Friday, March 25, 2011

Trail Patrol Orientation

Orientation for new Trail Patrol members will be held on Sunday March 27, 2011,
from 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm. It will be held at the Reston Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Dr, Reston, VA 20190 (703) 698-8808

If interested in joining the Trail Patrol sign up at http://www.wodfriends.org/

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Sunday Event--March 27th

Walter L. Mess W&OD 5K

Time: 3:00 pm - 6:00 pm

Location: American Legion Lodge Post 130, 400 North Oak Street, Falls Church, VA

A 5k run will be held on the W&OD Trail in Falls Church in honor of Walter L. Mess. The start and finish of the race will be located at the American Legion Post.

Walter Mess, a founding member of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Falls Church city resident and long-time park supporter, Mess was appointed to the NVRPA Board as an original representative from the City of Falls Church in 1958.The run, sponsored by the Friends of the W&OD Trail will honor Mess and his extensive involvement with the community. Proceeds from the run will benefit FOWOD and local charities.To register or get more run information, visit www.mc-coop.org or call 703-927-4833. Registration forms are also available at the City library, 120 N. Virginia Ave., and Community Center, 223 Little Falls St.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

To 0, but not beyond

After uncounted thousands of miles riding the trail I finally reached mile 0 today. Next, I guess, will be to ride the entire trail at once ...
As Jeff has noted new pavement is being laid between Hunter Mill Road and Vienna. Today they were paving between miles 13 and 12.5 so there's just a little way to go. But then the gravel shoulders have yet to be laid.
The fountain at Sunset Hills Road (near Mile Marker 16) is now operational.

Trail Paving

Parts of the trail are being paved between Vienna and Hunter Mill Road. While this causes a short term inconvenience, long term benefits will be derived from a smother trail. I suspect that mountain bikes must have loved the detour—especially the water portage—but road cyclists would not be thrilled about walking across the rocks with their external cleats. Expect crews to soon be out marking these sections.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

From the W&OD Flyer Spring issue

Monday, March 14, 2011

In this issue
Construction activities along the Trail
Upcoming Events on the W&OD
W&OD Trail Comments/Suggestions
In short
About the Friends of the W&OD
The Friends of the W&OD (aka FOWOD) are a volunteer affiliate of the popular Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park, which is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA). The purpose of FOWOD is to support and enhance the Trail and its multiple uses as a recreational, environmental and historic resource through fund-raising, promotion, research, educational programming and maintenance.

FOWOD meets on the first Tuesday of the month (except on holidays) at the Vienna Community Center; located at 120 Cherry Street SE Vienna, VA 22180. Meetings start at 7:00 PM and conclude no later than 9:00 PM.

For more information or to join FOWOD, please call (703) 729-0596 or go to the FOWOD website at www.wodfriends.org.

FOWOD Board Officers
President - Roger Neighborgall
Vice President - Pat Turner
Treasurer - David Jackino
Corresponding Secretary - Peter Straub
Recording Secretary - Jay Wind
Webmaster - Bill McCarthy
FOWOD Board Members
Jennifer Crawford
Steve Lord
Anne Pastorkovich (Trail Patrol Representative)
John Shea
B.J. Silvey (Trail Patrol President & Representative)
George Topic
Sam Wheeler
Gordon Wisotzki

Upcoming Meeting Dates....
March 1st
April 5th
May 3rd
June 7th

Interested in becoming a member of the Trail Patrol?Help promote safety and proper trail etiquette
Provide information and directions to trail users
Assist trail users
Call the park office at (703) 729-0596 or email us at wod@nvrpa.org for more information.

Fun Places, Beautiful Spaces
The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority enhances the communities of Northern Virginia and enriches the lives of their citizens through the conservation of regional, natural and cultural resources. It provides diverse regional recreational and educational opportunities, and fosters an understanding of the relationships between people and their environment.

Please visit all your Regional Parks at www.nvrpa.org

W&OD Park Staff
Karl Mohle, Park Manager
Andy Kaganowich, Park Ranger
Roger Bornt, Maintenance Supervisor
Jackie Payne, Maintenance Worker

Feature Story
Warm Weather Returns to the W&ODWith spring beginning on March 20th, warm weather will (hopefully) return to the W&OD Trail. When the temperature goes up, naturally more people want to get out and enjoy the trail. As a gentle reminder, here is some practical information for our patrons to consider as they utilize the trail:

Travel in the right-hand lane, move to the left lane to pass slower traffic.
Give audible warning to trail users ahead.
Move completely off the trail when you come to a stop.
Travel only at speeds safe and appropriate to trail conditions and usage.
Along with these reminders we also have these suggestions for you as you are on the trail:

Let common sense and courtesy be your guides.
If possible, use the buddy system. At a minimum, make sure someone knows that you are going out on the trail and what section you'll be using.
Stop before crossing roads; be alert to obstacles that may be hazards or impede vision.
For a more complete listing of guidelines, please go to our website at www.nvrpa.org/w&odtrail or visit our friends group website at www.wodfriends.org


