March 2015 Trail Condition Reports

[dkel]

@ShawnoftheDread 109895 wrote:

Where on earth did you get the idea that I’m Catholic (by which I assume you mean Roman Catholic)?

Well, you certainly aren’t Eastern Orthodox! :rolleyes:

[rcannon100]

@ShawnoftheDread 109895 wrote:

Where on earth did you get the idea that I’m Catholic (by which I assume you mean Roman Catholic)?

Because you are always seen doing exorcisms, duuuuuh!

[baiskeli]

@dkel 109890 wrote:

Well, I looked back and found where I called Dickie a sinner for finding a dildo in the street.

THE MAN”S NAME IS “DICKIE.” It was pretty much pre-ordained.

[cvcalhoun]

@dkel 109890 wrote:

Well, I looked back and found where I called Dickie a sinner for finding a dildo in the street. Being Episcopalian, I—like C of E Dickie—am a perfect candidate for finding a dildo in the street. You, Dismal, being Lutheran, would never do such a thing (or at least would never admit it). ShawnoftheDread, being Catholic…wouldn’t know a dildo if he saw one? :p

And being Reform Jewish, I would be sure that God would approve of them, provided that they were made in factories with proper wages and working conditions and ultimately disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.

[colleen]

I came here for a trail report before bed and I find two pages of dildos! This is a completely inappropriate place to be discussing such things. I mean seriously, this belongs in the Lost & Found thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/forumdisplay.php?27-Lost-and-Found.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Between St. Ann’s and Harrison, about half the southern lane of the Custis is still iced over, where it was in the shade of the sound barrier…and the approaches to the Harrison underpass have a lot of ice. Passable without a dismount, but slow down and choose your line carefully.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@colleen 109911 wrote:

I came here for a trail report before bed and I find two pages of dildos! This is a completely inappropriate place to be discussing such things. I mean seriously, this belongs in the Lost & Found thread: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/forumdisplay.php?27-Lost-and-Found.

The DC Used Bicycle Marketplace is also an acceptable dildo photo submission forum.

[PStokes]

Thank you!

@consularrider 109751 wrote:

I rode the complete Arlington Loop this morning while the snow/ice pellets/freezing rain was coming down. I encountered two Arlington County Parks vehicles. One was sitting next to the the Key Bridge Marriott and the other was at the Custis/W&OD junction. I’m not sure what they were waiting for in either spot.

My report on trail conditions:

W&OD
From the Custis junction to Columbia Pike the trail was about 80% clear or single and double track. There were serious ice problems at the Wilson Blvd and Carlin Springs underpasses. From Columbia Pike to Shirlington Rd, it was 95% clear/5% single track with a couple icy patches and an ice berm at the west curb cut across from the Barcroft Rec Center. Today’s mix was sticking when I rode through at 9:15 am.

4MRT
Clear from Shirlington Rd to the MVT with the exception of major ice just west of the I-395 underpass, and smaller ice at the W Glebe and Mt Vernon underpasses. This had been treated with brine before I passed through and most of the mix was not sticking at that time.

MVT
A real mixed bag. It was about 75% clear or single track most of the way from 4MR to the Roosevelt Island parking lot. However, there were several long stretches of bumpy rutted ice. The southern overpass at the airport, both approaches to the 14th St bridge complex, and about half of trail across Columbia Island were very difficult to ride even with studded tires. Trollheim had double track for the whole span with a couple of five foot sections that were ice. The wintry mix was icing up the clear sections of the trail when I rode through.

Custis
Clear from previous storms snow/ice from the Roosevelt Island parking lot to the W&OD junction. There was a bad patch of ice on the western side of the bridge over the I-66 exit ramp to Washington Blvd. There was also the usual ice at the Custis/W&OD intersection through the Patrick Henry underpass. Also, the wintry mix was leaving crusty ice on a good portion of the trail.

