Bike trip to Lake Needwood.

So, I had to take the Towpath Mobile into the shop. The darn tailpipe came loose from the muffler and I had to take it in to my pals at White Flint Auto. I never like hanging around the shop while waiting and, since it was going to be a beautiful September day, I decided to throw my bike into the car so that I could go for a ride while I waited for them to work on it.

I was very close to the Rock Creek Hiker/Biker trail and it was an easy choice to follow the trail, and the creek, upstream from Randolph road up to Lake Needwood. I haven't been doing a lot of riding lately but it was only about 6 miles up to the lake, so, no problem. It was a sunny, but chilly, morning and since it was a weekday, the playground and ball fields were pretty empty as I peddled up to the first of four creek crossings.

There were a couple of strollers and and some retired people on the trail as I climbed the rolling hills toward the Parklawn Cemetery and Veirs Mill Road. Soon I was peeling layers of clothing and feeling the endorphins kick in. I was having such a good time that I began to ponder why I didn't do this kind of thing more often. It wasn't like I was in some new and exotic place either, (Hell, I've driven along Veirs Mill Road countless times) but the perspective of following the creek to the road as opposed to following the road to the creek made it different. I started to imagined myself as an explorer following a creek upstream to find its source. I wondered what it might have been like to be the first person to learn the distance between the source of the creek and it's mouth, at the Potomac River.

This section of the trail from Veirs Mill to the Lake is one of my favorites. It's in a shady, wooded gorge and it's a nice flat place where I used to take my kids to ride when they were little. The remnants of the old mills are all gone but its cool to remember how this creek used to supply the power for grinding all of the locally grown wheat into flour, back in the day.

I'm so happy that someone had the foresight to preserve this park and this trail. It has even been designated a National Recreational Trail!

I stopped riding for a bit to do a little climbing on the rocks by the side of the trail, but before long I was leaving the shade of the trees and entering the sunny, open fields around the lake. The sun felt good on my back and I was sweating a little bit as I approached the picnic grounds at the bottom of the lake. It was mid-morning now and there were many folks out and about by the lake and on the lake-side trails.

There was no word on my car yet, so I decided to lock up my bike and take a hike around the lake. My coffee was still slightly warm in my thermos, so I carried it along as I strolled across the top of the earthen dam and into the woods on the far side. What a luxury, to be strolling around lake Needwood on a sunny weekday morning! Soon I

came to a side trail that I wasn't familiar with and soon after that I was

venturing off the trail to an alluring little, unnamed creek at the bottom of a steep hill. I like to find these places that are off the beaten path and it was a nice place to sit and listen to the creek and enjoy the rays of sunlight streaming through the trees. The leaves were still mostly green but that were a couple of maple leaves that were turning red and begging to have their picture taken.

I wasn't really expecting to see many migrating birds but I did bring my binoculars, and I'm so glad that I did. Being on that steep hillside gave me a great vantage point where I could look straight into the top parts of the trees where the birds were hanging out. I was so thrilled to see a Black-Throated Green Warbler, a Black-Throated Blue Warbler and later, a group of Pine Warblers down by the lake. I continued my hike past the golfers on the edge of Needwood Golf Course and along the sun-drenched utility lines toward the lake. The open area by the golf course allowed for the late summer flowers to flourish and, being the sensitive guy that I am, I had to stop and try to get some artsy flower pictures.

I got the call from my mechanic, and to my surprise my car was ready! I thought that they might have to install a whole new exhaust but my buddies at White Flint Auto simply welded my tailpipe back onto the muffler. (They said that they always try to reuse the old parts since the replacement parts are always of inferior quality.) I quickened my pace and I made my way down to the far side of the lake near where my bike was locked up. I was please to see someone actually paddling around the lake in a kayak. I ran into the woman paddler later and I was amazed by her folding kayak. She simply folded it up and put it in her trunk! She said that she would recommend buying one but advised against taking it out onto the Bay.

I had a quick snack by the lake before heading back to busy Rockville. Maybe next time I come here I'll bring a kayak.