January 2015 Trail Conditions
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@jrenaut 103879 wrote:
There have been discussions in my family about moving to a warmer climate…
We have a similar discussion in my family in the summer about moving to a cooler climate.
Trail report from the late commute, after the snow stopped falling (I had an appointment this am, and drove to the hospital — that mile-long drive was a fustercluck. Rode in to work just before lunch, which was, on the whole, lovely):
Neighborhood streets in Cherrydale were unplowed, but “virgin” enough to be rideable. Lee Highway had not been plowed by 10am, but was clear when I went over/by it on the Custis after 11am. I expect they’ll keep it clear the rest of the day.
Trails: Custis from Cherrydale to top of Rosslyn: mostly thin layer of fresh snow – very easy to ride on, no problems on the hills. The S-curve was bare pavement — kudos to ArlCo for paying attention to that tricky stretch. Bridges (over Lee Hwy, over Spout Run, over I-66) had noticeably more snow and will be treacherous if not cleared again this afternoon. On the moguls near the bridge-to-nowhere, there was snow built up in the recess – I worry those will turn icy if not dealt with.
Custis down the Rosslyn hill was pretty bad, mostly because the foot-traffic compacted the snow and started to created some ice. Behind the sound wall Quinn St and Oak St was the worst stretch, and I would expect that only to get worse in the cold temperatures if it’s not cleared to the pavement this afternoon. The street crossings were slushy, I think because the streets hadn’t been plowed yet. I’ll little concerned that plows on the streets will create “walls” that will be hard to get over.
Custis-MVT connector (from IoD to TR Island): The brine on this stretch had left me hopeful that it would be plowed today, but no such luck. The fresh powder was on the deep side, but easy enough to push through. After going down twice last year on the steep downhill before the bridge, I walked that section, though didn’t notice any ice. Trollheim to the TR Bridge was more of the same.
TR Bridge was a grimey, slushy mess. I doubt I’ll ever try it again in the snow, given the small margin of error. That said, it seems car tires sprayed whatever treatment from the road onto the sidepath, and the deep, grimey slush was soft, not icy, and easy enough to push through.DC Side: The start of the Kennedy Center property was a clearly delineated line of clear pavement — they had fastidiously cleared their sidewalks, and the few roads I have to navigate in DC to get to the office were clear, wet pavement.
Issues to flag for ArlCo (I’m also going to email this to trails@arlingtonva.us): First and foremost – great job. ArlCo’s trail clearing team has done an excellent job today, and, from my Facebook feed, seems to be the only public works team getting high marks today. Given what I saw on my late commute (after the snow had stopped), we’re in good shape for the rest of the cold week, except in the following locations:
– the length of the Custis trail along the Rosslyn hill (Lynn Street to the I-66 overpass), especially the section behind the soundwall, and the section on the I-66 overpass
– in the indentations on the Custis trail between the Adams Street connector and the “bridge to nowhere”
– the Spout Run overpass
– the Lee Hwy overpass just after the “S-curve”These locations had enough snow around 11:30am today to make me worry that the snow will melt and create very icy conditions for the rest of this week (given the weather forecast). It seems like it would be much easier to clear these trails today then to figure out how to clear the ice over the rest of the week.
@cyclingfool 103893 wrote:
We have a similar discussion in my family in the summer about moving to a cooler climate.
Yeah, but biking in Miami or San Diego sucks, as I understand it.
Finally, I’m definitely planning to take a different route home, and probably for the rest of the week. The most direct is probably Memorial Bridge –> 110 Trail –> around the Iwo Jima (either on road or on the paths) –> Meade –> Arlington Blvd access road –> Rhodes –> 14th St N/15th St N –> Veitch –> Key . I would appreciate any reports on those roads/trails, especially the 110 trail and the paths around Iwo Jima. Thanks!
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