I also rode across the 14th St Bridge to do a couple laps at EPP/Hains Point. The bridge and both approaches were clear except for what was falling today.

[NickBull]

At least somewhere in the world, the trails are apparently not covered with ice: From Sydney, Australia, a public-service video on the Art of Gracious Cycling

http://www.sydneycycleways.net/art-gracious-cycling/

[dbb]

35mm studs – barely necessary this morning

Crystal City Connector had a couple of clear lines from the RR tunnel to the tunnel under the GWMP

The DCA North Bridge glacier has receded to the point that at least half the bridge was clear dry concrete

MVT was clear for virtually the entire width up to the 14th Street bridge areas. A few bumpy icy spots.

All in all, a fine day for cycling.

[Tom H]

Custis was quite bad from Spout Run bridge until well over the hump on the way to Rosslyn. Bad ice on the turn onto the ped/bike bridge over GW parkway. TR Bridge is fine.

[hozn]

The W&OD is 90% clear, as expected. But that 10% that isn’t clear is really, really slick. Some of it was just frozen melt off some of it was residual snow that has now melted and refrozen enough times to make it traction-free. Per usual, just east of Vienna is the worst. A few sections out in Falls Church and Reston too. Had more terrifying moments on the bike this AM than any other commuter over past couple weeks. (Had I commuted yesterday, I’m sure that would have been more terrifying.) At least I stayed upright, though thee were a couple fast-unclipping reactions required to accomplish that.

[vern]

@hozn 109929 wrote:

The W&OD is 90% clear, as expected. But that 10% that isn’t clear is really, really slick. Some of it was just frozen melt off some of it was residual snow that has now melted and refrozen enough times to make it traction-free. Per usual, just east of Vienna is the worst. A few sections out in Falls Church and Reston too. Had more terrifying moments on the bike this AM than any other commuter over past couple weeks. (Had I commuted yesterday, I’m sure that would have been more terrifying.) At least I stayed upright, though thee were a couple fast-unclipping reactions required to accomplish that.

Yeah, a lot more ice than I anticipated. Lots of run-off, and yesterdays slush was this morning’s crust. Lot’s of walking and Flinstoning due to slicks. My commute was about 40 minutes longer than usual (though some of that is due to an almost 2 mile detour in Vienna).

[dcv]

@hozn 109929 wrote:

The W&OD is 90% clear, as expected. But that 10% that isn’t clear is really, really slick. Some of it was just frozen melt off some of it was residual snow that has now melted and refrozen enough times to make it traction-free. Per usual, just east of Vienna is the worst. A few sections out in Falls Church and Reston too. Had more terrifying moments on the bike this AM than any other commuter over past couple weeks. (Had I commuted yesterday, I’m sure that would have been more terrifying.) At least I stayed upright, though thee were a couple fast-unclipping reactions required to accomplish that.

Had the same experience, the icy ruts were terrifying. Even with studs I almost ate it again at the same spot in Falls Church, luckily I had been riding unclipped and just barely caught myself by putting my foot down. I did the tripod slide for several yards (1 foot / two wheels).

[slowtriguy]

Ride report W&OD->Washington->Westmoreland->Van Buren->W&OD->Custis->15th->Stafford, 0755-0825

90% clear and dry pavement, but with many short ice patches along the W&OD between the Ohio overpass and the Custis turnoff.

The most treacherous bits were in a stretch about 30 meters long near the shelter between Great Falls and Little Falls:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7984[/ATTACH]

and at the corner by the basketball courts near EFC:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7983[/ATTACH]

I was riding semi-slicks and crashed on the patch between Great Falls and Little Falls, but thankfully it was slow speed, so nothing’s broken on the bike or or on me.

For those headed westbound, watch out for a bad patch of ice in the westbound side of the corner just west of the Brandymore Castle hill. There’s another patch on the west end of the bridge across the Glebe offramp from 66, as reported by consularrider.

[Author]

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