May 30th 2010

Today's Distance: 20 miles
Route: To Memorial Bridge to watch Rolling Thunder.
Company: Bubbie
Comments: It was noisey yes, but interesting. I got worn out about as fast as Evelyn though.

The bikers were saluted as they started across the bridge. I'm glad they stayed to the right.

One consistent theme was "bring home the POW/MIA"

Thought about mom&dad when I saw this mongoose

Evelyn did great! She would counsel me to "don't crash that lady." "you're supposed to stop at those signs!" "Don't hit those kids!"

She liked this old railway tunnel in OldTown Alexandria on the way back.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 29th 2010

Today's Distance: 1.5 miles

Route: A short neighborhood ride around the North side of the high school grounds, and returning a back way.

Company: Brother-in-law Bob and two nephews Isaac and Pete (in the trailer)

Comments: What a nice day for a ride! This morning was taken by some babysitting, and it felt good to wrap up that even with a quick roll.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 28th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles Route: Commute to work. Then back home again.

Comments: Yesterday I did not ride, but worked from home so that Jen could go to an appointment in the late afternoon. After passing it about 6 times, I finally picked up a brush that was on the side of the road. Evelyn loves it.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 26th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles Route: Commute to the Dentist on King St. Alexandria, then to work. Then back home again.
Comments: Riding with my entire lower jaw numb was a little disconcerting. I had asked for a couple cotton pads to bite on and help me remember not to gnash my teeth at the cars or in thoughtlessness.

I reached my fundraising goal today! Hurray for all of my supporters, family, and friends! Now I need to focus more on getting Alice onto a bike to train/prepare for the ride. She has not been feeling well lately and may not be able to do the full 100. The 60 mile route like we did last year may be necessary.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 25th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to & from work
Comments: Back on the bike after 3 days of no riding. Stayed home from work yesterday, because my stomach didn't feel right. I wasn't full of energy today, but I made it ok.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 21st 2010

It is "Bike to Work Day"

Today's Distance: 35.5 miles
Route: Commute to work: took that 4-mile run trail I mentioned yesterday all the way to Rt. 66, then down to Rosslyn, then followed another biker on a round-about way in to Freedom Plaza in DC where there was another Bike to Work Day rally. Normal bike commute home.

The bike rack especially full. My bike&trailer are leaning against the wall in the back right of this picture.
Comments: I decided to do something different this Bike to Work Day, so after the pit stop in Alexandria (where I got a killer granola parfait that rode in my jersey pocket all the way in to work and enjoyed thoroughly once I settled down) I turned up 4-mile run trail heading the opposite direction from work. Usually on Bike to Work Day I will stop by the Crystal City pit but not this time! I took the long way and stopped at the pit stop/gathering in Rosslyn. Picked up a couple free water bottles, a dinger bell, and a reflective strap. Got more goodies at Freedom Plaza once I got in to DC.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 20th 2010

Today's Distance: 20 miles

Route:

1) Commute to and from work from the Toyota Dealership on Rt 1. (14 miles r.t.)

2) Lunch-time ride to Theodore Roosevelt Island National Park (6 miles r.t.)

Comments: (had to take the van in for 30,000 mi. maintenance.) This shop is just off of 4-mile Run, where a nice bike trail extends from just South of the airport, through Shirlington, to the start of the W&OD trail. So it is a good place to start a commute from.

Lunch-time ride: A quick jaunt to somewhere I had wanted to visit for years now. Can't take bikes onto the island so I had never stopped there the many times that I had passed by. But with a parking lot just off of the GW parkway, and the bike path running right by, I think that this is a spot not-to-be-missed. It would make a fine picnic place. Sadly the fountains and pools are not filled, but it isn't too hard to imagine.

This is a closer shot than I took last weekend, pointing the same direction, towards Georgetown and the Key Bridge.

And in keeping with my theme of males and manhood this week, I thought that this quote was interesting.
On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 19th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles

Route: Commute to & from work

Comments: The light was green at the bottom of THE hill. There is really only one hill on my route, so this was a cause for smiling.

Saw another 1 of a group of 8 males falter in a beastly pursuit. Rolling past the block of that has a gym, these guys were walking along the side of the road holding above their head with one hand a 50 pound weight. They were spread out, going at their own pace, not one of them with an un-pained uxpression and more than one of them grunting and groaning. One guy's arm folded down and he caught the weight with his other hand. "Good work man!" I softly exclaimed as I passed.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 18th 2010

Today's Distance: 34 miles
Route: Commute to and from work, to and from Alice's friend's house afterwards.

