May 3, 2023
Day 0 - Museums and Monuments
Cue Dramatic Music…We Head West Tomorrow
John’s Day
Woke up to 48 degrees and a grey gloominess with the threat of rain. Hotel breakfast. Finished packing the box with duffel bag and clothes to mail to the bike shop at the end of the tour where we will have the bikes packed up and shipped home, and took it to the post office.
Looked for a way to short cut our way from the hotel to the Four Mile Run Trail and then the Mt. Vernon Trail that will take us to the George Mason Memorial Bridge, where we can cross to the Jefferson Memorial and downtown DC. No such luck. We’d have to go over an 8’ tall barbed wire-topped chain link fence, a wall, a wooden wind fence, then negotiate a drop off into the parking area next door. They REALLY want you to go around.
I’m glad Ed has returned the rental car. I don’t know how many times he’s tried to go the wrong way on one-way streets or miss stop signs. I’ll feel safer when I get out there on the bike. 😅
We found the trail, and about a mile in met Charlie Wu, who insisted on showing us the way to the Jefferson Memorial. He wanted to do a transcontinental ride last year but his compadre backed out. Maybe next year!
We met up with our WarmShowers host Jessica and several of her friends at the Jefferson Memorial. They led us around to the major monuments before going on to her home in Bethesda.
At one of the stops a guide leading a gaggle of high school students stopped to make a lesson of us. Where are you headed? Oregon. Kids, where’s Oregon. And so forth. As they moved on the guide asked if we were keeping a blog. Yes? Please send me a link. So Judy the Guide will get a text from me. As she left she told me she was planning to ride RAGBRAI this summer for the ninth time.
About this time I discovered that one of Jessica's Grey Posse is Lynn Salvo (the famous Lynn Salvo no less). Lynn holds three Guinness world records as the oldest woman to ride east-west across the U.S. (age 67), across Canada (age 68) and north-south across the U.S. (age 72). https://www.washingtonpost.com...
Before heading to Jessica’s in Bethesda I stopped to dip my tire at Mile 0 of the C&O Canal. Took a while to wash the sand out of my brakes.
Jessica and her husband Henry were such gracious hosts. We had great conversations. They treated us to a great Chinese meal. Wonderful accommodations in a beautiful home. They set a high bar for the WarmShowers community.
Ed’s day
If they want you to go only one way they need to make the signs bigger.
I was able to try my powdered soy milk for breakfast with the cereal since the hotel did not have oatmeal. It was OK.
I did get the car returned and then had to walk half a mile to the terminals to find a taxi stand. Had a nice chat with the driver about our trip.
We left the hotel at 11 AM after some minor chain and fender repairs, following some local trails to get to the Jefferson Memorial.
We met Jessica and others for the tour. We spent some time at the Jefferson; Lincoln; FDR and MLK memorials. We then rode up the National Mall to the rear of the capital, where we helped solve world problems, then back on the other side of the Mall.
We made a pit stop at the Sculpture Garden for some food and whatever. This house sculpture is an optical illusion as it changes “shape” based on your perspective.
After the museum & monument tour we headed to Thompson’s Boat House to find the C&O Trail Mile 0 marker…we did. John braved the sand to dip his wheel in the Potomac; recumbent was too heavy so I didn’t.
We then rode to Jessica’s house in Bethesda; first visiting a local bike shop. It was the end of the day and they couldn’t help. My chain has been making a funny noise when on the 36T ring; and even quicker if in granny gear.
I thought it was hitting the fender, as it had before. After closer review, the derailleur was impacting the spokes; I carefully bent the hanger and derailleur out to make a temporary repair; clearing the noise but recognizing I need to visit a bike shop before we hit the real mountains.
Dinner was great Chinese food from Foong Lin.
Tomorrow’s journey will take us to Brunswick MD.
Happy Biking!
Today's ride: 25 miles (40 km)
Total: 4,021 miles (6,471 km)
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| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
May you find tailwinds and smooth pavement ahead.
1 year ago
1 year ago
FWIW, I did some research a few years back, and at that time it seems that the oldest person known to successfully cross the continent on the Transam route self-supported was a 78 year old gentleman. So us 70-year-olds are still spring chickens I suppose.
1 year ago
1 year ago