30 Days of Biking: Day 6

Just another short post-work ride at night. Decided to catch a midnight show at E Street Cinema. This week's movie was Big Trouble in Little China. I've never seen it before so it was fun to watch it with a bunch of other people that have probably seen it hundreds of times.

The ride to the theater was a little harrowing. I dread riding downtown on Friday & Saturday nights. The roads are full of drunken idiots & out of town (LOOKING AT YOU MARYLAND) clueless drivers looking to go "clubbing". Even though it's a straight shot down 11th St the entire way, I have to dodge double parkers, valets, u-turners & pedestrians trying to cross mid-block by popping out from between cars. *sigh*.

I made it in one piece with plenty of time to spare. I even had time to stop at the concession stand for some sweet potato tots (meh) and water (I miss beer).

Riding back was a bit better. It wasn't quite last call yet, so most of the drunken morons were still in the bars & clubs and not on the streets (yet). I took my time and enjoyed the first full moon of Spring (the pink moon). Looking forward to a nice long ride this weekend.

Ample on-street bike parking in front of the theater.




Sweet potato tots. I was a little disappointed.




This is some sort of art installation I pass everyday. It says " Remember Me" with "The Original People" in neon on top. I assume it's for some exhibit at the Meriuan Center, but I can't be bothered to look it up.




Really crappy picture of the full moon.



Miles: 5.25
Beers not consumed: All of them
Times I wondered why people clap during movies-it's a MOVIE the actors CAN'T HEAR YOU: every single time.

30 Days of Biking: Day 5

Another quickie. Rode over to a new local neighborhood bar, DC Reynolds, to meet up with my friend Mir after work. Mir is my coworker and fellow rider on the Police Unity Tour. We met up to touch base & talk fundraising, and also to check out the bar for a possible happy hour fundraiser (by the way, they have an awesome happy hour deal: buy one drink-ANY drink, and get a 2nd one free!).

I had a good time, despite not drinking. Both Mir & I were the only ones there not enjoying the delicious beer selection. I got to meet the bar's owners & they were very cool and excited to be in the neighborhood. I look forward to stopping here more often.

When we were leaving, I walked out to unlock my bike only to discover a zillion police cars & 2 ambulances in the block. Yikes. I later found out that apparently there was a shooting. Although the neighborhood is improving, there's still a ways to go. I didn't linger and steered Betty straight home. The temperature seemed to have dropped about 50 billion degrees and I was wishing I had worn something a little warmer than just my sweatshirt. At least the street lights were on my side and I hit nothing but green the whole way. Made it home safe & sound with no problems at all.

I like the ukulele-playing hula girl in the corner.





The jukebox is FREE! That could be a dangerous thing...



Miles ridden: 3.27
Soda & limes consumed: 2

30 Days of Biking: Day 4

Nothing too terribly interesting today. Decided to bike down to the local watering hole to say hello to friends I have been missing lately & to reclaim my title as Mayor of Duffy's. I was unfairly usurped during my self-imposed prohibition of alcohol (which is still ongoing) and I need to get my throne back. Accept no substitutes or impostors!

The ride was pretty uneventful as usual. There are a couple of 4-way stops along the way, and I'm always afraid I'm going to get run over by a fellow cyclist ignoring the signs and blowing through, even when I have the right of way. I've had a few close calls before; close enough that I flinch. Cyclists: don't be a dick to your fellow people!


Soda water and lime. *sigh*



Distance: 2.20 miles

30 Days of Biking: Day 3

Today's ride was a night ride, since I had to work today. I figured I might as well ride down to the Mall and check out the outdoor exhibit at the Hirschhorn Museum. The exhibit is called Song 1. It's a 360 degree projection on the exterior of the museum, accompanied by music (basically various remixes of "I Only Have Eyes for You"). It runs from sunset until midnight.

I love riding DC at night, especially the Mall area. No tourists, no traffic; just wide open empty streets. As I got near the museum, I could hear the eerie music from the exhibit from blocks away. I found a good vantage point and settled in to watch. I still have no idea what it was supposed to mean, but I found it very peaceful and soothing. At 12:15, they shut it down and I turned the bike towards home.



