Road Trips

You must read the following NVHC Sign-in Sheet Statement/Liability Disclaimer, [https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf](https://nvhc.com/signin.pdf) and then answer the question that you will see when you RSVP with "I accept" to be permitted on the hike. Hike is a total of 5.5 miles and 1600' elevation gain. We will bushwhack off of the Appalachian Trail (AT) near the Panorama lower parking lot to Marys Rock. The bushwhack portion is about .8 miles and 1000’ gain, this is very steep and we move at \~ ½ mph with frequent rest stops. After completing the bushwhack to Marys Rock we will continue south on the AT until Byrds Nest shelter for lunch then return on the AT to Panorama parking. This portion is about 4.5 miles. This is rated a B level due to mileage and elevation gain, but please read the paragraph below carefully. ***Bushwhacking involves walking off trail, rock scrambling with potential obstacles such as downed trees, brush, sticker bushes, rocks, mud, stream crossings, slippery leaves and very steep uphills. Clothes may get torn by sticker bushes. Only RSVP if you are up for this adventure.*** We will only do this hike if weather and ground conditions are ideal. \*\*Due to the off trail nature we are limiting attendance to less than or equal to 20 people.\*\* No park entry fee if you park in the trailhead lot I specified. Dogs are not permitted on this hike. Leader: Ed Brimberg 703-944-9920 (C) Carpools: Plan to arrive at the Centreville Park and Ride at by 7:15am, carpools depart at 7:30am. Suggested carpool fee is $6. The leader will be at the carpool location. GPS Coordinates: 38.836038, -77.455371, [https://goo.gl/maps/hc3LRG7Hsy2wMJs18](https://goo.gl/maps/hc3LRG7Hsy2wMJs18) Arrive at the trailhead by 8:45am, Panorama lower parking lot, do not go thru entrance station to Skyline Drive. GPS Coordinates: 38.660653, -78.321968 [https://goo.gl/maps/8nXMXZvwuqoAofXc9](https://goo.gl/maps/8nXMXZvwuqoAofXc9) Neither the Club nor the hike leaders are responsible for coordinating transportation to/from the trailhead. Hikers are not guaranteed to get a ride to the trailhead from the carpool location. Carpooling is organized by the participants and they participate at their own risk. AllTrails Map for hike: [https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/marys-rock-bushwhack-2016-11-16?u=i&sh=7cs7ov](https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/marys-rock-bushwhack-2016-11-16?u=i&sh=7cs7ov) Photos from previous bushwhack: [https://goo.gl/photos/zNoY5aPgNAWVDGVYA](https://goo.gl/photos/zNoY5aPgNAWVDGVYA) Driving time to trailhead from carpool location: 1 hour 15 minutes. **You must be experienced in hikes of this distance and elevation gain.**

Click here to attend: [https://www.jgoot.com/livestreams](https://www.jgoot.com/livestreams) Some trips are fixed. Some trips are flexible. Some are mostly cash. Some are almost entirely points. The mistake is thinking those are different games. They’re not. In this special session, JGOOT Advisor Ajay breaks down two completely different trips booked back-to-back: • A fixed-date Hawaii family trip for five • A three-month Asia adventure starting in late February One required specific dates and limited flexibility. The other leaned heavily into optionality and points. One used a mix of cash and over 90,000 points. The other unlocked nearly $18,000 in travel for around $1,000 out of pocket. Different constraints. Different strategy. Same skillset. It’s time for: **Two Trips, Two Strategies: See What’s Possible When a JGOOTer Masters the Skillset.** Ajay will walk through how he thinks about flexibility, how he chooses when to use cash versus points, and why there’s no such thing as “a points trip” or “a cash trip” inside JGOOT. Inside this session, you’ll learn: • How to approach fixed-date travel without abandoning strategy • How flexibility dramatically increases leverage • How to decide when to deploy points and when to preserve them • How JGOOT becomes a skill you use on every trip, not a tactic you turn on and off This isn’t about showing off a big redemption. It’s not about extremes. It’s about understanding that once you master the skill, every trip becomes an opportunity. Whether you’re planning a family vacation with fixed dates or dreaming about a long-term adventure, you’ll walk away seeing exactly what’s possible when strategy compounds over time. Click here to attend: [https://www.jgoot.com/livestreams](https://www.jgoot.com/livestreams)

Every week it's a different theme! We have done authors and their works, Changing Seasons, Animated Characters, and lots more. Form a team, but your team score is the amount of correct answers divided by number of team members. And, yes, there are prizes! If attendance is low, everyone gets something, but if it's big, the prizes are bigger, including gift cards! All questions are either created by us, or taken from one of our very many trivia games on hand. There will always be easy and hard questions, plus a fair range for every kind of player to be involved. Cost of attendance is being a patron of the store - buy food and drink or even a new game, and you're welcome to sit and play this (or any other game from our massive library!).

