Woodtock, MD to Alexandria, VA.
(Recorded on 11.25.07) The trip officially began on a cold, sunny morning in a suburban townhome canyon. My time had been consumed all the past week with wrapping up projects at work and getting rid of my stuff, and aside from regular bicycle commuting, I’d left myself virtually no time for conditioning. It was a nervous start. “Easy on the knees” was my mantra.
I rolled along through Maryland’s suburban backroads for a good while. They’re hilly but generally wide and pleasant on a sunny autumn day, and filled with color. Just such a day as this is why I’d moved here to begin with.
It was a short trip to D.C., and the tailwind kept the hills in check. US29 is a busy road crossing a number of deep river valleys that converts to a six lane street in the outskirts of the capital. From there 16th street is a fine straight shot to el presidente. Not the safest route at night as it cuts through one of D.C.’s murder belts, but safe as crime goes during the day.
Another cyclist and I had a lane-to-lane chat about touring as we neared the white house. He was an urban commuter with a smaller street bike decked out with chains and padlocks. The conversation strayed around BOB trailers and their pros and cons.
Dismounted at the White House for a photo opportunity. It is an awkward feeling walking around in tights with a suspicious bundle on my back that just might resemble a rifle or rocket launcher. As I wrestle with my camera, a casually-dressed guy about my age asks if he can take my picture. He takes several and one with my own camera at my request. We talk for a while, and I wonder if he’s an agent trying to determine if I’m about to take aim at the White House with my sniper rifle.
Otherwise I’m not in the mood for playing tourist so I skip the monuments. It’s a tricky job crossing over the Potomac and finding my bearings on the highway cluster Virginia-side, but with the help of my mapping program (no GPS) I get on the right track just outside the pentagon.
The hardest ride of the day is the hillacios journey to the hotel, and the most challenging thing I do all day is contort my bike and myself into a pretzel shape small enough for the elevator. And this one guy still gets in and presses a button higher than mine.