Comments: Goslings on the bank of the river, they are getting bigger. Near the trail was a group of 8 male mallard ducks hanging out on a soccer field North of Old Town. A pair of ducks flew past and up went one of the 8 in hot pursuit. He must have just realized it was not his day when I saw him give up the chase and veer off.

I was ready to pedal to work in the rain, but I got an emergency call from work as I was heading to our driveway. I had to take off my just-wet rain gear, pull my laptop out of my garbage bag-clad bag and didn't get out of the house again until the rain had stopped. It was still a cool ride.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 17th 2010

Today's Distance: 0 miles
Worked from home so that I could take Alice to the doctor in the afternoon and Jen take the 3 middle girls to their piano recital.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 16th 2010

Next Sunday I will bike to my before-church meetings (which I go to without the girls). I took the last parking space available in the lot. I rode around in 90 degree heat for two years in a shirt and tie...I should be able to handle that now.


On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 15th 2010

Today's Distance: 45 miles

Route: From home to the Mormon Temple and back home again.

Company: Brett (from work) and Raphael (Brett's friend)

Comments: We met near Roosevelt Island (pictured below), crossed the river, past the Kennedy Center and headed straight up Rock Creek Parkway. Beach Drive closes to traffic on weekends, and is one of the best places to ride/walk. This was a different experience than riding with the Boy Scouts 2 weeks ago. We rode in line for much of the way, and I was able to "draft" behind them as I positioned my front wheel close behind one of the others. This reduced the wind hitting me head on and made for an easier, faster ride as we took turns being the one in front.

The temple in Kensington, MD was our turn-back point. I married Jen in this building, so it is always nice to go there, even if it is just to look at the outside. Brett was ready to turn back at the end of Beach Dr. but I said hey, the temple is only 5 minutes further! So it turned out to be a nice place for a quick break.

Brett led this ride as a PwC Cycling Club event, though only 3 of us went. This was the first time I'd met him, though his name sounded really familiar. Sure, I thought it was cool when I saw he had an (801) phone number, realizing that he was also from Utah. But when we described what we both did at work we realized that he was a customer of mine, using the most demanding of the tax applications that I support. Then I recognized his name as it was on a fair number of the support requests that came across my desk during busy season.

The ride back home was a breeze. I couldn't believe how much energy I had since I had only 2 hours of sleep last night (due to a scheduled maintenance task for work). It helped a lot to have a good wind at my back.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 14th 2010

Today's Distance: 0 miles
Route: (Worked from home)

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 13th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles

Route: Commute to and from work

Comments: More goslings on the river. This time a couple walking on the trail were appreciating them too.

This afternoon I attended a "Lunch & Learn" in our office on bicycle commuting. Two bike commuters from the 6th floor presented. There were at least 30 people in attendance. I got more attention than I had expected, but was happy to answer a few questions. Delicious food was served too, but I think that most of them were there for the discussion.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 12th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles

Route: Commute to and from work

Comments: Warm in the morning, rainy and cool on the way home. Left work after 7:30...much later than I would have liked and it got dark by the time I left the Parkway. To avoid the traffic on Beacon Hill Rd I cut through the high school grounds behind our house.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

Cautions

When riding in traffic...
When traffic is stopped and you are zipping along between the cars and the edge of the road, be ready for the unexpected!
1) Pedestrians can step out from the line of cars into your path. You will not see them, because they are hidden by the cars.
2) Beware of car doors! A few months back I hit the edge of a taxi door when the occupants thought they would take advantage of stopped traffic and hop out of the cab.
3) Watch out for cars pulling out of traffic! Yesterday I missed the back end of a mini cooper by 3 inches after it slipped between a tiny break in the stopped traffic. It was pulling into a parking lot entrance. If that car were any longer, I would have plowed into the back end. From now on, I will treat every driveway/parking entrance like an intersection where traffic can buzz through at any time.

May 11th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles + a lunch-time ride of about 8 miles.
Route: Commute to and from work
Lunch ride to the National Arboretum: Took the most direct route there from 1301 K Street NW Washington, D.C 20005 down 13th to H street, then East on H street to Bladensburg Rd. Terribly bumpy. Up Bladensburg Rd. to the Arboretum. Route back was down Bladensburg Rd. to Maryland Ave, to the Capitol, then Massachusetts Ave to 13th St and back to work.

