My Morning Commute

[americancyclo]

@ShawnoftheDread 58246 wrote:

After that, we can go to the island and see if there are any raspberries left.

This sounds interesting, whimsical, and suggestive, all at once.

[MattAune]

My morning commute was my first, hopefully of many. Pretty uneventful until the last mile and a giant hole on long bridge drive that caused my bars to rotate downward and a front flat.

Better to take the Long Bridge Drive trail or EADS to the pentagon? I am done with Long Bridge Drive.

[ejwillis62]

This morning’s commute was one of those hard one’s, really didn’t want to wake up this morning and did question my sanity of being a bike commuter, after all I am old, I should be resting, at least that is what “Fat LIZ” was telling me. Luckily fit and spry LIZ won out and I rode in. It wasn’t a pretty commute but I am happy that i got up and struggled the 18.5 miles in. I am sure the ride home will be easier and I will not have to feel guilty about being lazy. Being a bike commuter is hard some days.

[Bilsko]

@MattAune 58481 wrote:

My morning commute was my first, hopefully of many. Pretty uneventful until the last mile and a giant hole on long bridge drive that caused my bars to rotate downward and a front flat.

Better to take the Long Bridge Drive trail or EADS to the pentagon? I am done with Long Bridge Drive.

Yeah, LBD is awful right now, but it looks like they’re getting pretty close to getting the repaving started. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll have a nicely paved road to ride on.

[MattAune]

@Bilsko 58492 wrote:

Yeah, LBD is awful right now, but it looks like they’re getting pretty close to getting the repaving started. Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll have a nicely paved road to ride on.

So the plan is to continue that nice new pavement all the way to Boundary Channel? That would be lovely.

[consularrider]

Bike commute 117 for 2013, back after just over a week off. Clearly I need to get better organized. Forgot to set my alarm, so I got up a half hour late when my wife’s alarm went off. I still ended up with enough time to do my extended commute, or so I thought! As I was checking out my commuter bike and pumping up the tires, I notices something on the front tire. Turns out it was a rose thorn sticking in the tread. Ok, it was in the thick part of the tire so how bad could it be, I pulled it out. Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. So, flipped the bike, took the wheel off, put in a new tube, and was good to go. Yeah, but I should have checked the bike over yesterday before going of to see my son’s Fringe Festival play.

[dasgeh]

@MattAune 58481 wrote:

My morning commute was my first, hopefully of many. Pretty uneventful until the last mile and a giant hole on long bridge drive that caused my bars to rotate downward and a front flat.

Better to take the Long Bridge Drive trail or EADS to the pentagon? I am done with Long Bridge Drive.

Bummer. Where are you going from/to? We’re here to help!

[dasgeh]

My morning commute started with my daughter doing laps of the house on her strider bike saying “I need to warm up my bike”. If she can get in the saddle, so can I!

[KLizotte]

@MattAune 58481 wrote:

My morning commute was my first, hopefully of many. Pretty uneventful until the last mile and a giant hole on long bridge drive that caused my bars to rotate downward and a front flat.

Better to take the Long Bridge Drive trail or EADS to the pentagon? I am done with Long Bridge Drive.

Where are you going to/from?

[KLizotte]

The two racks in front of my work bldg have been full for the duration of the heat wave. I’m somewhat mystified by that since riding in the cooler weather is so much more comfortable. I admit I haven’t been commuting much since my ride is so short that having to take a shower and doing my hair once I arrive at work isn’t worth it. Have been riding after work and/or doing laps in the pool. Can’t wait for fall.

[MattAune]

@dasgeh 58502 wrote:

Bummer. Where are you going from/to? We’re here to help!

I am starting at wakefield park, ending at the Pentagon (North side via Boundary Channel)

The plan was Braddock -> 236 -> N. Beauregard -> 4MRT -> Jeff Davis -> Crystal Drive -> long Branch -> Pentagon. Long Bridge was bad, and the Rte. 1 to Crystal drive was probably worth bypassing as well. I could take Eads from the trail and go all the way to the south side of the pentagon, or I could go a mile extra and take the MVT.

Any advice on cutting through crystal city would be appreciated, or really any advice on getting from annandale to the pentagon.

