The usual addendum to Weekend Rides!

Hi buddies,

Sorry I forgot to mention that you need to email me if you're coming out either Saturday or Sunday so that I can send you an electronic copy of the cue sheet.  If you can't print it out yourself, then let me know and I'll bring a hard copy for you to the ride start.

Thanks,

Crista

WEEKEND RIDES, AUGUST 28-29, 2010

Dear Friends,

We've scheduled great weather and two lovely rides for this weekend -- hope you can join us for some fun in the sun!  Here's the menu:

SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010

"Blue Hill Heaven," starting from Winfield Elementary School in Winfield, Maryland.  **MEETING TIME 7:30 a.m.**  A very scenic, challenging ride heading north into York County PA, with a lot of tiny-twisty-turny-squirmy roads and gnarly hills, including the infamous Pigeon Hills!  Try it, you'll like it.  Lunch at our sentimental favorite PA pizza joint, Rocco's in East Berlin.  104 miles, with short options of 64, 89, or 95 miles.

Directions to the ride start:

WINFIELD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, 4401 Salem Bottom Road, Winfield, Maryland  21157

From DC Beltway (I-495), go North on I-270 15 miles to exit 16/Father Hurley Boulevard.  Take MD27 north 23 miles (past Damascus and Mt. Airy).  Turn right on MD26 in Taylorsville (traffic light).  In 1.8 miles turn left onto Salem Bottom Rd (traffic light).  In about 0.4 mi. turn right into the school.

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 29, 2010

"SOLOMONS ISLAND CENTURY," starting from Southern High School, Harwood, Maryland.  **MEETING TIME 8:00 a.m.**  A pretty ride over gently rolling terrain.  The ride passes through Friendship as we head south, after which we'll be on and off of MD2-4 most of the way down to Solomons (detouring off of it when we can).  Although Rt. 2/4 is a busy highway, it has a very wide, smooth shoulder, so what it lacks in charm it makes up for in providing an opportunity for fast transit.  At the southernmost point, we'll have a scenic tour of Solomons Island and a leisurely lunch.  The return route spends a lot less time on MD2-4, and we leave it for good when we get to Prince Frederick.  From there we'll follow our traditional and scenic Cypress Swamp Century route back, passing through Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, Rose Haven, and the oh-so-lovely Fair Haven.  101 miles, with a 60-mile short option.

Directions to the ride start:

SOUTHERN HIGH SCHOOL, 4400 SOLOMONS ISLAND ROAD, HARWOOD, MARYLAND 

From DC Beltway, go East on US50. 

In about 11 miles, take exit 16 and go south on MD424 Davidsonville Rd. 

In about 3.5 miles, cross MD214 in Davidsonville (MD424 becomes Birdsville Rd. )

In about 3 miles, go right on MD2 @T. 

In about 2 miles, right into high school parking lot. 

Please park in the large main parking lot, NOT in the small faculty lot. 

 

Note:  there are restrooms at the Citgo just south of the school at the intersection of MD2 and Harwood Rd.

Crista

 

Weekend Rides Addendum - please note if you're coming!

Hi buddies,

I forgot to note the usual -- if you're planning to join us either day, please email me off-list and request an electronic copy of the cue sheet.  If you can't print out your own, let me know and I'll bring a hard copy to the ride start, but I'm not planning to bring extra copies for the masses.

Thanks!

Crista

WEEKEND RIDES, AUGUST 21-22, 2010

Dear Friends,

Here's whassup for the weekend.  Hope to see you!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010

"SCRUB RIDGE CENTURY," starting from Clear Spring High School, Clear Spring, Maryland.  **MEETING TIME 7:45 a.m.**  This is a very scenic and challenging ride that visits some favorite old haunts (including the Indian Springs Wildlife Management Area and good ol' Hanging Rock Rd) and explores some beautiful roads that are less traveled, too.  We'll follow several ridge lines that offer some great views and, if you enjoyed the incredibly lovely Little Cove Road on Lynn Kristianson's beautiful 400K brevet last spring, you will love it even more heading in the opposite direction!  (Of course there will be a price to pay later on.)  Your reward for climbing over Scrub Ridge will be a yummy lunch in McConnellsburg.  In the afternoon, we'll ride the infamous Dyer and Weller Roads – but in the EASY direction!   104 miles, with short options of 50 and 95 miles.  Estimated elevation gain 8000-9000 feet.

Directions to the ride start:

CLEAR SPRING HIGH SCHOOL, 12630 Broadfording Rd, CLEAR SPRING, MARYLAND

From DC Beltway, north on I-270 toward Frederick.  Take Exit 32 and go West on I-70.  In about 35 mi. take Exit 18 and turn right on MD68 into Clear Spring.  In 0.2 mi. turn left on US40 at traffic light.  In 0.4 mi., turn right into the school complex.  Park at the high school parking lot.

