RV Tips & Tricks

he Virginia/Maryland/DC wildflowers are essentially at their peak NOW! We will hike the Windy Run Trail in north Arlington down to the Potomac Heritage Trail along the Potomac River. Upstream for a bit and downstream for a bit will show us many of the currently blooming wildflowers. This is timed for later in day so that you can take care of your other responsibilities and still get outside. There will be plenty of light for good pictures. Also, the birds get more active and noisier towards dusk. Bluebells, spring beauty, wild phlox, snowbells (even though it is done snowing) , May apples (even though it is April). These are a few of the flowers blooming now that you will see. The Spring ephmeral wildflowers take advantage of the light and bloom quickly before the trees leaf out and put them in shade. When the trees leaf out, the spring wildflowers begin to go to bed until the next year. Wear shoes with tread that will grip. There are a handful of stream crossings and a set of steep stairs (with a handrail part of the way down). If you have treking poles, consider bringing them. No dogs. I will also show you I-Naturalist. Load the App before you come if you wish. The Appalachian Mountain Club uses this as a citizen science project that can track blooming dates and locations. Meet at 2433 N Kenmore St, Arlington, VA

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)

Friendly game. No slide tackling, rough play, or coaching. Bring a white and dark colored shirt. Ideally we will play 10 vs. 10 on half the field, but will split into multiple games if we have numbers.

Volunteer with us refurbishing donated bicycles to help us get them back out in the community! This event is open to both new and existing volunteers. No mechanical experience is necessary. Note: The warehouse location is in the alley behind 1502 Mt Vernon Ave. Enter through the gray door next to a roll-down garage door. If you drive to the location, be sure to park in the street, not in the alleys or parking lots surrounding the warehouse. And wear clothes you don't mind getting dirty with bicycle grease! Please be aware that volunteers under 18 need a parent or guardian to accompany them to their first volunteer experience and sign a liability waiver, while volunteers under 16 need a parent or guardian to accompany them at all times while volunteering with Vélocity.

Let's return to one of our favorite spots to play - William Jeffrey's Tavern! WJT is a real good venue for playing the popular Pour House Trivia game. This place is less noisy than many trivia venues, and they have real good food! It is a 7:00 pm game, but you should try to arrive at least 15 minutes earlier to find us and get settled. There might be some street parking available, but there is also a parking garage for the building around back with free validated parking. The place is also on a frequent bus line from Pentagon City metro. This event is limited to seven people, so sign up now to save your spot for this fun trivia option!

On Monday, we'll meet in front of 2100 Clarendon Blvd around 6:50pm and head out for a nice hilly run at 7pm to see the pretty flowers in bloom near Arlington Cemetery 🌷 We usually head out for a drink after the run. So if you're planning to stay after for drinks, bring your ID/etc. Notes: If you're not familiar with the area, please review the routes. If it's cold, take cover inside the foyer area of 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Photos taken during the event may end up on Instagram, Meetup, Strava and similar platform. Route: We'll run 20 minutes out from Courthouse along Arlington Blvd towards Arlington Cemetery to check out the tulips 🌷 , and then turn around and run 20 minutes back to Courthouse. Everyone runs at his/her own pace, so the distance will depend on your speed. Courthouse Library > 15th St > Rhodes St > Arlington Blvd sidewalk > N Meade St (Iwo Jima Memorial) > Netherlands Carillon (🔔🌷) > Arlington Cemetery > Memorial Bridge > And back 👈 Pace: All paces are welcome! We'll be doing an out and back route, so everyone will just turn around at the halfway time marker. That way we should all start and end at the same time. Free Parking at Courthouse Plaza: The underground garage (http://tiny.cc/OmKZx) is on Clarendon Blvd btwn Wayne and Veitch Sts. (near Strayer/CVS and the AMC Theater). If the first 2 levels on the left are full, you can park on the lower levels to the right. Street and Surface Parking lots should be free in the area as well. Metro: Orange or Silver line to Courthouse Station.