Not a very good photo, but you get the idea.



Miles ridden: 6.75

30 Days of Biking: Day 2

Today's bike journey took me to Mt. Vernon (George Washington's Estate). I've ridden the Mt. Vernon trail a bunch of times, but never all the way to "Mile 0". I was curious to see what it was like.

I've been to Mt. Vernon once before, but that was only to visit the Mt. Vernon Inn; The Boy had an old friend who got married at the Inn. It was a great wedding & a beautiful venue (coincidentally, it's the first choice on our list of wedding venues so far). I never got to see the actual Estate, however.

I didn't this time either. I got a late start on the ride, so by the time I arrived it was closed to visitors. That's okay though, my main goal was simply to ride there & back. I can visit the Estate another time.

The ride itself was mostly uneventful. I rode Kermit the Hulk, since I need to get used to riding it for next month's Unity Tour ride. I rode the 15th St cycle track the entire length, and then got stuck in a mob of tourists & buses. AAARGH. I managed to maneuver around them without screaming. In fact, a lady cyclist rode up next to me and asked me how I managed to be so nice & patient with them. HA! If she had only heard my internal monologue, I'm sure she would have been mortified (something about the only positive about a nuke hitting DC is that it would wipe out all the tourists and their screaming children...burn, burn, burn...)

Anyway, it cleared out once I hit the bridge and the Mt. Vernon trail. The trail was busy, but not annoyingly so. Everything was fine until I reached Alexandria. The trail breaks off in Old Town. There are places where you need to ride on streets (which is fine) but the signage is inadequate. At one point I ended up riding along an 8 lane highway! Whoops! Luckily my iPhone has GPS and a map program, so I was able to figure out my mistake and backtrack.

Once I got out of Old Town and back on the trail proper, it was smooth sailing. Until I stopped for a water break and Kermit fell over and the chain came off. ARGH. (I need a kickstand!) I got the chain back on, but my hands were filthy. Then of course I ended up wiping bike grease on my face and every other exposed body part because I didn't think to bring any sort of rag or cloth. Yuck.

The trail gets very twisty and a little hilly at the end. Almost like mini-roller coaster. You really gotta watch your speed because people pop out of nowhere.
When I reached Mt. Vernon, I briefly considered stopping in the Inn for dinner. But then I realized I was covered in bike grease & sweat, and my hair looked like something a squirrel would burrow in. I know this because one almost tried. Plus, the Inn strongly suggests reservations, of which I had none. Instead I sat outside on a bench eating my trail mix, trying to avoid becoming some random squirrel's new nesting spot.

Heading back to DC was pretty much the same, except that I quickly realized my lights were dying. I had been using my Knog USB rechargeables since I still haven't had lights installed with my Dynamo hub. The Knogs are great...if you recharge them once in awhile. The sun was quickly setting, and I knew the trail was going to get very dark. There was nothing for it except to get in gear and get to Old Town as quickly as possible. I knew once I got there I would be fine, since I'm familiar with the trail. I set my eyes on the yellow dashed line on the trail (which was getting dimmer and dimmer) and went. I love night riding, but not when I can't see! I made it safely back to DC though.

Back of the Jefferson Memorial. There was a bike corral setup for the Cherry Blossom festival.

Riding Kermit along the MVT. You can see my Knog light on the right.

The MVT. This is pretty much how it looks all the way there.

Saw these two tiny islands in the Potomac

Kermit, after she fell :-(

I always manage to get dirty.

Welcome to Mt. Vernon!

There is bike parking at Mt. Vernon, but it's crappy. The bike racks are pretty useless. The design is all wrong.

Half of the sign is missing, but I guess that it says that you can rent u-locks. Neato.

The Mt. Vernon Inn! (wedding venue?)

This squirrel was sitting on the bench, eating some nuts & seeds. So was I. It was like we were best friends. Or maybe he just liked my hair.

GW Parkway info.

View of the Washington Monument on the way back.

Map of the ride.