Meet in front of Copper Canyon by the benches.
We'll do anywhere from 3-5 laps. It's .75 miles around and we usually do 3/4 laps. For safety reasons, we’re going to keep the group to two small groups of eight members each. Sometimes it get crowded there so we don’t want to have any mishaps. 
Afterwards, if we like the group will decide where to grab a bite to eat at one of the local restaurants at the RIO. If you happen to be late, walk, counterclockwise around the lake and you should see us walking

Classic Half Massanutten to run on the same weekend as the full. We'll setup a car shuttle on Friday night and camp near Waterfall mountain. Then Waterfall to Little Fort Campground near Woodstock Gap on Saturday (21m), and then back to the Signal Knob Parking lot (15m). All mileages are -ish. We'll need some cars to make the shuttle work. We'll meet on Friday at 7:30 PM at Vienna for carpooling since I want to avoid driving the beltway at rush hour. Probably 8:45 PM or so at Signal Knob Parking lot for the car shuttle. The trailhead on the south side is labeled "Massanutten Trailhead" in Google maps and it's located near Waterfall mountain. The parking lot on the south side is small vs the Signal Knob parking lot is pretty large. It's TBD if Chrisman Hollow Rd will be open. If not, we'll park just of US-211 again like last year. Due to the mileage, you should have already be at the member rank for the club. E.g., have done a LM trip with the club in good style. If you're new to the club, there might or might not be a mini-Massanutten the same weekend. By RSVPing to this trip or any other DCUL trip, you agree to these guidelines and to DCUL's waiver liability terms (https://dculbackpacking.com/about/liability-waiver/)

Welcome to the 2026 road cycling season. Lots of paces from top racers to those just starting an exercise program. Several clubs will likely join together with One Love Cycling, including Korvelo (Korean Road Cycling Club), Viet Velo, Whole Wheel Velo Club. Sign up if you'd like, or simply show up. If you need the route GPS file, go to [ridewithgps.com](http://ridewithgps.com/) and search for Wakefield Route, which will show both the Southern part (16 miles) and the optional Western part (makes the ride total 25 miles.) Here is a link: [https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44789824](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44789824)

**Seneca Creek - Backpacking** (Event will go rain-Shine or snow) A hiker’s paradise, Spruce Knob has amazing views and is home to one of the 5 best backpacking routes in the mid-Atlantic. **Seneca Creek** route is a 10 mile easy loop, almost flat ground whit no elevation hike located in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest. On this trail you’ll get to experience a little bit of everything. There’s beautiful streams and waterfalls, high mountain meadows. We will move in as soon we arrive (mid day) getting to camp area around 3-4 pm, go for a swim to refresh and come back to eat something. With so many options, the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks Recreation Area can be as challenging or easy as you want, trails that zigzag all through the valley and along the mountaintop, and they have various lengths and degrees of difficulty. The trails that zigzag through the park below, some of which lead to this summit, venture through meadows, along mountainsides, into dense spruce forests, and along rocky ridges. Here, rhododendron and blueberry flourish, creating a colorful canvas through spring, and in the fall, the forest erupts in fiery hues in every direction. We will star our day at Seneca Creek lower parking lot and walk our way down to one of the most beautiful waterfall on the area where we will spend the rest of our first day on the wild arriving to this area between 4pm. Next day early in the morning we will star our way back arriving to our cars around mid day, from there we will drive for 30-45 minutes more or less to The Sinks of Gandy cave where we will walk thought whit the help of our headlamps. **Note:** First day we will walk slowly and appreciate what nature is offering us, second day we will double the pace mostly due that we have to visit another area (cave) which is 45 minutes driving distance away, so, do not be surprise if a few of you may have to jog to keep up. You have been warned. The **Sinks of Gandy** \- Day Hike cave is truly a diamond in the rough\, Sinks Gandy Creek travels some 3,000 feet through the sinks as it passes under a spur of Yokum Knob, a summit in the Allegheny Mountains. Its upstream entrance is about 30 feet wide and 15 feet high. The tunnel is principally a single long passage from 4 to 35 feet high with a few minor side-passages. The main passage averages 40 to 60 feet wide though in some places opens to nearly 100 feet wide. In many places the creek fills the entire floor of the passage and in others is confined to a narrow trench. Its downstream entrance is offset by about 100 feet to the east of the creek's channel, which exits through boulders. Water shoes are a must have. After exiting the cave we will head back home, this will take most of the day so be aware that arriving home late evening is a high provability, plan accordingly. **Meeting area:** We all will meet at Vienna Metro Station Friday at 7:30pm and soon be on the move so try to be there on time, **or** a camping area **Friday camp (or 9am Saturday)** Princess Snowbird Campground Walk in, no reservation require - Private paid area - Bring cash **Camping GPS exactly location:** 38.835594, -79.378526 **Seneca Creek trailhead GPS:** 38.711839, -79.549878 If driving to meet at the trail head, be there by 11am **NOTE:** No cellphone signal on the area. **Gear list:** 1.) Tent 2.) Sleeping bag 3.) Sleeping pad 4.) 2 pieces rain suit or poncho (Just in case) 5.) 2-3 Extra pair of socks. 6.) Backpacking stove + pot/cup/dish/spoon 7.) Dehydrate food for your self. 8.) Camel bag/bottle or similar for drinking water. 9.) Snacks/sandwich/power bars or equivalent, etc. 10.) Water - Saturday and Sunday we will refuel from a stream 11.) Head lamp + extra batteries 12.) Water shoes + small towel 13.) Bug spry 14.) Full extra set of cloths to change when we come out of the cave, we will be a bit dirty and somehow wet. 15.) 1-2 trash bags to put your muddle clothes on (This specially apply to car riders) [Youtube video created by @Praful, an attendant on this same event time ago.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gSvCdP6CLc) **CARPOOL:** Don't forget if you want a ride or are willing to offer a ride – be a friend to the environment, save money, and make friends by just posting a message!! **Have a ride:** Please post where you are coming from, what time, and how many spots you have. **Need a ride:** Post that you need a ride and contact any offers via e-mail for those that are offering rides. **NOTE:** Carpool is ***NOT free***, a gas share of $15 x person is encouraged to give to however is your driver as a token of appreciation.

