENTY of shorter options.

Directions to the ride start:
MARSHALL VDOT COMMUTER LOT, MARSHALL, VIRGINIA
From DC beltway I-495, take exit 49 onto I-66 west, In 36 miles, take
exit 28 for US17 toward Warrenton/Marshall. In 0.4 mi. take the Bus.17
ramp right toward Marshall. In 0.7 mi. turn left on Main Street/VA55 at
traffic light. In ~ 0.2 mi. turn right on Frost St. & follow to parking
lot at end of the road.

Crista
work 202-662-4557
cell (weekends only) 202-365-3738
**NO EMAIL ACCESS ON WEEKENDS**

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTION -- AIN'T NO BREEZE TO BREEZEWOOD OVERNIGHTER, SEPTEMBER 5 & 6, 2009

Dear Friends,

This Labor Day weekend (coming soon!) we're resurrecting Jim Kuehn's EPIC "Ain't No Breeze to Breezewood" overnighter, and we invite you to join us for this 2-day bicycling adventure. Jim first led the ride for PPTC way back in 1993, so that qualifies it as an antique. We've been doing it every other year or so since then, and it remains on our list of top 10 favorite rides! The ride starts in Williamsport, Maryland. We'll spend Saturday night at the Best Western in Breezewood, PA and return to Williamsport on Sunday. Both days feature an extravaganza of challenging climbs, delicious descents, and fabulous views. This will be an unsupported ride, meaning that you'll have to CARRY YOUR OWN GEAR to Breezewood and back.

Saturday's ride to Breezewood, starting from Williamsport, was designed by Jim Kuehn and is a MASTERPIECE! Heading west out of Williamsport, we pass Fort Frederick and then ride through the hilly and very scenic Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area. Next, after a particularly gnarly and notorious climb on Dyer Road, we'll swoop down into Hancock for a well-earned rest stop. The climbing resumes as we head north into Pennsylvania, and we'll tackle the first MAJOR climb over Town Hill before lunch. A long, fast descent into Crystal Spring follows, where we'll have lunch at the Cornerstone Café. After lunch, a few miles on Pleasant Valley Road will lead us to the next major climb over Sideling Hill. And no rest for the weary, as Kimber Mountain follows soon thereafter. After Kimber Mountain, a very long and luscious 6-mile descent takes us down into Hopewell, where we'll sit a spell at Linda's Little General Store. Then the terrain merely rolls for a few miles before our last major climb on Bunker Hill Rd, followed by a series of what Jim lovingly refers to as "little annoyances" on the way into Breezewood. Fact is it ain't over til it's over. 101 miles with close to 10,000 feet elevation gain. There is a 10-mile optional shortcut on the way to Hancock (via the Western Maryland Rail Trail) that omits several nasty climbs. And leaving Town Hill there's a humongous optional shortcut that yields a 64-mile ride (or 54 if you take the rail trail to Hancock). But you'll be missing the best of it if you take these shortcuts.

Sunday's ride back to Williamsport is yet another scenic torture-fest. We'll ride through the historic Jackson Mills Covered Bridge soon after leaving Breezewood. A very steep short climb follows immediately, but the first real eye-opener is the climb over McKee's Gap at mile 17. Another climb over Sideling Hill will take us down into Warfordsburg for a rest stop. Several noticeable ups and downs follow as we work our way up to Pleasant Ridge and eventually climb over Scrub Ridge before descending into McConnellsburg for lunch. There will still be plenty of climbing after lunch, but it will be somewhat less intense. And those who have done this ride in the past will probably be relieved to learn that we've replaced the painful grind over Hanging Rock Road with the kinder and gentler climb over Fairview Mountain on US40. If this modification offends you, Hanging Rock is still there and you know the way. 102 miles, with a metric century option that eliminates all the major climbs after Warfordsburg. As Sunday's route has been revised since we last rode to Breezewood, I don't know the elevation gain, but it's certainly over 8000 feet, maybe 9000.

We'll be spending Saturday night at the Best Western in Breezewood. There are plenty of additional lodging options in the motel capital of the world, a few of them listed below for your convenience. So, if you want to opt in for this weekend of spectacular riding (the more the merrier!), please make your reservations ASAP and advise me that you're going to join us. I'll send out an update including meeting time and directions to the ride start (Williamsport High School), etc. the week before Labor Day. Let's hope things cool down by then!

Breezewood motels:

Best Western Plaza Inn
16407 Lincoln Highway
877-722-3422

Holiday Inn Express
16503 Lincoln Highway
814-735-7666
866-270-5110

Quality Inn
16621 Lincoln Highway
814-735-4311
800-721-4311

Crista

**PS BREEZEWOOD IS NOT KNOWN FOR ITS FINE CUISINE.**

WEEKEND RIDES, AUGUST 8 & 9, 2009

Dear Friends,

Here's what's up for this steamy weekend:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2009
THE DC RANDONNEURS WOODBINE WALLOP RUSA 200K BREVET, designed and
organized by our RBA Bill Beck. The ride will start promptly at 7:00
a.m. from the Woodbine Park & Ride in Woodbine, Maryland. Registration
opens at 6:00 a.m. On-site registration fee is $10.00, and DC
Randonneurs membership is required.

