Earlier in the day the weather forecast called for a wet evening, but the forecast miraculously improved and nine folks assembled at Clarendon for the Tuesday after-work bike ride. The mid-70s temperature was ideal for cycling, and we took full advantage of the pleasant weather to use a new route and explore several of the smaller, lesser known parks in South Arlington.

A few miles into the ride a light mist developed, but a quick check on the weather radar confirmed that it was not the beginning of a feared thunderstorm, for that matter it hardly registered on the radar, so we ventured on... although two riders were unconvinced and still scared, and turned back. Shortly thereafter the mist quit.

After completing the route and arriving back at Clarendon the remaining seven cyclists opted for a Thai dinner at the Rien Tong Restaurant, dining outdoors and lingering to enjoy pleasant weather and conversation. Please note that next week will be the last of these Tuesday Evening Bike Rides until next summer.

The weather for this year's Paw Paw pilgrimage was eerily similar to last year's: Dire forecasts and a rainy morning to spook the faint of heart, followed by a nearly perfect afternoon to reward the brave. Eight Adventurers, including three Paw Paw Virgins, started out from the campground parking lot just after noon and proceeded briskly, without collisions and with flashlights glowing, through the tunnel. We had the picnic area next to the Potomac all to ourselves, where we reenacted last year's exciting exploration of MREs. We lollygagged at our swimming hole a couple of miles later long enough for one of us to go splashing up and down the river. On our return leg, half our party marched up and over Tunnel Hill, while the other half chose the low road back through the tunnel. We finished exactly five hours after we started (every Paw Paw Tunnel hike takes exactly five hours) and promptly departed for dinner at Weaver's, where we were (as always) treated royally.

Twelve cyclists had a delightful 15 mile ride through the Palisades and Georgetown, with ten lingering afterwards to enjoy the pleasant evening with an al fresco dinner at Nam Viet Restaurant.

Group Photo: Hy, Don, Allan, Scott Rodrigo, Bill, Joel, Robert, James, Jerry, Charmaine. Photos by Bob Jennings

It was strikingly comfortable when ten Adventurers disembarked just past noon at the Stony Man Nature Trail parking area, and it pretty much stayed that way for us all day, in vivid contrast to the scorching temperatures endured by the flatlanders below. We quickly made our way to the Stony Man summit for lunch as a light mist from a passing cloud bemused us. At the nearby Little Stony Man Cliffs, we discovered a Park Ranger whose sole responsibility was to watch over the gaggle of rock climbers who assemble there each weekend. Negotiating the Passamaquoddy Trail was a bit tricky at times, but no casualties were reported. We proceeded down the Skyland Road a short ways and were rewarded with some stunning views of both the Stony Man summit and the Little Stony Man Cliffs. We next sashayed through the heart of the Skyland Resort, an area which is much more extensive than most of us had realized before. Our final overlook of the day was atop Bushytop on the trail to Miller Head. We then adjourned to the Skyland Dining Room to indulge in its legendary blackberry ice cream, which easily lived up to all the hype.

Six gutsy cyclists ended up with as much adventurous cycling as they had bargained for, and then some. Early in the day the evening weather forecaster ominously called for an 80% chance of rain, but by late afternoon most of the professional forecasters had pushed the rain back to around midnight... so the ride was on. But just in case, the group opted for a bike tour into DC where we would never be far from the shelter of a Metro station, and which also provided an option for dry transportation back to Clarendon if needed.

The ride ended up having both a very pleasant beginning and ending. It was the middle that got exciting when a severe thunderstorm passed through the city. Fortunately we saw it coming and took shelter among the seafood outlets along the Maine Avenue waterfront. While we waited for the storm to pass over we indulged in an early dinner. By the time dinner wrapped up, so had the rain, and we ventured out for a dry ride home. So between our good luck and foresight in planning, we managed to have a mostly enjoyable outing on an evening with not-so-good weather.

While much-needed but poorly-timed rains were soaking DC, eight Adventurers savored a truly heavenly day on Great North Mountain just over the West Virginia border. Skies cleared rapidly after we arrived at our trailhead (just getting us all there was quite an adventure unto itself), temperatures were mild, humidity was low, and a delightful north breeze often filled the air; all in all, it seemed more like mid-September than mid-July. Our climb up the Pond Run Trail, although not especially steep, was unusually rocky, and the eight stream crossings were a bit tricky at times. Once we reached the crest, we continued a short ways to a beautiful overlook for lunch. We made excellent time over to nearby Halfmoon Lookout, with a truly spectacular view of Big Schloss and the Trout Run Valley, one of the most picturesque valleys in the East, for my money. Our descent from this peak proved to be the steepest and rockiest stretch of trail we encountered all day. But the final leg of our circuit was exceptionally fast and easy as we strolled along a wide and smooth forest road and eventually on Waites Run Road back to our cars. Most of us then continued on for a delightful few hours at the Guesthouse at Lost River, where we employed the pool and hot tub facilities before enjoying a great meal at its restaurant. Inevitably, we made a late return to the DC area; perhaps the next time we venture out this way, we should do an overnight or weekend excursion rather than a long daytrip.

