Lockhouse 10, Round 2!

Before I get started with this post, I want to remind you of the Police Unity Tour fundraiser link. It's over there to the right (FirstGiving) --------->. My goal is to raise $1700 and I need your help. Even just a dollar or two helps.  We have a few more events coming up soon, and I will definitely keep you posted, but in the meantime please consider donating a few bucks to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund. Its easy and goes to a good cause.

I know its been awhile since I last updated, but I have a lot of news to share! I'll probably have to break it up into a couple of different blog posts.

First up: our return to Lockhouse 10! As you may recall, we had an awful biking experience the last time we stayed in a lockhouse along the C&O canal. Flat tires, stripped bolts...everything that could go wrong with a bike went wrong. The stay itself was lovely, but the problems with my bike made me miserable and I was determined to come back and have a better time.

Right around the New Year, The Boy and I made the choice to go ahead and book Lockhouse 10 for Valentine's Day weekend. Sure it was a bit of a wait, but it would be worth it. By the time Valentine's Day rolled around, we would be ready to get back to the canal again.

Sure enough, the time passed and it was time to get packed up again. This time I used a few of the gift cards I received for Christmas to purchase a some things for the trip. I bought a sleeping bag since I knew it was going to be cold and extra bedding would always be welcome. Plus I could use the sleeping bag for future biking camp trips. I also went ahead and bought two different camping pillows, since bringing along standard pillows takes up the most amount of room. I bought two different types so I could see which ones we preferred (review to come soon--hint: we both like the pumped air type rather than the compressed stuffing type). I also purchased a camping towel, which was awesome. Worked like a charm.

The day to ride out to the lockhouse couldn't arrive soon enough. We woke up and got ready to pack our stuff. Since this was our 3rd time (3rd time is the charm!), we had become experts at packing; enough clothes for 2 days & nights, extra sweatshirt, rain gear, towel, pillows, sheet, toiletries, pack of cards, flashlights, ALL OF THE TOOLS, Kindle, U.S Parks Passport, iPhone & charger, and a stick of butter (so we didn't have to buy a whole box of butter AGAIN. I swear we have 24 sticks of butter in our fridge from buying a box of butter every time we go to the lockhouse).

Turns out The Boy had packed a little something extra....but more about that later.

It was a COOOOOOOLD afternoon when we set off. Brrrr. I actually had to use my balaclava because it was so cold. Bitterly cold. I said a little prayer to the Bike Gods that this trip would be uneventful & smooth, and off we went.

Betty, all set to go. Much better at packing by now :-)

The Boy, cheerful as always. That's not an obscene gesture, he was just pointing with the wrong finger.


I should mention that since the New Year, our commute to work has been drastically shortened due to being transferred to a new workplace. What used to be a leisurely 2 mile bike ride  has turned into a less-than 4 block stroll. Although I still ride to and from work (down the hill, up the hill)---The Boy hasn't been on a bike for a quite a bit. So the 12 mile ride out to the Lockhouse was a bit of a shock to his system. We took it nice & easy, and took several breaks to "enjoy the scenery" (let The Boy rest for a bit).

Taking a break at Fletcher's Port-A-Potty Cove

Lockhouse 6! We miss you and your super comfy mod chairs!

After what seemed like an eternity in the bitter cold, we finally made it to Lockhouse 10. I will admit that even I was feeling a bit tired when we rolled up. The temperatures & wind were no joke! I figured we would go ahead and unpack, relax for a few minutes, than ride out to the Cabin John shopping center to get dinner/supplies before it got too dark. The Boy looked pretty tired too.

This is why I probably should have been a bit more suspicious when he suddenly insisted that we go for a walk along the river's edge before it got dark. I was tired, hungry & cold so that was the LAST thing I wanted to do and I said so. The Boy was very insistent, which was just....weird. He was adamant that we had to do this NOW, so I said FINE and trudged out along the trail with him. I might have sighed a little dramatically too.

