65°F in December!

It was so nice on monday that I had to get out and go for a quick 17 mile ride around the District.  Headed out west towrds East Potomac Park, got a littl lost on the way looking for access to the bridge from L'Enfant Plaza Rd SW

Found the bridge and headed over to East Potomac Park to watch some planes take off from Regan

The park is a really nice one way loop going clockwise. Mostly empty during the day

Briefly stopped to appreciate the view of the monument

and continued on up the path to Georgetown, over the Key Bridge, and back down the bike paths, crossing at Arlington Memorial Bridge. It was a nice ride, but the first time is always the roughest. I might skip the part that took me through SW over to Maine st. not so bike friendly there.

WABA Holiday Party

Went to the WABA Holiday party, which I helped decorate for last week at the volunteer night.   We got there around 7:30 and it was crowded and hot, but there was still beer, wine, cheese, and wraps, so we got to eat, drink, and meet a few new people as well as see some I'd met from previous weeks.  I bumped in to a new friend that had bought a $5 raffle ticket for the drawing at 8pm.  At the last minute I dashed out and dropped $5 on a ticket, thinking it would go to a good cause.  The first drawing was for a WABA t-shirt, which was cool, the second was for a 1 year membership, which I won!  The third was for a rad WABA Bike Jersey.  So we got some free stuff, talked to some good people, and I won a membership.  Happy Holidays!  Pics are here on the WABA Flickr Pool.  and a few others here.

Taking the W&OD back home to DC

I got the great idea in my head last week to bike home from falls church, va.  I knew there were bke trails that went most of the way, but I ended up with a longer ride than I had planned.  I got on the trail, knowing it was called the W&OD (Washington & Old Dominion) and started cranking away, keeping up a nice pace.  What I didn't realize was that I went off course about a mile and a half into the ride.  When I arrived at mile 5, I knew I had messed up, but I had come downhill for the past four miles and wasn't ready to track back.  I knew I was still heading east, so I forged on.  Shirlington Rd is NOT fun to bike on, and when I hit Glebe Rd, I knew I was a bit hosed. 

 Luckily there was a motel on the corner that had Arlington Bike Maps.  I quickly got my bearings and forged on, realizing that I'd have to take a small detour around Regan National Airport.  The ride ended up being about 15 miles, and my toes were mighty cold.  It started snowing right as I began to pass the airport, and I almomst got blown off the  George Mason Memorial Bridge.  But not so bad for getting lost.

Just yesterday I attempted to make the trip again, this time following the correct path.  It's a nice ride, and took me less than an hour to get home.  The sun was out and I only needed one layer underneath my windbreaker.  

I think next time though, I'll try to cross the Potomac a little farther south, at the Arlington Memorial Bridge to avoid all the traffic on Virginia Ave, and the unfortunate wrong way merge into Constitution.  

Here's the two maps superimposed on each other so you can get an idea of how far out of my way I went.  The top route is the proper way.