Today we planned an all day bike ride. The weather was a little warmer and the winds less, with rain on the way for tomorrow. Laurie found a Groupon for an all day bike rental at "Ride and Roll" at Union Station and we had identified some good rides during a visit to the shop the day before.
Packed with great bagels, water, warm layers and Laurie's cool red & white polka dot Nutcase helmet we were off with a walk and Metro ride. We bought SmartTrip cards along the way and now save $1/ride. We were at Bike and Roll by 10 and out on the National Mall a few minutes later with a good bike map. This shop provides storage, repair, rentals, tune ups, tours and seems to be a major hub for DC riders.
We bumbled out onto a few streets with the Washington Monument as a guidepost. The traffic and pedestrians were light but we needed a way through to get to the Arlington Bridge. As got on the broad sidewalks as we dodged our way through the tourists and their buses we made our way over the Potomac River. The rolling bike trail was well signed and mostly used by joggers and riders. The noise level was high due to the air traffic coming down the river to land nearby and the highway. Laurie's bike was a bit too upright for good pedaling. We also had a strong headwind to deal with and set a slow steady pace south (I think).
<NOTE:We're having some difficulties posting photos now and will add them when solved>
Ready to ride & roll now!
Hard to miss this landmark
We made it across the Arlington Bridge
Beautiful melanistic tree squirrel didn't make it across trail
An older rider offered some directions when we got off the Mt. Vernon trail and then tried to debunk climate change with weird information that put Laurie in a bit of a bad mood. The wind didn't help but stopping to eat our bagels did. We continued south toward Alexandria and discovered a Ben and Jerry's shop just as I thought about looking for one. We marked that for our return with Laurie's "2 for 1" coupon ready to go. We continued down to Fort Jones State Park at the edge of our map which seemed to have lots of bridge related mitigation that included some great interpretation. We had ridden about 15 miles and decided to turn around and enjoy a tailwind. It took a little searching but we were up to the task and relocated the Ben and Jerry's. I squeezed in a call to my mom while eating my cone which was harder than it sounds.
Fort Jones Park was a good turnaround point
Fox and other species tracks exhibit was very clever
Great interpretive information
Well earned stop and 2 for 1 no less!
The wind at our back made the return much easier and we took a side trip to search out Mom's Organic Market. Laurie wasn't too impressed but they have been trying to do the right thing for 25 years and we did get some good snacks. We were back at the Mall when Laurie had an encounter with a pushy bus tourist that generated a few curses. We got back about 4:30 and returned the bikes after about 32 miles and quite an adventure. Across the street was the Postal Museum where enjoyed learning about mail trains and buses, the hard working employees of those days and "Owney", the traveling mail dog who was stuffed there with a collar of all the dogtags collected. Afterwards we found a current PO and bought another box to fill and mail home.
Nama checks out Mom's Market
Lynette's Traffic Cone Bag has been awesome the whole trip
Laurie handled a rough ride very well
Some serious mail delivery methods
Our adventure continued as we got off the Metro for the organic spaghetti dinner Laurie had been craving. Unfortunately, the Indian staff weren't up to that and we had a very mediocre meal that Laurie couldn't finish. We were puzzled given the large size and prime location of the Resturant. We were the only guests and couldn't get out quick enough. A little online research confirmed that we had fallen for a tourist trap or more deviant mystery but we survived.
We should have had dinner here with this group
Back home we connected with our hosts to do laundry in the basement but were locked out in the dark when the lock failed. Luckily, someone who knew the owners came by and contacted them when we couldn't. After a quick response we were back doing laundry while he fixed the front door.
Our FaceTime chat with Elle resulted in learning our box shipped several weeks ago had't arrived. Online checking showed that delivery hadn't worked and the box was "returned to sender". We sent it from Portland Maine but hoped that meant our home. We checked and it hasn't showed up there either. We are following up to solve that now with crossed fingers.
Our post office results weren't so good
Our host is repairing the lock and we have clean clothes and lots of memories and new stories to add to this adventure. Tomorrow will be a new day and full of surprises, excitement and maybe a few setbacks. It's all good after all and tomorrow brings the zoo and the World Series into the mix.
It's a Wild Ride!
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