[bobco85]

@Emm 165614 wrote:

I just hope DC can compete with Seattle for the title of “City with the most creatively parked dockless bike share bikes”…

I haven’t encountered any amphibious or suspended dockless bike share bikes yet, but I have seen them scattered in sometimes the most random of places, i.e. places that don’t necessarily seem to be a destination (side of road next to train tracks).

[bobco85]

Located just south of Arlington Boulevard off the W&OD and Four Mile Run Trails lies a century-and-a-half old resort for which a local road gets its name: Carlin Springs. You can find it here on the map:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15478[/ATTACH]

Back in 1872, John F. Carlin developed a resort around two natural springs off Four Mile Run and the Washington, Ohio, & Western Railroad (it would not become the Washington & Old Dominion Railroad until 1936). The establishment featured an ice cream parlor, restaurant, dance pavilion, and a swimming hole where Four Mile Run and Lubber Run (called Lovers Run on some maps) met. It also had its own train station so that visitors from DC and Alexandria could travel there. You can see the locations of the various buildings on these maps from 1887 and 1890:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15479[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15480[/ATTACH]

The resort would not last, however, and in 1887 it was sold to developers. Note that the previous map images are from surveys done of the Glencarlyn area which included the Carlin Springs resort for said developers. They removed the buildings but decided to preserve the springs. Eventually the land was acquired by Arlington County in 1942.

You can still find the springs on the side of the hill if you look behind the historical marker sign, but one of the springs has almost been completely covered up by accumulated dirt and debris.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15481[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]15482[/ATTACH]

Only one mystery remains: what flavors of ice cream were offered at the parlor?

This will be my last post in my Tuesday Tidbits series (it’s still Tuesday here as I type this!). I apologize for the week delay, but I was in the middle of moving to my new home in Tukwila, Washington. I will immerse myself in local history (both geological and human) for the time being. Thank you for reading these, as writing them has been very fun for me.

P.S. – the first tidbit I learned about my new home is that Tukwila stands for “land of hazelnuts.”

[bobco85]

This one happened today, and it’s completely my fault.

You: driver operating their car in a safe manner in the leftmost of 4 lanes on westbound S 2nd St in Renton, WA
Me: new cyclist to the area operating a bike with loaded trailer riding in the 3rd lane from the left on westbound S 2nd St a few hundred feet in front
Note to the reader: the incident took place between here https://goo.gl/maps/XudovtZVo3x and here https://goo.gl/maps/ugcYfzKwLyF2
Turn around in the Google Streetview and take careful note of the fact that it is a 4 lane one-way divided highway rejoining together.
Me: thinking that I was on a 2-way 4 lane highway, sees no oncoming cars in the next 2 lanes and turns from what I think is the left westbound lane across 2 lanes into the parking lot of the Safeway.
You: (beeps and slows to avoid a collision)
Me: Turning to the sound, I was completely shocked that the 2 lanes I turned across were also going in the same direction (westbound)!

I am relieved that it did not result in a crash, but man, oh man, I have never encountered that type of lane layout. I can only imagine what the driver thought I was doing because it would have looked like someone randomly turning across 2 lanes of traffic to make a left, a ridiculously unsafe maneuver.

Still alive in Washington, so far 😮

[bobco85]

@Henry 165474 wrote:

High Life Low Life is back. 10 am Sunday, Sept 17, first bridge after Gravelly Point heading south. Lots of glass. Miller High Life label w/broken glass still sticking to it right in the middle. All other bridges and underpasses were clean.

@anomad 164679 wrote:

I am teleworking today so I didn’t put Bob’s brooms into service. He gave me two so I need to find another sweeper that will haul one around.

Hey, get back to (commuting to) work! And someone else on this forum, you need to get the other broom I gave him to help!

Just because I’m on the other side of the country doesn’t mean I can’t still nag you to help :p

[bobco85]

Well, it feels good to have a working laptop again! I’ve got other news to share about my escapades in my new home of Tukwila, Washington, but I will save that for later. The important thing is now I can start going back to finishing some of the projects I was in the middle of when my old laptop died.

I had luckily saved videos on my bike camera from my final morning bike commute in August, so I put together a video of the primary route I would use to get from my apartment near the Mark Center in Alexandria to my office in the Ballston area of Arlington. More to come, but enjoy for now:

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

[bobco85]

@Sunyata 165164 wrote:

Only if there is actual freezing involved. Otherwise, it will be named Sleazing Seattles. :p

I will make it a goal to bike to an area in subfreezing temperatures (Mount Rainier should work). Of course, to make up for lack of freezing temperatures, I am obligated to do whatever I can to achieve the rainiest ride [emoji16]

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[bobco85]

Yesterday’s ride was a fitting end to my time here in the DC area. I am happy to be able to share many of my personal routes and experiences including introducing my parents (while pointing to Judd, I told my mom, “He’s from the same state as your father.”). Haha, in the end, it was the Bobco’s Autobiographical History Ride!