Total miles: 41
Note to self:
-get the dynamo light system installed!
-bring a rag/towel
-raise the seat up just a tad
-get a bell

30 Days of Biking: Day 1

I decided that my inaugural ride for 30 Days of Biking would be a little trip to the SW waterfront. I really like that area of the city because there are so many hidden treasures. I decided to take the 15th St cycle track and the Penn Ave bike lanes over to the new bike lanes on 4th St SW. It was a nice, stress-free ride.
My first stop was, of course, the White House. There was an Ethiopian protest going on.

I had to get my obligatory White House shot. The tree kinda blocked the view though.

Rollin' down the Penn Ave lanes with Elmo and Bert.

The Old Post Office Pavilion (soon to be the new Trump hotel)

Stopped for a little something to drink along the way.

The new Arena Stage. I really need to catch a show here sometime.

The Washington Monument in the distance.

The Titanic Memorial

Inscription on the front of the Titanic Memorial.

Inscription on the back of the Titanic Memorial.

Maine Lobstermen Memorial.

Inscription under the Maine Lobstermen memorial.

Many of the boats in the Marina were decked out in pink lights for the Cherry Blossom festival (100 years!)

The Fish Market (not a very good picture, I know). It will still pretty hopping at 8pm on a Sunday.

And that was my first day for 30 Days of Biking. Hopefully the next 29 can be just as interesting.

Great News! Bike Wash & 30 Days of Biking

It appears Spring has sprung around here, judging from my itchy, watery eyes. The cherry blossoms have bloomed, and the trees are are getting greener by the day. This can mean only one thing: bike season has begun!

To kick it off, I'm starting with 30 Days of Biking tomorrow. This year I'm not counting work-related cycling, so I won't have an excuse not to get some "fun" riding in. This will be my 3rd year of participating. I love challenges like these, because it forces me to get creative with my bike trips and I always end up learning about something new & interesting to do. I'm going to make it a goal to blog everyday during this.

First up: planning tomorrow's ride. I think I'll head towards the SW area. I don't get over there very much, and my brief commute through the area this morning reminded me of how interesting that quadrant of the city really is. Of course, I will have to do a lot of tourist dodging...but meh. It will still be awesome. I'll be taking Betty, since its going to be more of a ramble than a ride.

Even more exciting is the Bike Wash I'm organizing on April 15th. If you're like me and ride your bike all year long, your bike might be overdue for a little TLC after all the cold, muddy rides this winter. If you are doing 30 Days of Biking, you'll need a shiny, clean bike after all that riding. Plus apartment living can make it difficult to keep your bike clean if you don't have the room & equipment to wash your bike. Let me (and some other volunteers) do it for you! And it's all for a good cause. 100% of the proceeds will go to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, via the Police Unity Tour.

The Daily Rider, a brand new awesome bike shop that recently opened on the H St. NE Corridor has agreed to let us have the Bike Wash in the rear of the shop. How awesome is that?! Don't have a bike to wash? You can buy one there! (just kidding. Maybe. The bikes are gorgeous. Don't say I didn't warn you about temptation.)

The Daily Rider at 1108 H St. NE

The best news of all? Finish Line has offered to help out and donate some products for the Bike Wash! That might mean not only will your bike be super clean & shiny, but you might walk away with some pretty nice swag too.

And the cleaner your bike gets, the dirtier I get*. So..there's that.

The details are as follows:

What? Bike Wash Fundraiser! Get your bike shiny & clean. I'll even get that nasty crud off of your chain.
Where? The Daily Rider: 1108 H St. NE
When? Sunday, April 15th from 12pm-4pm
Why? Fundraiser for the Police Unity Tour
How much? $10 per bike gets you a full wash.


And remember, 100% of the proceeds will go to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund and will help me meet my goal of raising $1700 by the end of this month.

Afterwards, there might be a #BikeDC "happy hour" at a nearby establishment so it might be worth your while!

Speaking of fundraising, it is time to ramp up my efforts. I'd like to raise at least $1,000 by the end of April. I am thinking of having a contest soon, where the winner that donates the most amount of money in a certain amount of time will win a prize from me. What do you think? Any other ideas?


*That's literally, not euphemistically.


Don't have a bike, but still want to participate? Volunteer to help me wash bikes! I will repay your efforts in beer. Just shoot me an email if you want to help out.