Bicycle Fun Club: Christmas Lights Edition

[oldbikechick]

If it’s still happening, we plan on coming with the kids

[streetsmarts]

I won’t make it tonight but you all be careful. I just walked home and portions of sidewalks were s still icy! Have fun. Take pics!

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[Judd]

It looks like we are still game on. Streets were wet but not icy about two hours ago.

See ya’ll there!

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[hellocharlie]

Thanks to everyone for a great evening. Weather held out and all the bikes looked awesome! The roadies I rode home with were so happy that someone had laid down some salt/grit on the Vernon icy death bridge. Don’t know who, but thanks!

[komorebi]

Thanks to scorchedearth, BPAC, and the Alexandria Spokeswomen for putting together another great Del Ray holiday light bike parade! Biking Santa made an appearance, as promised, along with about 15 forum members. It was great to see everyone with their festive lights and holiday gear.

[drevil]

Has anyone checked out the lights at the Mormon Temple? Wife wanted to go tonight, and I wanted to bike up to it, but I have no idea how dangerous it would be to ride around there in the dark. Anyone have any advice or tips for that area?

We also wanted to check out the Polynesian theme tonight. Are we allowed to bring our bikes to that area, or lock it up close by?

Thanks!

[Crickey7]

You can get almost all the way to the Mormon Temple through Rock Creek Park. The off-street trail isn’t continuous, so you’d have to be comfortable riding on two lane roads in the dark, but these are not especially dangerous ones. It has mostly good sight lines and drivers who are used to seeing riders, even after dark. Heck, back in the Critical Mass days, they used to go that route on occasion.

[KLizotte]

Won’t the zoo cut through be closed after hours? Which means you will have to be comfortable going through the tunnel which has a very narrow sidewalk.

[drevil]

@Crickey7 150790 wrote:

You can get almost all the way to the Mormon Temple through Rock Creek Park. The off-street trail isn’t continuous, so you’d have to be comfortable riding on two lane roads in the dark, but these are not especially dangerous ones. It has mostly good sight lines and drivers who are used to seeing riders, even after dark. Heck, back in the Critical Mass days, they used to go that route on occasion.

@KLizotte 150803 wrote:

Won’t the zoo cut through be closed after hours? Which means you will have to be comfortable going through the tunnel which has a very narrow sidewalk.

Thanks C & K. I was not specific at all, but I intended to ride there from College Park and wondered about riding conditions right around the Mormon Temple. Anyways, wife nixed my idea for a 25-mile round trip night ride, so we’ll probably park at the Chevy Chase City Bikes and ride the two miles to the Temple, roll down to Bethesda, and wrap back up at the shop for a much shorter jaunt

[drevil]

@drevil 150808 wrote:

Thanks C & K. I was not specific at all, but I intended to ride there from College Park and wondered about riding conditions right around the Mormon Temple. Anyways, wife nixed my idea for a 25-mile round trip night ride, so we’ll probably park at the Chevy Chase City Bikes and ride the two miles to the Temple, roll down to Bethesda, and wrap back up at the shop for a much shorter jaunt

We rode 2 miles to the Festival of Lights at the Mormon Temple, starting at the City Bikes. For the most part, it’s safe for anyone that’s comfortable riding roads; most of it is on paths closed to cars. As you get closer and climb up to the temple, there’s a path that you can ride so you don’t have to worry about being squashed by cars that are paying more attention to the lights.

This is the first time I’ve checked out the Mormon Temple lights, and it is spectacular. We learned that they use at least 650,000 bulbs and start setting up in August. They’re turned on for the month of December, and finished being taken down in April.

Festival of Lights @ DC Mormon Temple by ricky d, on Flickr

Festival of Lights @ DC Mormon Temple by ricky d, on Flickr

[Judd]

Wow! That’s awesome! Gonna try to make it out. Thanks for posting the pics.

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[DCAKen]

@KLizotte 150803 wrote:

Won’t the zoo cut through be closed after hours? Which means you will have to be comfortable going through the tunnel which has a very narrow sidewalk.

Note that when the trail through the zoo is closed (7 pm – 6 am), there is no one permitted on the trail between Calvert Street and Porter Street. Currently, the asphalt is completely gone south of Harvard Street (with the exception of the tunnel) and they’ve put up more fencing north of the tunnel.

[Crickey7]

There are workarounds, which I actually prefer to that stretch of the RCP Trail, but you have to commit to them well in advance. Which is why the NPS needs to adequately publicize work-related closures.

[komorebi]

@drevil 150823 wrote:

This is the first time I’ve checked out the Mormon Temple lights, and it is spectacular.

drevil, thanks for posting about the Festival of Lights! I’d never been there before, and your photos inspired me to ride there tonight.

My favorite part was actually the getting there. I was grinding my way up Stoneybrook Drive on dead legs, wondering which fate would be less dignified: toppling over because I couldn’t maintain my momentum, or getting squashed like roadkill by the speeding cars. And then the light-wrapped trees appeared further up the hill like fairy lights, and I instantly forgot about my tired legs and the crazy drivers. Truly magical.

[bobco85]

I went to check out the National Christmas Tree and Georgetown Glow lights last night. The tree itself is quite stunning, and I really liked the design. I saw a few of the Georgetown Glow installations, namely the Prismatica one which I was most excited for. I made a video of what I saw:

[video=youtube_share;ZUdMHIUSVSM]https://youtu.be/ZUdMHIUSVSM[/video]

Throwing it out there: since most of the light installations seem to be ending on January 1 and most people will be occupied on New Year’s Eve, does anyone want to go on a ride this Friday evening, December 30, New Year’s Eve’s Eve, to check out more light displays? Based on previous discussion, I know a trip to the Mormon Temple light display might be a little too much out of the way for a casual ride, but I want to see the rest of the Georgetown Glow installations. Also, if there are any interesting light displays in the Georgetown or surrounding neighborhoods, they could be included in such a ride. I’m still brainstorming but am looking for input.

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