Here's Bill's ride description (read it and be prepared!):
For those who missed the inaugural version of the Woodbine Wallop last
December, or thought it was too cold, here's a second chance to ride
what many consider to be our toughest 200km brevet under much warmer
conditions. It should be an excellent "training opportunity" for members
planning on riding the Endless Mountains 1240K at the end of September.
Starting innocently enough, the route heads southwest from Woodbine
<http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108088581886214
260920.00045bed7395163b96461&ll=39.348474,-77.069301&spn=0.002912,0.0041
95&t=h&z=18> , across rolling terrain, through Damascus, to the first
control at the Dickerson Market. Then the fun begins as it climbs
Mountville Rd over Mar-Lu ridge (yes, the hard direction), plunges back
down to the town of Jefferson, goes over a series of rollers to
Burkittsville (made famous in the movie, "The Blair Witch Project"), and
then heads over South Mountain at Gathland State Park, passing the only
monument to war correspondents. The descent from South Mountain is
followed by an even nicer descent down Burnside Bridge Rd. (with a view
of the famous bridge itself at one point) to historic Sharpsburg, and
then an easy five miles to Shepherdstown, WV, where riders can reward
themselves from the delicious goodies at the Shepherdstown Sweet Shop.
Don't eat too many sweets though, because the climb back across South
Mountain on Reno Monument Rd is somewhat steep. The road is named for a
monument at the top to General Reno, who died at the spot during the
civil war. No cyclists have died on the climb -- at least so far. After
climbing back over Catoctin Mountain on Shookstown Rd., the route
follows rolling piedmont east to the final control in New Windsor,
before turning south back toward Woodbine. Save some energy for those
final 15 miles, because they include two very pretty, but steep, climbs
on Buffalo Rd. and a few short steepies on Watersville Rd. Riders will
finally be rewarded by a pleasant half-mile of downhill to the finish at
the Pizza Hut. Measured climbing in 2008 was 11,917 feet.

Directions to Woodbine:
WOODBINE PARK & RIDE, WOODBINE, MARYLAND
From the Washington Beltway
Take I-270 north toward Frederick. Go 12.8 miles to exit 16, Father
Hurley Blvd/Ridge Rd/MD27 toward Damascus. In 7 miles, jog right, then
left to remain on MD27 at MD108 in Damascus. In 5.5 miles, take I-70
east toward Baltimore at exit 68. Take the first exit, #73 From the
ramp, turn left onto MD94 north Woodbine Road. Go 1/4 around the traffic
circle and turn onto Old Frederick Road. Turn left into the shopping
center and then left again into the park and ride.
From Frederick
Take I-70 east about 18 miles to exit #73. From the ramp turn left onto
MD94 north Woodbine Road. Go 1/4 around the traffic circle and turn onto
Old Frederick Road. Turn left into the shopping center and then left
again into the park and ride.
From the Baltimore Beltway
Take I-70 west about 18 miles to exit #73. From the ramp turn right
onto MD94 north Woodbine Road. Go 1/4 around the traffic circle and turn
onto Old Frederick Road. Turn left into the shopping center and then
left again into the park and ride.

************************************************************************
*******

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9, 2009
"MONUMENT TO MONUMENT," starting from Hains Point, Washington, D.C.
MEETING TIME 7:30 a.m. This ride is adapted from a Baltimore Bicycle
Club ride that was led a few months ago. The route is ALMOST identical
to the BBC's ride except that their ride started in Baltimore and turned
around at the Washington Monument in DC. This ride will start from
Hains Point and turn around at the Washington Monument in Baltimore!
There will be a lot of city streets, stop signs, traffic lights, etc.,
and also some bike paths. Perhaps all the navigating (and there is a
lot of it) will take your minds off of just how how and sticky it is on
Sunday. Lunch at Little Havana in Baltimore. Some points of interest
include the Jefferson Memorial, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington
Monument, National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Lake Artemesia,
Baltimore's Washington Monument, Peabody Institute, and Catholic
University. 99 miles. No cued shortcuts but you can turn around at
almost any point on the ride and pick up the cues for the return route.

Here are the directions to Hains Point:
HAINS POINT (EAST POTOMAC PARK)
1100 Ohio Drive, S.W., 202-619-7222
Take I-395 north into Washington (over 14th Street bridge) and take the
first exit for Potomac Park/Park Police. Turn left at the T
intersection (Buckeye Drive, unmarked), then left into the parking lot
near the tennis courts.

Crista
Work 202-662-4557
Cell (weekends only) 202-365-3738