Yes, it's already approaching that special time of year... time for the Massanutten Death March! After consulting Jen and a few others, I'm putting up this placeholder with dates, and more details can be added or amended later. To quote Michael: "DCUL's annual spring lap around Massanutten... is always a good test of your backpacking chops and your fitness coming out of the winter." To quote me, "You might cry. You might develop the largest blisters you ever had! Aaaaand... you might come back next year for more torture..." I'm sticking with the classic version. So, we'll do the trip clockwise, Elizabeth Furnace to Veach Gap on Thursday (roughly 10m), Veach Gap to Waterfall Mountain on Friday (24m). Waterfall to Edinburgh Gap on Saturday (21m), and then back to the Signal Knob Parking lot (15m). NOTE: These splits are copied from last year's event and they do not match the Caltopo below, partly because the Sat/Sun splits show camping at Mudhole Gap but I'm going with Edinburgh Gap. We can make an updated Caltopo later. And, I know not everyone likes the Edinburgh campsite, but I don't want to add an extra 5 miles to Mudhole Gap on Saturday. We'll tag a few volunteers to reserve spaces. If anyone would like to post a complementary Half-a-nutten (is that canonical language?) or LM trip for the same weekend, feel free! I'll start group size at 10 plus myself, as Michael did last year. But we may add more spots later. You should be a veteran member to undertake this! It's always a memorable weekend! Caltopo: https://caltopo.com/m/HNED

Arlington has a planetarium called the David M Brown Planetarium. I forget about it all the time. They host a monthly event. This month's starts at 7:30pm on April 18. Let's meet up at Quincy Hall beforehand and get buzzed before we learn about the Solar System. Tickets to the planetarium show are $5. They can be bought at the door and online. The online ones aren't available yet but I'll post a link when they are. The David M Brown Planetarium is at 1426 N Quincy St, Arlington, VA 22207 right around the corner from Quincy Hall. The show is called Dynamic Earth: https://friendsoftheplanetarium.org/event-6339264

Ready for some Mahjongg fun? Join us at The Spot in Belmont Bay for a laid-back get-together with the American Mahjongg NoVA crew! No pressure—just good vibes, great company, and plenty of tile-flipping action. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just curious to try, everyone’s welcome to join the fun. Come laugh, play, and maybe pick up a new trick or two along the way. Let’s make it a Mahjongg day to remember! Every Wednesday evening 6pm - 8pm. There is a $10 buy in. This includes one non-alcoholic drink :-) Keep an eye open for theme nights!!!!! Mrs Roper MuMu Mahjongg coming up soon!!!!

This is an opportunity for volunteers to support a professional mechanic as he guides customers working on their own bikes. If you know how to do some basic repairs, that's a plus, but even if you don't, you can greet customers and manage who gets helped next. Feel free to attend for only a portion of the time if you can't be there the whole three hours. Please note that this event is not usually an opportunity to learn about bicycle repair, since the mechanic tends to be very busy helping customers, especially during the warmer months. But it's a great way to contribute to Velocity, since almost all the funding for the volunteer program comes from the work done at the shops.

We meet to learn and practice American Sign Language and to grow our familiarity with Deaf culture. Facilitated by hearing folks (with a connection to a professional interpreter) using Deaf-created content. People of all ASL skill levels are welcome! As we learn, we hope to connect more with the Deaf community in Central Ohio. Join us as you're able! Come regularly or just once - whatever you're looking for! Each meetup will explore different topics related to ASL/Deaf culture, and will feature time to practice conversation with one another. Just bring yourself and a willingness to learn!

Sleep in on Sundays. When you've had your fill of pajama-time, roll out and have some tasty brunch with your fellow Humanists!

Younkin Branch Library (Ashville) meeting space is now reserved for any and all interested in or enthused by playing a game of chess. The second Thursday of each month, 6:00pm to 7:50pm. First gathering is Thursday, May 11th. No fees. Chess sets provided; however, you may bring your own if you wish.

Dinner and dancing

Join us for **Ben Frain**'s talk ... Ben's book "Responsive Web Design With HTML5 and CSS" caught my attention (and should interest you as well). Find it here: [https://rwd.education/](https://rwd.education/) ***Bring your laptop and expect to write some (non-AI generated) code!*** Food and drinks will be available. **LOCATION:** 6515 Longshore Loop, Suite 300, Dublin, OH 43017 **FREE PARKING:** 6725 Longshore Street, Dublin, OH 43017