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The only time I normally ride through there is around 4:45 a.m. on Saturday mornings, so I was going by background rocks.

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@Dirt 20353 wrote:

I’m going to duct tape a 1980’s vintage beanbag chair to each hip every time I ride through there until it is fixed.

Just post the pics….

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@JustinW 20300 wrote:

Here goes – Easter Island in Arlington…..but where exactly?

Four Mile Run Trail, down near Route 1?

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Panniers. They keep the center of gravity lower and give me plenty of room. (I’ve got a lot of “junk” in them, too.) Mine are Serratus from MEC (http://www.mec.ca).

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I set off yo a cloudy sky
Alas the heavens did cry
I covered my helmet
My glvoes they got wet
As I rode on no longer dry

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@JeffC 20042 wrote:

While it is not illegal to drive/bike with headphones, if you got in an accident, I certainly think it would be a contributing factor that would show you are negligent and if you are negligent you may be civilly liable.

It’s not illegal on the trails; but,on the road, per the Code of Virginia § 46.2-1078:

“It shall be unlawful for any person to operate a motor vehicle, bicycle, electric personal assistive mobility device, electric power-assisted bicycle, or moped on the highways in the Commonwealth while using earphones on or in both ears. “

I never wear them, since I’d need something to plug them into.

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@eminva 19796 wrote:

I found my way fairly easily, with a little help from a cyclist who showed me where to go when the paved trail kind of ends near the Pentagon.

Which way? For a while, post-9/11 (and after the trail had been rebuilt), the route followed the on-ramp from Columbia Pike to Washington Boulevard. Although not paved well, it was paved. Roughly once the 9/11 Memorial opened, they tore that up stretch up and the trail continues through he bollards and by the memorial. (They tore it up one evening, after 4:00 p.m., because it was gone at 2:30 a.m. the next morning.) Some cyclists still use the dirt route along the ramp and some simply ride on the ramp and into traffic.

@eminva 19796 wrote:

What do cyclists do on that early stretch of Columbia Pike? I took the lane, but it is kind of a long climb and the road is in poor condition, with cars raring to go fast. I saw another cyclist on the sidewalk.

Whichever they’re more comfortable with, I guess. I normally take the road. (If I get stopped at the light at the bottom of the hill, I’ll sometimes bail onto the sidewalk, since getting started and the poor road condition just makes it slow going to start.) The sidewalk from the Sheraton and then under Washington Boulevard is not in good shape, anyway.

The project to replace the bridge and re-do the intersection is just starting. The end result is supposed to have a wide sidewalk for pedestrians and cyclists.

Jim

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You’re welcome. Although I don’t cross at the Memorial Bridge, that’s my afternnon/evening commute. Unfortunately, you were a couple of hours too late to see the Lil’ Latina Babe, which is the “real” reason to turn left on Ode. If she waves at you and you wave back, you get rewarded with at least a smile that threatens to split her four-year -old face. (More often, though, she starts waving more, laughing, and cheering.)

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@dasgeh 19742 wrote:

BTW, in Iowa I saw a lady on a bike with a speaker. As in she was riding along, a speaker was mounter where I bike computer would normally be on the stem, and a nice workout-oriented was playing (at a responsible level). Seemed like a nice idea…

Years ago, I saw an advertisement for a small bike-mounted radio. It was a tempting idea for my morning commute, but I like the peace and quiet more.

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@thucydides 19705 wrote:

Plus a high proportion of vehicles exiting the Marriott are probably driven by tourists who are: a) not aware they’re crossing a major bike highway; & b) concentrating on not getting lost.

An even higher proportion are probably being being by drivers who simply don’t think to look to the right when making a right turn. Stop and watch how often this happens at Lynn Street sometime. Every close call I’ve had at Lynn Street has been becuse the driver has not looked to his/her right — sometimes they don’t even realize they have a green light, they just see there’s a gap in traffic. (As a pedestrian, since I am on the sidewalk, I see this all to often at Stop signs and red lights.)

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@eminva 19731 wrote:

I am planning to attend and will be going from work. I work near Farragut North. Google Maps routes me down through GWU, to the mall, around the Lincoln, over the Memorial Bridge (south side), down Washington Avenue (or a trail next to it, can’t tell), to S. Southgate Road and from there onto Columbia Pike.

This would be a first for me (crossing the Memorial Bridge, that is) and I know a lot of you are very familiar with this area, so let me know if Google Maps has steered me wrong. Am I going over one of those GW Parkway Intersections of Mortal Peril? Not that I can avoid it, although I have somehow all these years . . . .

It’s Washington Boulevard, but that route will work and the intersections are not too bad. (You’ll be facing traffic.)

When you get to the top of Southgate Road, make the second left, on S Ode St. (The first left, S Oak St is one-way the wrong way.) The intersection of S Ode St and Columbia Pike is easier than the intersection of S Orme St and Columbia Pike. (Unless you’re making this trip on the sidewalk.)

That stretch of Columbia Pike, past the Sheraton and under Washington Boulevard can be dicey at times.

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@consularrider 17702 wrote:

3. The new MVT route with the Humpback Bridge has reduced the trail length somewhat. Shouldn’t mile posts 16 and 17 be moved accordingly?

Personally, I don’t think it’s worth the cost until they need to be replaced. It’s not that big a change. I think more posts would need to be replaced, too.

@consularrider 17702 wrote:

4. Which trail does the section from Lynn St to the Roosevelt Island parking lot belong to, the Custis or the MVT?

I always thought the MVT ended at the parking lot. The NPS map, which currently appears to be unavailable from the MVT page, shows the MVT ending at the Roosevelt Bridge. (I’ve got a copy of the graphic.)

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@oldbikechick 17691 wrote:

For the record, I don’t understand why the officer would say that “speed was a factor” since the only person who did see the accident happen did not seem to think so. I don’t know whether speed was a factor or not, but the officer certainly would not know that either, so why say it?

Because it’s a safe catch-all (and probably true). He did not say it was the reason for the crash, just part of it. The gravel is probably the main factor; but, if you slow down enough, you probably ride through it without a problem. With only two tiny points of contact with the ground, you always have to be aware of the trail/road conditions.

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@OneEighth 17570 wrote:

It’s an inbetween sorta place…like the restaurant at the end of the universe.

Uh, no, because that restaurant is at the “end” — hence the name — so there is nothing after it for it to be between. Perhaps you’re thinking of the restaurant just before it, the penultimate restaurant.

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@OneEighth 17404 wrote:

Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be much debate about the right way to wear a helmet.

In this group, I wouldn’t expect much, if any. The riders here, even if they are not pro-helmet, know how to wear one. The people I see who don’t wear them correctly — backwards, floppy hats underneath, unstrapped, etc. — are not usually the type of riders I’d expect to see here.

On the other hand, my pet peeve — people who ride with their helmets hanging by the straps, from their handlebars — may be found here. I don’t care if people wear one or not — it’s their choice — but don’t carry it for show.

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