no more vending

The vending machines at Smiths Switch have been removed. A combination of low sales volume and vandalism is the cause.

Friends of W&OD Annual Picnic

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Friday, June 3, 2011 Friends of the W&OD Trail Annual Picnic Please come and join us at our annual Friends of the W&OD Trail picnic on Saturday June 11th from 12 noon until 3 PM. The location of the picnic will be at the W&OD Trail office in Ashburn and the address is 21293 Smith Switch Road Ashburn, VA 20147. Items on the menu will include crab legs, coconut shrimp / shrimp cocktail, pulled pork BBQ, BBQ chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, cookies, and assorted drinks including sodas, iced tea, lemonade, and bottled water. Please RSVP by emailing us at wod@... or contacting us by phone at (703) 729-0596 with the number of people attending in your party. We look forward to seeing you here! back to top

ABOUT NVRPA 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. NVRPA Board of Directors – City of Alexandria: David M. Pritzker, Justin Wilson; Arlington County: Paul Ferguson, Michael Nardolilli; Fairfax County: Jean R. Packard, Stella Koch; City of Fairfax: Brian Knapp, Arthur F. Little; City of Falls Church: Jeffrey Tarbert, Barry D. Buschow; Loudoun County: Joan G. Rokus, Su Webb (Chairman).

Forward this email to a friend. Not interested anymore? Unsubscribe. www.nvrpa.org

Trail Patrol Orientation

Orientation for new Trail Patrol members will be held at 8:30 AM on Saturday, June 18th, at the intersection of the W&OD and Sandburg St. in Dunn Loring. Bring a chair or something to sit on. The session should last about an hour.No need to bring anything except pen and paper if you want to take a note or two. Contact: Dirck Harris, Patrol Training Coordinator, Dirck_H55@verizon.net.

Be Careful...

From: http://www.thewashcycle.com/Cyclist-Runner crash on the W&OD

Someone wrote in with this eyewitness account and it is reminder that pedestrians have the right-of-way on the trail and it is critical that we, as cyclists, treat them with great deference.

I witnessed a crash on the W&OD this morning. A cyclist rear-ended a runner. I was riding my bike and was catching the cyclist at the time and saw what happened very clearly. The cyclist was at fault. She just rear-ended the runner, who was in the middle of the trail. I told her it was her fault, to which she replied, "he was in the middle of the trail." I said, "and so were you." Though he was in the middle of the trail, she had plenty of space to pass. In fact, she was right on the orange line in the middle when she hit him. Cyclist and runner fell. Runner had cuts/scrapes on hand and no other injuries. Cyclist was fine so far as I could tell. I stayed around only long enough to make sure there were no injuries and to tell the cyclist (not so nicely I am afraid) that it was definitely her fault and she needs to be more careful. I am afraid I could have been nicer to her and maybe she wouldn't have been so defensive. I told her that as a cyclist I'd like to support her, but I really couldn't because it was clearly her fault. I don't know whether she gave an audible warning that she was going to pass. I didn't hear any and I was close, so if she did it was faint. In any event the runner didn't move right (which he said he always does). She just plowed down the middle of the path anyway. It happened on a long straight part of the W&OD through Falls Church where we could see the runner for a long time. There was no other traffic and the runner did not deviate from running a straight line.

Posted by washcycle on May 29, 2011 in Crash , Injury , W&OD Trail | Permalink | Comments (19)

Viva Vienna

Reminder from:		WODtrailpatrol Yahoo! Group
Title:		Viva Vienna
Date:		Monday May 30, 2011
Time:		10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Location:		Vienna
Notes:		Vienna street festival

Trail Events--Sunday May 22nd

Leesburg 5K
Time: 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Leesburg
Weight Watchers of Leesburg 5k. 65 participants expected.

Great Strides"
Time: 8:00 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Leesburg & Vienna
Great Strides Leesburg & Great Strides Vienna. 500 people participating in each event (1000 total)

Trail Event--Saturday, May 21th and 22nd

St. Timothy Bike-a-thon
Time: 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
About 20 youth and 5 adult cyclists riding from Arlington out to Purcellville on May 21st, riding back to Arlington on May 22nd.

Trail Event--Friday, May 20th

Bike to Work
Time: 6:00 am - 9:00 am
Thousands of area commuters will participate in the annual Bike to Work Day event. Many of those will be on the W&OD Trail. Several of the ride's "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.

May 14 trail event

Got Your Back" 5k run
Time: 8:00 am - 10:00 am
Location: Reston
Notes: Got Your Back" 5k in Reston (using short area of trail around Sunrise Valley Drive). 500 people from 8 AM to 10 AM.

"Just when you thought the trail was safe"

The electronic sign at the eastern end of the 495 overpass construction was changed to read "CAUTION ZOMBIES AHEAD". While I looked for zombies, I did not see them. Sorry about the quality of the photo. It was the best I could do with my cell phone. However, ABC chanel 7 was there interviewing trail users and looking to film the zombies.

summer must be coming soon

The fountain at the trail's end in Purcellville has been turned on; a sure sign that warm weather is here to stay. Other items of note: the crossing at Cochran Mill (mile 30.5) has been repaved and the vending machines at the Smiths Switch rest area are out of order.

Trail Events on Saturday, April 30

1) Paul's Ride for Life Time:
Location: Reston Town Center
7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Registration open
7:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Ride
12:00 p.m. Closing ceremony at Reston Town Center Pavilion
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Cyclefest open
ROUTE: Start at Reston Town Center Pavilion
The ride includes 10, 20, and 1/2 Century +2 mile options.
About 250 participants expected

2) Cycle Fest
Time: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Reston Town Center
Notes: "Cyclefest" will be occuring at Reston Town Center in conjunction with "Paul's Ride for Life".

3) Walk-Run-Ride for Life
Time: 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Location: Ashburn at Smith Swtich Station
"Walk / Run / Ride for Life" event from 8 AM to 11 AM.
Approx. 100 participants for this event sponsored by the Assist Pregnancy Center. Participants will enter the trail at Cedar Lane heading west towards Smith Switch rest area, then return to Vienna (Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church).

Trail Patrol Orientation

Orientation for new Trail Patrol members will be held at 1pm on Sunday May 1st at the intersection of the W&OD and Sandburg St. in Dunn Loring. Bring a chair or something to sit on. The session should last about an hour.

new asphalt

The paving between mile 13.6 and 11.8 has been completed and gravel shoulders installed. All that remains is for the new striping to be added. There are also new sections at 19.5, the Route 28 bridge (hurray! a few less kerCHUNKs), and over Broad Run at 24.5; the last fixes the slump that filled much of the west bound lane.

Saturday Events--April 23

1--Ride To Provide
Time: 8:30 am - 2:00 pm
Location: Reston Town Center
Notes: This features Lorenzo Alexander from the Washington Redskins and will begin at Reston Town Center; riders heading out to Leesburg, then returning to RTC. Approximately 150 people for this event

2--Hunter Mill Walk
Time: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Location: Hunter Mill Rd - Wiehle Ave
Notes: The monthly gathering of the Civil War reenactors will be hiking from Wiehle Avenue to Hunter Mill Road. About 12 hikers maximum for this event.

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/

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.

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.

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