There is a nice little trail opposite the canal from the lockhouse where you can sit along the Potomac's edge & watch the river go by. It's a pretty little spot, and we had fun exploring it the last time we were there. It made a good distraction from me cursing at Betty's bike troubles. This time it looked a bit different since the leaves were all gone, but it was still beautiful-especially with the setting sun in the background.

And then The Boy got down on one knee and asked me a question that I was completely unprepared for, and yet already knew the answer to: Will You Marry Me?

I honestly had no words at that moment, and couldn't quite believe what I had heard. The Boy pulled out a ring and slipped it on my finger. I didn't know if I was numb from the cold or the shock, but I had no idea what to say. Of course the answer finally came to me...

Of Course I Will Marry You. (I'm pretty sure I just mumbled something that sounded similar while kind of staring oddly at The Boy; but he knew what I meant).

The rest of that evening was a bit of a blur. We did manage to make it out to Cabin John for food & beer (but not before the sun went down--weeee another night ride! This time we knew where we were going though). We even had a friend over that night for dinner to help us celebrate (the fire alarm STILL went EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE). We had a wonderful evening playing cards, building terrible things with the Lincoln Logs & just sharing stories. It was awesome.

Look at that shiny thing!

I am definitely not an engineer.

Getting ready to prepare dinner (mac & cheese & sausage)/set off the fire alarm.

The next morning came far too early. At least it had warmed up a bit and was actually fairly pleasant outside. It was a perfect sunny day. An ideal day to attempt our ride over to the Irish Inn (which we had planned to do the last time we were at the lockhouse, but bike troubles prevented us from doing so).

Betty, sunning herself on the porch. No flat tire this time!

We knew that the Irish Inn was right off of MacArthur Blvd, but we weren't sure how far down. We checked out a map and it seemed reasonable enough.....on paper. But how would it be actually riding?

Pretty easy, actually. There is a cycle track that runs from the Cabin John Shopping Center all the way to the Irish Inn along MacArthur Blvd. It could not have been more simple. It even went by Glen Echo Park, which I am still dying to check out.

Glen Echo Park during the day (I love that trolley car in the front).

Glen Echo Park at night. Gotta love that neon!

We arrived at the Irish Inn in no time at all, and it was so easy to ride to. The only thing I wasn't too happy with is that there is virtually no bike parking whatsoever (which is odd, given its a business that is located directly next to a bike path). There are a few street signs around to lock up on, but they were pretty far away. Luckily the owner let us keep our bikes out on the patio since it wasn't in use, but obviously that wouldn't work during the warmer months. Oh well. Guess that they don't get many cyclists?

Anyway, the Inn itself was wonderful! Good food, good service, good time. We happened to get in right before it got really busy (and it did get busy!) and they had a live band too. The band was awesome & we had an excellent engagement dinner. I can't wait to go back again. We stayed so long that the sun had set long before we were ready to leave. Thankfully we have lights on our bikes, so we were able to ride back to the lockhouse without incident.

Dessert. They make the ice cream in-house!

I was sad that our last night at the lockhouse was quickly coming to end, but I knew I could't have asked for a better weekend.

View from the bed. I was sad to leave :-(

The next morning arrived way too early. Especially since a maintenance guy decided to invite himself in at 7:30 in the morning. Oops! Apparently Tuesday is the day they do any cleaning/maintenance for the lockhouses...but he had forgotten that guests might still be present up until 11am (checkout time). He apologized profusely, but we were definitely not prepared for such an early wake-up call. Heh. We managed to get everything packed/clean by 11 and then it was time to head back to DC. Always the most depressing part of the trip--especially since I know I'll be heading right back to work as soon as we get in. Oh well. Its nice to know that the lockhouses are always a short bike ride away :-)

We will be back again soon (honeymoon, maybe?!).

P.S. I really want to thank WABA since it was their silent auction that got us started on these crazy trips to the lockhouses along the C&O Canal. Thank you! And I strongly urge you guys to visit the C&O Canal Trust and book a lockhouse yourself. You'll love it.

