2011 Wild Goose Chase

Wow, that was fun! As last year, two friends and I made a weekend of it. We all scored great bargains (some of them even cycling-related :D ) at the tent sale , I test-rode a Terry Symmetry (oooooh, what a nice bike!), we ate and played and laughed ourselves silly, and we even got in lovely bike rides!

Despite its being 37°F (!!) when I awoke, the day become lovely and warm. We had a late start; the non-cycling friend did the short ride (as she did last year), and the other friend and I did the 42.8 mile ride (as we wanted a late start due to the forecast morning chill; we had initially planned to do the metric century), which by the time we were done was a 46-mile ride (so I rode another four miles to make it 50).

Saw eagles and bluebirds and egrets and heron and cormorants and vultures and lots and lots of geese.

It was great!

Pictures??

I rode over there on Saturday, but elected not to go through the standing water on Maple Dam Road, which is part of the 43 mile ride. There is about a 5 mile stretch with several patches of standing brackish water (some 4-5" deep). So I had to change my route considerably, and by then was running so late I did not get to visit the information center, nor the tent sale. :( But I needed to be in DC by 5 so I could shower and change for a dinner party.

Plan B was to get up early Sunday and go back to Blackwater to do the ride, but we ended up going to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art instead. Which was nice too.

So did everyone ride through the water or did they change the route to avoid it?

I am off work today, and it's a beautiful day. I thought about going over to ride there again, but I will ride closer to home.

7rider, I didn't even take a camera with me! So no pics this time; I'm sorry!

withm, I know there was water on Edgar or .... ummm... the other one, but a woman working the rest stop advised us to continue down to Andrews to avoid the water rather than turn onto Edgar. Which we did, and that worked out fine, though added a bit to the ride.

I did the 64 mile ride with my sister. No problems with the water--there were patches of it on Edgar or Liners or whatever that road was, but it was easily avoided by just staying in the center of the road. Gorgeous ride, beautiful day--really couldn't have been nicer! I managed to avoid buying anything at the tent sale, but it was tough--there were some really good deals there. Maybe next year when money isn't so tight?

Let's see if I can get some of these pictures to post:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...asescenery.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...sescenery2.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...sereststop.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...seChaseend.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ChaseEmily.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...hasebridge.jpg

Nice pics, sfa. Looks like a very lovely day.