[DismalScientist]

I might take Army Navy drive from Shirlington to the Pentagon:
After going under 395 on 4MRT take the left to that little bit of Four Mile Run Dr to the gas station on Glebe just south of 395. Turn left of Glebe and right on 26th in one block. Turn left on Adams, which becomes Army Navy Drive. Continue until opposite the Pentagon City mall and take the pedestrian tunnel under 395 to the South Parking lot of the Pentagon. You can take the Washington Blvd bike path to get to the north side of the Pentagon.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Washington+and+Old+Dominion+Trail&daddr=38.8456697,-77.0767088+to:The+Pentagon,+Pentagon+Pedestrian+Tunnel,+Washington,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.829211,-77.08437&spn=0.112197,0.070295&sll=38.842582,-77.078705&sspn=0.112176,0.070295&geocode=FR3CUAIdhp9n-w%3BFeW8UAIdHOdn-ymV_Qu0NbG3iTHtmq7nw99gIw%3BFdQfUQIdLzho-yEvUxPA-NCDryknLO0p37a3iTEvUxPA-NCDrw&oq=Pentagon&dirflg=b&mra=mrv&via=1&t=m&z=14&lci=bike

[83b]

I used to live in Crystal City and always found Eads to be an easy route. It doesn’t have a bike lane along the whole route, but does have fairly generous width. However I used it evenings and weekends rather than commuting hours.

[Rogburt]

Matt

I ride from North Springfield to Arlington via Hummer/Annandale Rd to WO&D to Custis/end at Glebe (12.1 mi)… after taking that you could continue on the WO&D to Army Navy Drive or Custis to Lady Bird Johnson park….just a thought.

@MattAune 58550 wrote:

I am starting at wakefield park, ending at the Pentagon (North side via Boundary Channel)

The plan was Braddock -> 236 -> N. Beauregard -> 4MRT -> Jeff Davis -> Crystal Drive -> long Branch -> Pentagon. Long Bridge was bad, and the Rte. 1 to Crystal drive was probably worth bypassing as well. I could take Eads from the trail and go all the way to the south side of the pentagon, or I could go a mile extra and take the MVT.

Any advice on cutting through crystal city would be appreciated, or really any advice on getting from annandale to the pentagon.

[MattAune]

@DismalScientist 58556 wrote:

I might take Army Navy drive from Shirlington to the Pentagon:
After going under 395 on 4MRT take the left to that little bit of Four Mile Run Dr to the gas station on Glebe just south of 395. Turn left of Glebe and right on 26th in one block. Turn left on Adams, which becomes Army Navy Drive. Continue until opposite the Pentagon City mall and take the pedestrian tunnel under 395 to the South Parking lot of the Pentagon. You can take the Washington Blvd bike path to get to the north side of the Pentagon.
https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Washington+and+Old+Dominion+Trail&daddr=38.8456697,-77.0767088+to:The+Pentagon,+Pentagon+Pedestrian+Tunnel,+Washington,+DC&hl=en&ll=38.829211,-77.08437&spn=0.112197,0.070295&sll=38.842582,-77.078705&sspn=0.112176,0.070295&geocode=FR3CUAIdhp9n-w%3BFeW8UAIdHOdn-ymV_Qu0NbG3iTHtmq7nw99gIw%3BFdQfUQIdLzho-yEvUxPA-NCDryknLO0p37a3iTEvUxPA-NCDrw&oq=Pentagon&dirflg=b&mra=mrv&via=1&t=m&z=14&lci=bike

I have not though of that possibility. I llike it. Will try this tomorrow, thanks.

@Rogburt 58559 wrote:

Matt

I ride from North Springfield to Arlington via Hummer/Annandale Rd to WO&D to Custis/end at Glebe (12.1 mi)… after taking that you could continue on the WO&D to Army Navy Drive or Custis to Lady Bird Johnson park….just a thought.

This was my original plan, but i could not figure out the best way to navigate 7 corners. Any tips on what to do when you hit Rte. 50 on Annandale Rd? I would love to figure this out for weekend recreational riding routes headed west on the W&OD.

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