Rambler Report: Lovettsville Loop

I'd lost the morning by the time business was taken care of, so I drove to the W&OD at Hamilton Station Road, near the portajohn, which was clean. An easy three mile spin into Purcellville on the W&OD Trail. This time of year, you get your first view of the mountains as you swing onto Hatcher Avenue. I was surprised to see a new roundabout at the intersection of Allder School Road and Hillsboro Road. The latter was a dream today: light traffic and a tailwind kept me spinning more than 20 mph on the gentle rollers.

I stopped to photograph a draft horse. This was the closest I'd ever been to one. I was eye level with his neck. His feet were quite literally as large as dinner plates. How strange to look up to a beast. I'm going to have to start carrying carrots on these ramblers, because this guy, too, like the ones yesterday, came up to the fence to visit.

I never noticed that I pass two cemeteries in Hillsboro: on the right on route 9 just before you turn on Mountain Road, and then just after the turn, by a church on the right. I'll have to check them out sometime. But I was enjoy the roll, and I always love Mountain Road. It's parallel to Harpers Ferry Road in West Virginia, just a mile away on the other side of the mountain. I was fast through this section again, rounding Irish Corner and headed toward Lovettsville in no time. I stopped at Lovettsville Pizza and Subs and ordered a caesar salad for lunch, eating it at the picnic table out front. Note to self: two pinball machines, NASCAR and Indiana Jones, look in pretty fair condition, fifty cents to play. Took the requisite bike shot du jour, chuckling to remember that Alyda is collecting these.

After Lovettsville, the ride got some hills. I took the Milltown Road option to Waterford. I'd forgotten that it offers steep rollers, two at 14%, and some fairly long ones, for this area. I think it crosses four streams. This was a long slow lap, and I was glad I was not trying to keep up with stronger riders. I only stopped once, to see what some buzzards were up to. They were nibbling on a deer carcass that looked like one of my friend Tony's écorché collages.

I stopped when I saw the Waterford Market was open; it's always closed on weekends, when I usually ride through this wonderful Quaker town. I felt immediately at home inside. The owner keeps sheep out back, which I've photographed before. And, in addition to general merchandise, the general store displayed sheepskins and wool socks. There was a spinning wheel, and two little runt lambs wearing diapers, which I failed to photograph successfully. I took a 6-ounce Coca Cola from an old cooler and drank it on the spot; it seemed appropriate.

Refreshed, I headed up hill from the Potomac valley, toward Paeonian Springs. The climb was not difficult, but the wind was blustery, and blew hard and cruel during the last mile to route 9, as if it were trying to knock me off course, even off the road. That had to be 25 mph or more. But in Paeonian Springs, I caught the W&OD for the short spin back to Hamilton, somewhat protected from the worst gusts.

And that was the loop, about 30 miles, on a bizarre afternoon in early April when the temperature climbed above 80 and the wind kept me cool.

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