I only took 4 photos and didn’t get the full group, but others should be able to fill in the gaps.

Thank you to everyone for coming, even if for just a brief bit to say goodbye.

Also, I had no idea that Boomer was actually going to fly down here for this ride (thank you)!

Most of all, a special thank you to Steve O for bugging me about going away stuff and planning a few things while I was in the midst of a stressful move and unable to think much about it.

I fly out in a few hours for my new home in Seattle. I’ll see y’all when I come to visit.

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[bobco85]

Thank y’all for coming last night! I’m looking forward to riding with folks on Sunday.

Btw, here’s the cat hurricane meme I was describing last night:

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[bobco85]

Saw a bit of the setup at the Shirlington underpass. It looks like they’re putting up some kind of netting in case of any falling debris.

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[bobco85]

@Erin Potter 164973 wrote:

Full closure of the trail will be limited to a few selected times and only during night-time hours. Directional detour signs will be provided for trail users in those periods when the trail is closed.”

Looks like folks will need to go old school at those times. I hope the signs lead to the I-395 ped bridge (old Four Mile Run Trail route) and not Shirlington Rd-29th St-Glebe Rd.

[bobco85]

The Fairfax, Virginia intersection of Leesburg Pike, Columbia Pike, and Seminary Road (when they all met in a 5 point intersection) gets its name from a man who is a distant relative to a famous circus. Baileys Crossroads has been around for 2 centuries, and although it has a plethora of interesting stories, I will tell just a few here. You can get the map image with far more detail here: https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3883a.cw0523000/
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15405[/ATTACH]

It all starts with a man named Hachaliah Bailey who was from Westport, New York. He ran the Bailey Circus, the first in America to feature an elephant (the elephant’s name was “Old Bet”). Later, a distant relative would form the Bailey component of the eventual Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15406[/ATTACH]

In 1837, he purchased 526 acres in the NE quadrant of the Leesburg Pike/Columbia Pike intersection. His mansion (named Moray) stood (burned down in 1942) near the current location of the Staples store in Bailey’s Crossroads. If you find the gazebo pictured here, look behind it and you will see a path leading to a road (aptly named Moray Lane). Both used to be part of the driveway to his mansion, accessible from Leesburg Pike via Glen Forest Drive.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15407[/ATTACH]

Windmill – If you stand inside one of the cloverleaf loops at Leesburg Pike/Columbia Pike, you will see a windmill standing there. It is the only remaining portion of the old Payne estate. Luther Payne had purchased some of the land and built 3 stone houses nearby. Some of his land was donated for the nearby Glen Forest Elementary School.

Munson’s Hill – If you look at the map shown earlier in this article, you will see Munson’s Hill to the west of Bailey’s Crossroads. During the Civil War, the Confederates built a fort atop this hill, and it was said to give such a great view that one could see Union troop actions on the Mall in DC. Union troops, even after occupying and controlling land on 3 sides of the fort, were reluctant to attack because they saw huge cannons on display. It was only until the Confederate soldiers abandoned the fort that Union troops discovered that these massive cannons were really just tree trunks that had been blackened with bootblack and charcoal and propped up with carriage wheels. The soldiers then called them “Quaker guns” because the “guns” didn’t shoot (Quakers were pacifists).

Washington-Virginia Airport – On the current site of the Skyline complex stretching between Leesburg Pike, Seminary Rd, Scoville Rd, the Coca-Cola bottling plant, and the NOVA campus, used to stand the Washington-Virginia Airport. Oddly enough, the X of the runways is close to where the Target stands. The local Burke & Herbert Bank on Seminary Rd still has 2 pairs of landing lights on the top of the building from when the airport used to exist (the building was a BP gas station at the time)!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15408[/ATTACH]

Skyline Towers Collapse – After the airport closed, the land was used to build the Skyline complex which included the notable tall apartment buildings. During construction of Skyline Plaza in 1973, a portion of the 24th floor collapsed and started a chain reaction as that section of all the floors below it as far as the 2nd to 3rd basement levels collapsed, too. The result was the deaths of 14 construction workers, injuries to 35 others, and a large gap in the building that made it look like 2 separate buildings. The cause was found to be contractor error due to insufficient wooden shoring to hold up concrete being poured to form the floor above.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]15409[/ATTACH]

Giant Food Store – This is quick one, but the Giant Food store located off Jefferson Street is actually the largest store in the Giant Food chain.