Coming up soon: A new bike in the family!

Bilbo Baggins: Or There and Almost Back Again

Ever since The Boy enthusiastically embraced biking as a form of entertainment (as long as it leads to somewhere with Beer), I've decided to come up with at least one "bike date" per weekend. This weekend's bike adventure would be riding to Old Town Alexandria and having dinner at Bilbo Baggins/The Green Dragon Pub.

I had been here once before in the beginning of September. I heard it had a really great beer selection, and I decided to meet up with a friend of mine that lives in Alexandria for lunch and try it out. Unfortunately the Curse of VA* struck, and I had to have my friend bail me out. I was a little frazzled, and didn't get to fully experience the restaurant. I recall the dish I had was okay, and I never got to try any of the beers (I probably could have simply ordered a beer without getting carded, but the Goody Two Shoes side of my personality wouldn't let me).

So, I convinced The Boy to try it with me this past weekend. I warned him that the ride is slightly longer than the ride to lockhouse 6. He was still game. The day of the ride I literally had to drag him from bed. He works midnights, and had an especially long night at work. In hindsight, I don't know why I didn't simply wait until the next day to do the ride so he would be fully rested, but I had it set in my mind that we were going to do it Sunday, darn it. He was already grumpy to begin with. Then it turns out he left his rain coat at the bar, so he didn't have a coat to wear (it was chilly & drizzly out). Oh, and he didn't eat anything before setting off, either. Great combo ;-)

 We took the 15th Street cycletrack all the way down to the Jefferson so we could then ride over the bridge to VA. I keep meaning to "review" the cycletrack in this blog, but I've been putting it off. Let's just say The Boy was not impressed. He was very frustrated at the red lights we kept getting stuck at. I agree with him (hint at upcoming review: cyclists will not use cycling infrastructure that is not convenient. The 15th Street cycletrack is not only inconvenient when going southbound, it also borders on frustrating). At 15th & Constitution we encountered the most annoying group of Segway tourists I have ever come across.

Tourists + Segways = Satan's Smelly Balls.

I don't care for tourists. I loathe Segways. Having them combined scares me. This particular group was about 15 people deep, and they took up THE ENTIRE 14 FOOT WIDE SIDEWALK. Normally, their guide instructs them on segway etiquette before setting off (i.e. be respectful of other users of the road/sidewalk, stay single file, keep right). Apparently they skipped over this portion of the orientation, because they were all over the dang place. I dinged and dinged and dinged my bell behind one particular offender who simply would not move to the right. At first I feared she was deaf, and I was looking like an ass. But when I called "move to the right, please" she finally looked behind her and had that blank look of "oh, you meant ME? I thought that dinging was for someone else!" and finally moved out of the way. I shot the tour operator a dirty look, but I think it was lost on him.

Finally we were up and over the bridge (am I the only person that believes it is bad luck to pass people on bridges? It is, folks. Trust me. You don't pass on bridges. If its not a rule, I am making it one right now) and onto the Mt. Vernon trail towards Alexandria.

I like this trail. I've never had a problem on it. This day was no exception. There were a few runners (most of whom looked miserable in the weather) and even fewer cyclists. Yet for whatever reason, The Boy hated it. Probably because he didn't realize how long the ride was going to be, and he was starving. And cold. And wet. He kept saying it was crowded and narrow. It didn't feel like that to me, but I've ridden it many times before.

After about 45 minutes, we arrived at our destination (why does the "trail" suddenly get cut off in Alexandria? You have to ride on a sidewalk, and then over train tracks, and if you aren't familiar with the area its easy to miss where the trail part picks back up again).

