Poolesville is one area that has thankfully escaped the McMansion invasion (for the most part, so far). I'm not up to the Brookeville/Damascus/Howard County roads yet, but I could probably do Poolesville. River Road out past Riley's Lock gets very little traffic.

Getting together for a non-biking thing is a fun idea, Nicole. An autumn picnic could be great. Carderock or Great Falls are the first places that pop into my head as far as a central, easy-access locations, but I'm sure there are other spots that are possibilities. Want to start a thread in Off-Topic Non-Cycling?