Construction activities along the TrailOver the coming days and weeks, various projects will be conducted along the W&OD. The following is a list of said projects and relevant information:

The new W&OD Trail bridge over the Capital Beltway (I-495) is under construction on the north side of the existing trail bridge. The existing bridge and trail are open during construction. Trail repaving and realignment to the new bridge is scheduled to occur between March 15 - April 15, 2011. Bicyclists are asked to dismount and follow the directions of the flagmen while in these work zones. Please use caution while traveling through this area. Once the new bridge is open to trail users, which is anticipated to be on or around April 15, 2011, the old bridge and trail pavement will be removed. For more information, contact Dan Iglhaut at (703) 359-4628 or via email at diglhaut@nvrpa.org.


Repaving of various sections of the trail is on-going. Recently, the section of trail from Isaac Newton Square (Reston) down to Hunter Mill Road has been repaved. Other areas will include the east and west side of Route 28 bridge, the short section from Van Buren Street (Herndon) down to mile marker 19, the area around Broad Run Bridge in Ashburn (mile marker 24.5) and, lastly the area from Clark's Crossing Park down to Ayr Hill Road in Vienna. Depending on weather conditions the repaving is expected to take 2-4 weeks. Please be aware of signs/flagmen in the area and use caution while passing through these sections.

Upcoming Events on the W&OD
On Sunday March 27th, 2011, the Walter L. Mess W&OD Trail 5K Run will be held on the trail in Falls Church in honor of Mr. Mess. The start and finish of the race will be located at the American Legion Post Lodge #130, located at 400 North Oak Street in Falls Church.

A founding member of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA), city resident and long-time park supporter, Mr. Mess was appointed to the NVRPA Board as an original representative from the City of Falls Church in 1958. The run, sponsored by the Friends of the W&OD Trail (FOWOD) will honor Mr. Mess and his extensive involvement with the community. Proceeds from the run will benefit FOWOD and local charities. To register or get more information, visit www.mc-coop.org or call (703) 927-4833. Registration forms are also available at the City Library, 120 N. Virginia Avenue, and Community Center, 223 Little Falls Street.

On Saturday April 30th, 2011, Paul's Ride for Life will occur beginning at the Reston Town Center. This event is in conjunction with the CycleFest Expo at Reston Town Center. The bicycle ride is dedicated to Paul Rossmeissl; he passed away at age 54 from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident along the W&OD Trail. He gave the gift of life to three individuals who received his liver and both of his kidneys. This ride will benefit the Washington Regional Transplant Community. For more information or to register visit www.paulsrideforlife.org.

Bike to Work Day May 20th

Join thousands of area commuters on Friday May 20, 2011 for the annual Bike to Work Day. Learn how cycling can be a fun and healthy way to commute to work. There will be 50 regional pit stops throughout the Washington, D.C. area. Several of these pit stops are located along the W&OD Trail; including Reston, Herndon, Vienna and Merrifield. For more information on pit stop locations, please go to www.waba.org.


W&OD Trail Comments/SuggestionsPlease contact the trail office at (703) 729-0596 or via email at wod@nvrpa.org if you have questions or comments about the trail. If you have suggestions for our quarterly newsletter we welcome your thoughts as well.

Washington & Old Dominion Trail
21293 Smiths Switch Road, Ashburn, VA 20147 | T: 703-729-0596
www.nvrpa.org/W&ODTrail

Trail event today

Civil War re-enactors will hike from Wiehle Avenue to Hunter Mill between 9am and 5pm today.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

gravel shoulders

Gravel shoulders are being laid along the newly paved section from MM 15 (Hunter Mill) to MM 17 (Isaac Newton). They're complete from just west of Isaac Newton to Sunrise Valley. Used the marked detour of the bridle trail for the section between Sunrise Valley and Buckthorn.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Great day for a ride

Except for some water puddles, the trail was clear from mile marker 7 (Falls Church) to mile marker 24 (route 28). Heading west into the wind was slow but the return trip was great. Near the Dulles overpass I saw 2 female cyclists riding double using both lanes. The one in the left lane refused to yield to oncoming traffic and forced another cyclist to the edge and 2 pedestrians off the trail. While it is ok to ride double, please yield to oncoming traffic.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

a quiet ride


Took my Glider for a spin out to Purcellville today. The debris from the high winds is mostly gone. They've been clearing dead trees, vines, and such from about Cochran Mill Road. Saw the truck at work near Mile Marker 35. The picture is near Mile Marker 36.5 looking eastbound. Dominion has done a nice job.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

signs of spring

Rode from Vienna to Purcellville. The cheeping at Difficult Run was deafening. Most of the brush and debris from the recent high winds has been removed. Fountains at Sunset Hills and Purcellville remain off but the others function.