Quick note: next week’s Tuesday Tidbit will be the last of this series. It’s been awesome doing this, but I will need to focus on other things as I start my new life in the Emerald City next week.

[bobco85]

Thank you, Steve!

Also, slight correction:
@Steve O 164903 wrote:

[LIST=|INDENT=1]
[*](optional) 8ish – Pre-ride coffee at Best Buns

[LIST=|INDENT=1]
[*]8:40 sharp – Depart best Buns
[/LIST]

[*]8:59am – Bluemont Tennis Court Shelter (has bathrooms and a water fountain)– Official start of Bobco’s Goodbye Ride
[*]9:20-9:25 – Bluemont Caboose flyby for late-comers
[*]10:40ish – Eisenhower Statue, east end of Eisenhower Avenue
[*]11:00ish – S. end of Eads St. at 4-Mile Run Trail

• 6-7 minutes later – Pentagon City Whole Foods flyby

[*]11:20-11:45 – Arrive in vicinity of ballpark
[/LIST]

Then lunch with Bob (venue TBD). Game goers will head to the ballpark about 1pm. Bob & all others may stay and eat/drink as long as you like.

Afterwards, I will head back to my parents’ house in Arlington to (shower first) spend the rest of the day with my family.

To give you a preview along with reasons for the route selection (there are many more, but I’ll limit myself to 3 right now):

• Bluemont Junction Trail part follows a route I used to bike with my brother when we were kids (he’s 6 years older than me) on summer nights to get slurpees from 7-11
• Elmwood Dr is a seemingly unknown wonderful road to ride on (with bonus zig-zag goodness to get to it from the Eisenhower Connector!)
• The route along M St, 4th St, and P St SW follows drives my grandpa would take me on to get onto Fort McNair where we would “play golf” (let’s be real, he gave me a pitching wedge to use, so I got to hit the ball a lot!) on the 9-hole golf course there (you can still see remnants of some of the holes) and walk along the stone wall next to the water, picking up forgotten golf balls (my favorites were the half-blue/half-pink ones)

I’m really excited for this even though I know I will be quite sad on my way home.

[bobco85]

Thank you, Steve O, for doing this.

As far as seeing everyone one last time with beer before I leave, could we do just Thursday at Quarterdeck? I am grateful but don’t want to overstretch this going away stuff (it feels like only yesterday that I gave the news I’d be leaving).

Since the big 50 States Ride is Saturday (sadly I am not participating), I want to do a casual morning ride on Sunday (9 am start) with folks where I plan on using a couple of routes that have some personal significance to me ending with a nice lunch before I spend the rest of the day with family. This will be my last ride in Virginia before I go. Tuesday evening I will finalize the route, but would folks be interested in that, too?

Hope to see y’all before I go!

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[bobco85]

Sorry, guys, I can’t make a video because my laptop is down! I was <2 hours away from finishing my Alexandria History Ride guidebook and in the middle of multiple video projects when the motherboard failed. I'm either getting a costly fix or a new laptop in the coming week.

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[bobco85]

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

Located just off the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail in NE DC sits a land- er, should I say water? – filled with acres of aquatic flora: the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. It can be found here:
https://goo.gl/maps/ayh4vuvufJt

In 1882, a Civil War veteran from Maine named Walter B. Shaw purchased land from his mother-in-law. He had lost his right arm in the war.

Walter was feeling homesick, so he had wild water lilies brought in from Maine. He planted them in an old ice pond, and they flourished so well that he opened W. B. Shaw Lily Ponds as a commercial attraction in 1912. This is the same year that the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers started a dredging project to clear built-up silt from passages on the Anacostia River; more on that soon.

Walter died in 1921, and his daughter, Helen Shaw Fowler, took over the gardens.

In 1930, Helen received a notice of condemnation from the government; the dredging project had reached the gardens.

The gardens were in danger of being destroyed by this project, so Helen fought against it for 8 years until Congress authorized the purchase of the land to be turned into a park. In 1938, it was purchased for $15,000 under the Recreation Act of 1926 (later replaced by the Recreation and Public Purposes Act of 1954).

Today, the gardens cover 8.5 acres across 45 ponds. There is a wooden greenhouse on the property dating back to 1913. In August of 1978, the gardens were added to the National Register of Historic Places. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens is the only National Park Service site devoted to the propagation and display of aquatic plants, and hopefully it will continue to be around for much longer.

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