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Croom and Other Delights

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010

"CROOM AND OTHER DELIGHTS," starting from the Crofton Center in Crofton, Maryland.  **NOTE LATE MEETING TIME 8:00 am.**  Jim Kuehn designed this ride many, many years ago and it remains one of our favorite southern Maryland centuries.  The ride rolls through Anne Arundel, Prince George's, and Calvert Counties and includes a visit to the Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, a winter resting place and home for thousands of migratory geese.  101 miles with several short options.  Total elevation gain only about 4,000 feet -- it's a cruise.  

Directions to the ride start:

CROFTON K-MART, CROFTON CENTRE, CROFTON, MARYLAND

From DC Beltway Exit 19, take US50 east 8 miles to exit 13B, MD3 North.

Go North on MD3 for 5-1/2  miles.  Turn right into Crofton Center AFTER Friendly's, before MD424.

Crista

Invitation to a Jewel of a Ride - September 11-12, 2010

Dear Friends,

 

I have two new RUSA permanents, "Splendor in the Blue Grass" and "Many Mountains from Monterey to Middletown (MMMM)."  The two routes together are mostly based on (but not identical to) my "Devil's Wicked Stepmother" 400K Permanent route.

 

"Splendor in the Blue Grass" is 141 miles (227K).  It travels from Middletown, Virginia through Hardy and Pendleton Counties in West Virginia to Monterey, Virginia, passing through the towns of Wardensville, Moorefield, Brandywine, Sugar Grove and Blue Grass.  Highlights include climbs over Little North Mountain, Great North Mountain, Sandy Ridge, South Branch Mountain, Hoover Mountain, Brushy Mountain and Monterey Mountain.  In addition to all that climbing, there are some lovely and long tranquil stretches through Sweedlin Valley and the scenic Thorn Creek Wildlife Management Area.  But perhaps the most precious jewel of this ride is Highland County's beautiful Blue Grass Valley.

 

"MMMM" is 135 miles (216K) and travels from Monterey back to Middletown, beginning with a series of climbs over Jacks, Bull Pasture and Shenandoah Mountains before heading north through the Shenandoah Valley.  The route passes through McDowell, West Augusta, Swoope, Churchville, Bridgewater, Singers Glen, and Columbia Furnace. 

 

A small group of us plans to ride both permanents on September 11 and 12, and we welcome additional participants.  "Splendor in the Blue Grass" will start from the 7-11 in Middletown at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 11.  On Sunday, September 12, we'll have breakfast at High's Restaurant in Monterey at 6:00 a.m. and start "MMMM" at 7:00 a.m. 

 

If you'd like to join us, please contact me off-list as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, September 6.  You must be a RUSA member and be officially registered for the ride, and you'll need to make your own reservations for the overnight stay in Monterey.  Lodging is available in Monterey at the Montvallee Motel - http://www.montvalleemotel.com/,

and the Highland Inn - http://www.highland-inn.com/.

I can't promise that rooms will still be available if you procrastinate :-)

Crista

 

 

WEEKEND RIDES, SATURDAY & SUNDAY, AUGUST 14-15, 2010

Dear Friends,

The DC Randonneurs Old Rag 200K Brevet is scheduled for Saturday, August 14, starting from the Howard Johnson's in Warrenton, Virginia at 7:00 a.m.  Registration opens at 6:00.

The cue sheet and GPS files are now posted at http://dcrand.org/blog/2010/08/10/cue-sheet-and-gps-files-for-august-14-warrenton-old-rag-200k-acp-brevet/. Please pay attention to the instructions for parking, and do NOT park at the HoJos or neighboring businesses.

We'll be following up with a mellow ride on Sunday, recycyling one which was scheduled earlier this month but which was canceled due to "weather" that never materialized:

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 2010

"ALL ABOUT ABBOTTSTOWN," starting from the McDonald's in Thurmont, Maryland.  **LATE MEETING TIME 8:00 a.m.**  Aaah, a mellow ride today, one designed by our beloved bard, William Shakespeare Smith.  The route is a slight revision of one of Bill's Frederick Pedalers Century routes--I think it was 2004.  It's a delightful valley ride that heads east into Carroll County, MD and north into Adams County, PA, passing through Taneytown, Littlestown, and New Oxford on the way to lunch at the "new & improved" Emig's 81 Diner in Abbottstown.  On the way back we will have a brief encounter with Mt. Misery Rd but will elude the "miserable" molehill!   We'll also pass through Taneytown a second time, so you'll have two opportunities for a Sheetz fix on this ride if that's your kind of thing.  100 miles, with short options of 40 and 72 miles.  PLEASE EMAIL ME DIRECTLY IF YOU CAN JOIN US AND I'LL SEND YOU AN ELECTRONIC COPY OF THE CUE SHEET.  Note that I will only be bringing hard copies to the ride start for those who advise me that they're unable to print out the cue sheet themselves. 

Here are the directions to the ride start:

McDONALD'S, THURMONT, MARYLAND

From DC Beltway, go north on I-270 to Frederick.  Continue North on US15.  In 14.9 miles, take the exit toward MD806/Thurmont (the last of three exits for MD806, the FIRST Thurmont exit).  At end of ramp turn right @SS, then QR @ traffic light onto Catoctin Furnace Rd, then QL at "Weis Entrance."  Park in the first lot on the left, across from McDonald's.

Crista