On a warm but thankfully not humid Fourth of July, a convivial group of 20 hikers (6 women and 14 men) gathered at Maryland's Great Falls Tavern for what has now become our traditional annual 4th of July stroll along one of the most beautiful sections of the C & O Canal, culminating in a fine view of the Great Falls of the Potomac. The Falls themselves were somewhat low this year, reflecting a dry spring, but the view was enjoyable nonetheless. The scenery was enhanced by some kayakers who had abandoned their vessels and were clambering onto the rocks in the middle of the rushing waters. Although the wildlife count was down from last year, a large black rat snake slithered across the Berma Road as we marched by, and several turtles sunned themselves on twigs sticking out of the canal. During one of the water breaks, the trip leader educated the group on some of the history of the Canal, focusing on the efforts of Justice William O. Douglas, who led a group of notables on an eight-day hike along the entire towpath in the 1950s and thereby saved the entire canal from being bulldozed into a parkway. Seven magnificent Adventuring bikers met us for lunch at the park's picnic area; they were midway through their round-trip ride from the Pentagon (see the picture of the entire group posted at the Ride description). The day's wildlife count was then literally goosed when about a dozen overfed and fearless geese suddenly materialized and shamelessly pestered the diners for goodies, which they got in abundance.

On a picture-perfect clear and dry, but warm July 4th, seven of eight riders struck out from Pentagon parking for a scenic trip up the river to Great Falls National Park, approximately 36 miles. I waffle about the distance because immediately we waived the cue sheet and avoided a time-consuming security check at Memorial Bridge by taking instead the Roosevelt Bridge around the Kennedy Center. Picking up one veteran trip leader, Neal, at the foot of the Capital Crescent Trail we passed two parades in the making on the way up to Great Falls, getting cheered by the early spectators of the Potomac Palisades and Cabin John communities. Famished and thirsty from the climb up the Potomac fall line we promptly started lunch while waiting for the planned rendezvous and group photo with 20 Adventuring hikers. Surprisingly, both the MacArthur Blvd bike paths and the park at Great Falls were rather pleasantly deserted for the holiday. After viewing the falls and some courageous kayakers on the rapids, we coasted down the idyllic Widewater area to Glen Echo where the carrousel was going full steam with patriotic ditties. A few of us decided to give the horsies a try, some for the first time in their life, while Durward captured the silliness. Being an adventuresome group we took another unscheduled detour when we entered Georgetown by clambering up over the canal to cross Key Bridge on the way back to Pentagon parking. A great day and lots of fond memories. Next year we need to talk the hikers into setting up a watermelon table with their vehicles. In addition to the attached four photos, a fuller set may be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/BikingAllan/July4thRideToGreatFalls?authkey=Gv1sRgCN7UsvbA7POHGg#. Next year I hope we can get a helmet mounted camcorder to take vignettes of the ride.

The first thing our 11 Adventurers encountered as we stepped onto the Appalachian Trail at Hawksbill Gap was young friendly thru-hiker "Mike" taking a lunch break. He told us he had started out from GA in mid-April and expected to finish in ME by mid-September, which would require him to maintain a faster pace than most thru-hikers, who normally take 6 months to complete the AT. We made good time up to Hawksbill Summit, where we lunched casually until we noticed the unexpected appearance of storm clouds barreling our way. Our hasty exit was well-timed, as it started to rain just a few minutes later. Fortunately, it did not rain either hard or long, and temperatures definitely dropped in the aftermath. We made a whimsical detour down to the Rock Springs Shelter, where we discovered two more young energetic thru-hikers who seemed to be on the same fast-paced schedule as "Mike." We continued south on the AT to Fishers Gap, seemingly heading directly into more storm clouds as rumbles of thunders rolled over us. But when we reached a nice overlook at Franklin Cliffs, we could tell the storm had already passed off to the east. After finishing with an easy climb to Big Meadows, we drove to the nearby Lodge and its legendary New Market Taproom. Here we lollygagged dynamically (TM) over blackberry ice cream while watching the end of a World Cup match and being serenaded by a young woman sweetly singing "Over The Rainbow" and other excerpts from the Great American Songbook.

It was a hot, steamy summer day in DC, more reminiscent of August than June; but that was not enough to keep eight cyclists from joining a morning rendezvous for a bike ride in DC’s urban wilderness that is Rock Creek Park. We started early and completed the 22 mile loop and were ready to pose for a group photo by 11:30am.

We set out from Pierce Mill on the Rock Creek Trail to Georgetown where we connected onto the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda. The group opted for a wondrously refreshing snowcone break in Bethesda before embarking eastward on the Georgetown Branch trail. At Rock Creek Park we descending to the Rock Creek Trail, followed if for a while and completed the rest of the loop back to Pierce Mill on the weekend-closed-to-cars section of Beach Drive.

Photo at Pierce Mill - back: Hy, Durward, Brad, Jeffery; front: Steve, Mike, Scott; photo credit: Craig P

Seven Adventurers, including our old friend John of Berkeley, explored one of the great scenic wonders of Shenandoah National Park, even though it meant missing the England-USA World Cup match (which ended in a tie, so we must not have missed much). We reached the rim of the Big Devils Stairs canyon in less than an hour and lunched in whatever shade we could find on the massive rocky outcrop above the canyon. Here we were serenaded by the soft sounds of the canyon's streams and waterfalls, which we could not actually see through the canyon's dense foliage. As we ascended back to the junction with the Bluff Trail, we encountered a group of young backpacking girls quite possibly out in the woods for the first time; their adult leader cleverly told them they would not continue until they themselves had figured out which way to go from the junction, guaranteeing herself a long and apparently much-needed break while her charges debated their options. When we rested again next to a spring by the Gravel Springs Shelter, we were visited by a couple of AT section hikers straight out of "Deliverance." After returning to our cars, some of us headed directly back to DC to catch the Pride Parade, while the rest of us took an easy and mostly level stroll to the wonderful overlook atop South Marshall Mountain. Menacing clouds and rumbles of thunder cut short our stay, and indeed we encountered torrential rains that commenced just after we started our drive home. Luckily, those storms missed DC and the Pride Parade, but we didn't.