We entered the restaurant and the bar area was full (it was a Sunday during football season, big shocker, right?) so we opted for a table. I will say that our server was very attentive. So there's that. I think The Boy was going to blow a gasket when the first beer he ordered was out. We looked over the menu, and immediately my stomach sank. The Boy kept saying over and over again how much he was looking forward to having a nice, juicy burger during the ride. Being a "beer" restaurant, I never questioned them having burgers on the menu. Unfortunately, I didn't see sandwiches of any type on the menu! Oh no! First, they were out of the beer he wanted, and now no burger?! He was never going to bike with me again :-(

Then I saw it. *Way down* on the bottom of the appetizer list: a burger! Sort of. It was served on an English muffin, but it was still a burger. So there was that. The Boy ordered a bottled IPA and the burger and I ordered my favorite seasonal beer (Schlafly Pumpkin Ale-On draft!) and a pasta dish since I was also starving. I'm not a huge seafood lover. I will eat some things, but given a choice of cuisine, seafood is on the bottom of my list. Apparently, Bilbo Baggins is a seafood restaurant, since 80% of their menu consisted of seafood items. I did not know this. There was nothing to indicate this. Pretty much ALL of their pasta items contained seafood. I chose the Tortellini Chardonnay because a) I wanted pasta and b) I can live with salmon & crab. The description indicated that this was tortellini stuffed with salmon & crab & dill, in an apple & ginger cream sauce. Okay. I like all those things!

Look! A little teeny tiny Bilbo. I was hoping the cast of The Hobbit might stop by, but that didn't happen.

I didn't even finish it. I took the first bite and I was put off. It was like eating gobs of glue. The flavors just did not work together, and the pasta itself was awful. I stole a bunch of The Boy's fries instead. :-/ At least he seemed happy with his burger.

Ok. Maybe dessert will be better? The description of the bread pudding looked intriguing (I LOVE bread pudding).

When it came out, it was was huge. More than enough for two people to share. So we did. I couldn't finish that either. Not because it was bad, but because it was SO SWEET. Way too sugary. And I love sweet things! I have a huge sweet tooth. I literally felt sick afterwards because of the sugar rush in my system. I had to wait at least 45 minutes before even contemplating riding anywhere. Luckily that gave me time for another pumpkin ale ;-)

The Boy wasn't too enthusiastic about riding another 10 miles back to DC in the dark. So we decided to Metro it instead. We rode through Old Town (by the way, the best time of year to check out Old Town is during the Fall, and I fully intend to do that during daylight) and we almost stopped at Hard Times Cafe- if only to get the taste of Bilbo Baggins out of our mouths. Instead, we decided to go straight home. So we rode to the King Street Metro. I was a little worried Betty wouldn't fit in the elevators, but she did just fine. The Metro ride was fine & uneventful.

Chillin' on the metro.

We got off at our stop, and rode home.

So...not the best date. I wouldn't mind stopping by Bilbo Baggins again, but only for the beer. They really do have a wonderful beer selection. I don't think I would *eat* there again, though.

At least after a few beers at Bilbo Baggins (plus the burger) The Boy was in a much better mood. It wasn't a total loss after all. Hopefully, he'll be willing to try again ;-)

Next weekend I'm thinking we'll hit the CCT and do something in Bethesda.




*The Curse of VA: I don't know what it is about crossing the Potomac, but every time I do, something goes wrong. The first time I rode to Alexandria, I brought the wrong lock (I grabbed The Boy's lock by accident) and couldn't lock up my bike, so I had to turn around and ride back home. The second time I rode to Alexandria (this time to meet up with my friend at Bilbo Baggins), I forgot my entire pannier! I even carefully packed it keeping in my mind that I brought the wrong lock the last time. Plus it looked like rain, so I packed rain gear. My wallet and I.D. were in there too. I packed it all up, and then promptly forgot to attach it to my bike when I left! Not only did I not have a way to lock my bike, but I had no wallet and no I.D.! I didn't discover this until I got to the restaurant. I was so mad, I almost cried. Luckily my friend (HI MIR!) I was meeting brought me a lock and covered the bill for me. Still, something bad always happens when I cross the bridge to VA. It's curse, I tell ya.