Here's another adventure inspired by my attempts to nibble off a few more miles for my SNP 500. This adventure takes us to the very end of the southern district. The plan: Depart Vienna and head to Rockfish Gap. We'll station a few cars there, and then make our way north to Jarman Gap to start our adventure. We'll head north along the AT to Turk Branch Trail, and then take that down to the South Moormans River Road. We'll follow that trail south and eventually rejoin the AT, taking that down to the Calf Mountain Hut. We'll camp there for the evening. Sunday is all AT back to Rockfish Gap and our cars. Reverse the shuttle and then make our way home. This should be a nice outing to explore some of Shenandoah's southern-most trails. I'll hold five spots for applicants and will prioritize them on the wait list. Applicants, you'll need to send me a gear list to be approved for the trip. **DCULers have maps!** PATC's Map 11 (South District) is the one to have. Questions? Send them my way. Group size is limited to 10. The Fine Print \- Total round\-trip distance is roughly 140 miles\. Per DC UL recommended guidelines of about $0\.10 per mile\, expect to chip in about $14 to your driver if you're catching a ride\. \- Members and above\, don't forget to pay your annual dues\. You can check if you need to pay dues by seeing if the current year is listed next to your name in your DC UL profile\. Applicants do not need to pay dues for their first trip\. To pay your dues via PayPal\, use this link: https://www\.paypal\.com/paypalme/JenniferAdach/15 \($10 annual dues plus a $5 suggested donation to City Kids Wilderness Project\.\) \- By RSVPing for this trip\, you acknowledge that you’ve read our COVID\-19 guidelines \(https://dculbackpacking\.com/about/covid\-19\-guidelines/\) and that you agree to DC UL's liability waiver terms\. \(https://dculbackpacking\.com/about/liability\-waiver\)

Welcome to the 2026 road cycling season. Lots of paces from top racers to those just starting an exercise program. Several clubs will likely join together with One Love Cycling, including Korvelo (Korean Road Cycling Club), Viet Velo, Whole Wheel Velo Club. Sign up if you'd like, or simply show up. If you need the route GPS file, go to [ridewithgps.com](http://ridewithgps.com/) and search for Wakefield Route, which will show both the Southern part (16 miles) and the optional Western part (makes the ride total 25 miles.) Here is a link: [https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44789824](https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44789824)

## Details Please join local travel enthusiasts to share travel experiences and swap tips and ideas for future travel. This is our third meeting. It's been a while and we've all been busy, so let's regroup! Expect a non-structured, casual hang with some interesting people. I aim for this to be a welcoming environment and my only real goal is for everyone to make a new friend. You don't have to be a raging extrovert to participate. All are welcome. About the Group: This group is for anyone who loves swapping stories about far-off places, planning future adventures, and trading travel tips. Whether you've been around the world or you're just starting to explore, you're welcome here! We meet at local breweries for laid-back conversations about all things travel — past trips, upcoming journeys, bucket lists, favorite hidden gems, and insider advice. It's a friendly, casual space to connect with fellow adventurers, get inspired, and maybe even find your next travel buddy. No tickets required — just curiosity, good vibes, and a love for discovery.