Comments:
The Arboretum is a great place to ride once you get there, but getting there is the tough part. I would suggest taking your bike on the metro to Union Station, then taking my reverse route of Mass Ave. to Maryland Ave. to Bladensburg Rd to the Arboretum. http://www.usna.usda.gov/.

On the way back down Bladensburg Rd from the Arboretum I had to take to the air about 8 times or so as I came across lots of potholes and it was rainy and my stopping/slowing distance was impacted. Not sure it was so good for my bike, but I hopped over these gaping 2-foot wide wonders and bumps. I was amazed at how much more mobility and freedom I had when I wasn't towing my bike trailer as I do on my commute.

At the bottom of the Asian Garden area, you go out through a fence to the Anacostia River.
Looking back from the river to the Arboretum...this would actually be a nice place to picnic.

Saw beautiful Rhodedendrons, and so many, many (as you might expect) other beautiful shrubs, plants, trees, flowers...

One of my favorite sites there at the Arboretum is the Captiol Columns. These were the original columns that were removed to make way for construction way back when. They eventually placed them here, and it is kind of striking in a nice setting at the top of a hill.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 10th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles

Route: Commute to and from work

Comments: Coincidence that the day after Mother's Day I would notice a lot of mothering going on while I am on my ride? Here are examples: I passed a mother and child at a bus stop, it was chilly so she had him wrapped up in a blankey and they were reading Curious George. Closer to the airport a protective robin flew in my path, which I think was trying to lead me away from her little one. On the way home I saw a great blue heron chasing a crow...usually you see the crows chasing other birds.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 7th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to and from work
Comments: Saw fuzzy ducklings on the river. Cute little things. It was disappointing that I had no one to point them out to. It is better when you have someone to share the ride with.
I expected to be more tired riding than I was. I am dieting so I am running at about 70% of my normal ability. I also got 3 hours of sleep last night, because of staying up late to make cakes for a boy scout fundraiser.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 6th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to and from work
Comments: Had a late start, because I took Evelyn in to the doctor. She has croup, which should pass within a couple days. On the way back I saw pollywogs in the water as I rode over the boardwalk just North of Alexandria. Bigger than my thumb.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 5th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to and from work
Comments: Saw an osprey flying from a tall tree on the edge of the golf course. A pair has been nesting there this spring, and I always find myself looking over that way. I find these birds interesting, even though one attacked a chicken of ours 10 years ago.
Oh yeah, and I put some lubricant on my pedals and that did away with the click noise.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 4th 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to and from work
Comments: Nice Ride. Getting tired of a click...click...click noise with each rotation of the cranks. I'm worried that the new work on the bottom bracket was not done properly if it is making noise already.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 3rd 2010

Today's Distance: 27 miles
Route: Commute to and from work

Comments:
I got 50 feet from my house before realizing that my trailer had a flat tire. Taking time to fix that made me a little late for work.
Saw a cormorant in a tree, which to me is like seeing a duck in a tree, they are usually in the water.
Saw some bubbles in the middle of the river, made me wonder if submarines patrol the Potomac.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

(Got my first donation for the ride yesterday, thank you kind lady in Sacramento!)

May 2nd 2010

Today's Distance: 0 miles

Start: 20:00 Our Driveway, Alexandria, Virginia

End: 20:01 Our Barn, Alexandria, Virginia

Comments: I suppose I should have ridden with Alice this evening, after the girls got back from Nanny's house. But I did church-related and friend visiting instead.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

May 1st 2010

Here is a picture of me and Alice just before the start of last year's MS Bike ride. We did the 60 mile route and were still smiling afterwards.

On June 12 Alice and I will ride 100 miles as an incentive to our friends to contribute funds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Click here to support us.

Today's Distance: 25 miles
Start: 09:00 Mormon Temple, Kensington, Maryland
End: 12:30 2000 GW Parkway Alexandria, Virginia
Company: 2 boy scouts, 1 dad, 1 scoutmaster
Comments: Rock Creek Parkway is an great weekend ride. The park service closes down upper Beach Drive to car traffic. I do not like riding on the multi-use trail, because it is a multi-pothole trail. The road is easier on the nerves. For the boy scouts, this was their second 25 mile ride required for the cycling merit badge. I joined them, becuase I am a youth leader at church and the rules are 2+ adults must be at each activity. I also joined, because I need to keep training for the 100 mile bike ride I am doing with Alice on June 12.

My normal commute does not expose me to as much sun as we got today...