Day 11: On the southbound train to Georgia

June 25, 2024

I awake as the sun starts lighting the interior of the tent. I pack up the gear I can inside the tent, then remove the contents to place on the picnic table, and then take down the tent itself. Breaking news - my site neighbor still hasn't exited from her tent. That's an allegation because I don't know if she exited during the night while I slept and then returned to her tent. We'll never know unless she posts a journal here on CB.

Here I do the "how far can I extend my reach?" dance, holding on to the folded cord-shocked poles in my right hand while trying to detach the anchor from the tent with my left.

Today was not too-great of a mileage day, about 38-40 to get into Washington DC. The temps were reasonable this day after facing a week+ of high heat and humidity with the heat wave. The route was flat, and I had about 12 hours to reach Union Station when my train departed for Georgia. So I looked forward to this day - I always look forward to the overnight train journey in a sleeper car at the end of a bikepacking adventure.

Lots of wildlife out this morning in the 06:00 hour. Deer, Blue Herons, and this fox. I got within 3 feet of it before it moved, and then when it did so, it just moved parallel with my path behind me and stopped. Fox was either used to people or had a seriously brave demeanor.

I'm surprised at how close this fox let me get to it before moving behind me and then staying there. As I got closer and closer I looked at his mouth to see if it were foaming and had rabies, but all was good.

Since my planning this trip involved getting meals along the way, I didn't have any options for breakfast along the route until I reached Georgetown, which was about 33 miles from camp. So I had one of the last few Clif Bars, some water, and set off onto the trail. I knew I could keep the calories sustained with Clif Bars until I reached DC so I wasn't worried about not making it but man-0h-man, I keep thinking about the breakfast at Waffle House yesterday.

Odd to think that this scenery is only about 10 miles outside the DC 'burbs

All that's left is for me to ride this flat ride (it was only 304' elevation gain over the 40 miles) into DC and enjoy the last bits of the trail. And dream about the complementary snacks and drinks in the Metro Lounge at Union Station.

Another detour through the trail. Glad to see the park service is continuing to make improvements so this gem of a trail lasts for as long as possible.

Mid morning I'm rolling through the Great Falls park. After stopping for a second Clif Bar (for the calories), refilling water bottles (for hydration), and the restroom (for, erm, biological needs), I locked the bike at the Great Falls trail and walked the ~2/10 mile to the overlook. Now the great falls are a bedrock formation which made the Potomac river impassable to navigation above the site of metro DC. So to get around that, the C&O canal was built. The very same one which I'm riding on today. Sort of like the Big Lebowski when he mentions the rug ties the room together the great falls to me really ties this route together.

The great falls. Without this geological formation the C&O canal would not have been built, without which this bikepacking route would not exist.

I capture the last three mile-marker signs as I approach DC so I can make a video montage of "3...2...1..." as I roll into mile marker 0. On the way I pass a fountain and roll my bike through the jets of water to clean off the trail dust. This does two things. (1) it makes my bike and drivetrain clean, and (2) it soaks my sneakers which make them stink from the dampness and really require a right proper wash in the washing machine when I get home.

I roll into the site of the marker and listen to the sounds of the coaches and trainers of the "crew" boats on the Potomac in front of me. From here it's only about 6 miles to the station. I stick around for about 5 minutes reveling in the accomplishment, and then I'm back onto the trail to navigate through the DC area. Interesting side note in the caption below about this location and how scandals named with "gate" were named after this mile marker 0 location.

The end of the line. Mile Marker 0. Originally called the water "gate" as this is where the water (and boats) would enter the canal from the Potomac. The hotel named after this location was the Watergate Hotel, namesake of the Nixon scandal, and now every scandal has some "gate" attached to it. All traced back to this canal gate.

What would a bikepacking journal be without a picture of one's bike leaning against something? I mean, it just really ties the journal together...

Originally I planned to ride along the Potomac SE, circle around the Jefferson Memorial, and then rejoin the National Mall but following cycle paths I found myself on a path that didn't navigate across 6 lanes of traffic the way in which it said it did. So, instead of challenging the grim reaper and attempting to reach the other side, I decided it wasn't worth it, and backtracked to the Lincoln Memorial and then up the National Mall directly instead. Always liked Lincoln as a president better anyway.

Construction not just limited to the trail system. Here, the National Park Service is working on the Lincoln Memorial.

The more I think about the amount of construction and detours going on during this tour, the more I think about the investment going into infrastructure to make these gems of trails and monuments last for generations. What this country has is some really great trails and trail systems and performing maintenance on them is like regularly changing the oil in your car - it will keep it going for many more miles.

One last ride straight down the National Mall towards Union Station.

Obviously staged, but who cares? Tired after the end of the tour.

I rolled into Union Station noon, made my way to the Metro Lounge, and then changed into my off-bike clothes. No shower facilities until I boarded the train, but I made so with a "wet-wipe shower" to hold me over. I thought about going out and visiting a museum, but I decided to just hang out and eat snacks and drink beverages waiting for the train. I did walk out into the station to find Kath a gift (wound up with chocolates) for allowing me to adventure solo for the last week and a half.

The Union Station most DC-ers know is probably the view below. It's a 2-story shopping plaza, with a third level in the basement containing a monstrous food court. Probably the most reasonable-priced food in the DC area. Except maybe a hot dog cart outside. Or free food - definitely doesn't beat free food.

Union Station shops (or since it's so bourgeois should I say "shoppes"?)

About 30 minutes prior to departure, the lunge attendants call for boarding of the Crescent number 19 train. I pick up the bike, walk to the train, lift the bike into the baggage car, and then off to my cabin. I use the shower facilities and I'm clean as a daisy before the train departs the station. 6:30 we pull out of the station, and I relax as the next part of the journey transports me to Atlanta.

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Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 781 miles (1,257 km)

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