Join us for an unforgettable women’s journey through Portugal, where you’ll explore historic cities, taste incredible wines, and experience the country’s vibrant culture. From the charming streets of Lisbon to the scenic beauty of the Douro River Valley, this trip offers a perfect mix of adventure, relaxation, and connection. Enjoy hands-on experiences like a tile workshop in Lisbon and savor delicious local cuisine along the way. This **exclusive trip for women** promises to create lifelong memories and new friendships in one of Europe’s most enchanting destinations. ### Tour Pricing Includes * Airport Transfers (arrival and departure) * 4-star accommodations throughout the trip * Lisbon: 4 nights * Porto: 4 nights * Daily Breakfast * Private Guided Walking Tour of Lisbon * Hands-on Tile Workshop in Lisbon * Day trip to Évora with guided tour * Wine Tasting Experience at a local winery in Évora * Guided Tour of Sintra including Pena Palace * Transfer to Porto with stops in Óbidos and Nazaré * Lunch in Nazaré (included) * Guided Walking Food Tour in Porto * Douro River Valley Day Trip * Two wine tastings * Lunch (included) * Boat ride along the Douro River * Free Day in Porto to explore on your own * Private Transfers for all tours and activities * Farewell Airport Transfer on departure day ### Not Included In The Price * Airfare or other transportation to and from the tour that's not listed * Hotel fees paid directly to the hotel upon check out * Tips for tours and taxis * Meals and activities not specified in the itinerary * Any personal expenses or expenditures * Any pre- or post- tour arrangements * Any gratuities for the SG tour leader * Travel Insurance ### Payment Dates and Cancellation Penalty Amounts * A guaranteed deposit of $1000.00 per person is required at the time of booking. $300.00 is a non refundable deposit. Cancellations received prior to final payment will incur a loss of the non refundable deposit, plus any fees subject to the booking. **[SIGN ME UP](https://traveljoy.com/groups/dNnGaRCCVXG8mzT396eepS6f/forms/EofsJp9vX5ujkPAq9if1P7pM)**[ ](https://traveljoy.com/groups/dNnGaRCCVXG8mzT396eepS6f/forms/EofsJp9vX5ujkPAq9if1P7pM)

They have a 4.7 rating and food trucks (until 7 pm), and they make special Pizza this Saturday. The music is Folk Pop, and we can watch the sun set as we drink wonderful wine right before they close. * Wine is currently available **by the bottle, glass, 3-wine flight, and guided 5-wine tasting. A guided 5-wine tasting costs $22 per person, and it is a seated experience in our tasting room. We do not take reservations.** * **[Rotating food vendors](https://www.rocklandsfarmmd.com/events/calendar)** on-site year-round every Saturday 12-7 pm. Local snacks and charcuterie also available in their tasting room. It's not too far to drive home on the back roads so take it slow going home or get a designated driver (carpool) or take Uber. Drink responsibly (whatever that means! LOL). I would bring a folding chair just in case there aren't any available. We can't reserve an area or chairs. Making sure this is a music event so check back in a couple of days. # House Show (TBD) - Eli Lev Saturday, April 18, 2026·6:00 – 9:00pm [Rocklands Farm Winery, 14531 Montevideo Rd, Poolesville, MD 20837, USA](https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Rocklands%20Farm%20Winery%2C%2014531%20Montevideo%20Rd%2C%20Poolesville%2C%20MD%2020837%2C%20USA&source=calendar) *notes* Coming Soon! - Join us Saturday (time TBD) in the Stone House. Our "House Show Series" is a ticketed show for guests to have a beautiful, unique experience, up close and personal with Eli. Come early to get a good seat, delicious wine, and great food from the food truck. With one foot in the traditions of conscious folk music and another foot in modern pop production, Eli stands firmly on his own ground. His earnest, enlightened, and invigorating folk-pop has garnered favorable comparisons to Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, Jack Johnson, and John Denver. Website: [https://eli-lev.com/](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com%2F&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1765900440000000&usg=AOvVaw07hEzzy4b4VbVoj77ReKIm) Listen: [https://eli-lev.com/music/](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com%2Fmusic%2F&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1765900440000000&usg=AOvVaw367d2zzFQt-DPXQkTVmEXP) Youtube: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=7Fdjk7bre68&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=7Fdjk7bre68&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com%2F&embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Feli-lev.com&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY) All aboard mates!