[bobco85]

Brooms have been reallocated as of this morning (yawn), so hopefully things will improve.

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[bobco85]

I know Alexandria BPAC has plans that will lead to better effectivity for advocacy, but they are looking for more members (cough, cough, fellow Alexandrians!).

In regards to my feline friend, one idea I have is to limit her food and water intake before the flight. I’ll feed her a little and give her water between flights, but hopefully she’ll nap through most of it.

As far as Tuesday Tidbits, I’m likely to get into a lot of new activities in Seattle, so that side project might get overridden with other interesting stuff. I will become a sponge once there, so who knows what cool stuff I’ll learn!

Lastly, Steve O: in my eyes you’re now chaotic neutral instead of chaotic evil because you got me this

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[bobco85]

Thank you all for coming last night! I think the turnout was great, and I was happy to see much discussion between folks involved in bicycle advocacy from both sides of Four Mile Run; perhaps there will be more future collaboration between the Alexandria BPAC and Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee (Steve O insisted it not be abbreviated when mentioned).

Also, there were super-delicious beers that folks got for me and desserts such as this strawberry rum-amaretto milkshake with candies on top that Steve O got me:

P.S. Y’all are messy! The last one there, I cleaned up everyone’s mess and put the chairs away before I left, but I had a great time [emoji16]

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[bobco85]

@Steve O 164467 wrote:

Too late now, since you’ve already signed up for the program, but…

You could probably save some money by just doing a swap. Since cats are being euthanized everywhere, it’s easy to do a net-zero swap. When you get there, go to the rescue center and take a cat that was likely to be euthanized. Before you leave, toss yours off the 14th St. Bridge or some other free way to rid yourself of it. Makes traveling cheaper and easier to not have to transport it across the country. One dead cat and one pet cat. Same way either way.

This is why you’re chaotic evil and I’m neutral good :p

[bobco85]

@KWL 164436 wrote:

So how is your cat getting there? In cabin?

Yep. I’m doing the JetBlue JetPaws program (I love the name!) https://www.jetblue.com/travel/pets/, so my feline friend will be in a carry-on pet carrier under the seat, absolutely miserable that she’s stuck in a weird, new environment in a carrier. I was really worried about the prospect of having her in the cargo hold of each flight, so this option was a huge relief.

[bobco85]

Wow, my studio apartment is gonna fill up really fast!

@AFHokie, I’ll be flying in Sept. 11 but won’t arrive until late evening. Then, since the leasing office will already be closed, I will spend a night in a hotel near my apartment before entering my apartment on Sept. 12. My U-Box will also be arriving that day, so I don’t know if I’ll be able to unpack the bike until late in the day, plus I need to get supplies (groceries and cat supplies). If you’re still in town on the evening of Sept. 12, I’m totally in!

[bobco85]

Located a few blocks from the Silver Spring Transit Center in Acorn Park is the site for which the town is named. Acorn Park can be found here: https://goo.gl/maps/Pd1UP9dS8px

It all started with Francis Preston Blair, a newspaper editor from Frankfort, KY who came to Washington in 1830 to edit the Washington Globe, a pro-Andrew Jackson presidency paper established by Jackson’s friends to counter the anti-Andrew Jackson paper: the National Intelligencer. In 1842, Francis built a country house near the site of current-day Acorn Park. He also built a city house which was called Blair House and is now known as the President’s official guest house. (Image is of a mural depicting the country house on the Silver Spring estate)
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Now, there are multiple accounts of how the name of the town came about, but they both center around either Francis or his daughter and a spooked horse. In 1840, Francis was out horse riding with his daughter Elizabeth when one of them was thrown from their horse. The horse took off and was found at or nearby a spring. The spring was full of mica which reflects sunlight and sparkles like silver. Francis decided to name his estate Silver Spring after this. (Image is from the grotto area of the Silver Spring)
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Near the spring grew many oak trees (now there are only 2 left), and Francis made it a park since he liked to have folks visit it. In 1842, an acorn-shaped gazebo was built by Benjamin C. King near the spring. The gazebo has since been renovated, but it remains the only acorn-shaped gazebo in the world. (Images of Acorn Park from June 1917 and August 2017)
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Also at Acorn Park are various murals depicting a carefully-selected history of Silver Spring (carefully-selected in that they completely skip Silver Spring’s history of segregation and battles for civil rights). (Image of murals at Acorn Park)
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Special note: because my focus for these has been on DC area sites for folks to visit and my impending move is approaching, I will be ending this series after 3 more articles (the final Tuesday Tidbit will be posted on 9/12).

[bobco85]

Seattle is one of those places that upon visiting, I immediately thought to myself, “I could live here,” so I knew I had to go live there someday. I’ve been way too distracted and stressed to check out Seattle’s cycling community, but in the coming weeks I think I will look into it.

I’ve ridden on the Burke-Gilman Trail before (it was awesome), so I look forward to riding on it again. I’m already thinking of new rides to do when there including a Let’s Bike the Light Rail and a full loop around Lake Washington. The Seattle to Portland ride looks intimidating yet intriguing, so I may just sign up for that next year.

The potentially sad part is that I will be sad to leave everyone (I’ll miss y’all), but I am really excited to continue the adventure that is my life in a new part of the country (I’ve never lived outside Virginia before) that of course will include seeing everyone when I come back for visits.

[bobco85]

Hey, you’re in luck as I have 2 deck brushes that I no longer need and cannot bring with me to Seattle! I will PM everyone involved on this thread to determine a workable solution.

[bobco85]

@EasyRider 164332 wrote:

I do wish that transportation on that stretch of Columbia Pike/Arlington Blvd/Lee Hwy/Walter Reed Dr was a little more geared to those living and working in the area, rather than as a thoroughfare for car commuters who live in Fairfax County.

Stays true regardless of road listed

[bobco85]

That’s awful! I hope he’s okay and heals quickly.

Are the majority of the crashes on Columbia Pike itself, or are they related to the intersection with Walter Reed Dr? I’m trying to get an idea of the area of danger around the store.

[bobco85]

@creadinger 164208 wrote:

Has this come up yet, or has anyone noticed that there seems to be a lot of broken glass in certain parts of the trail recently?
…
I just hope this isn’t a thing now.

Sadly, it is a thing. Broken glass on the MVT has been reported for the past 2 months with efforts spent entirely on clean-up but no enforcement.
July 2017 Road & Trail Conditions: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?12095-July-2017-Road-amp-Trail-Conditions/page5
August 2017 Road & Trail Conditions: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?12179-August-2017-Road-amp-Trail-Conditions

[bobco85]

Located a block from the Mount Vernon Trail at the corner of Church St and Washington St in Alexandria lies the Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery (seen here: https://goo.gl/maps/Ejxy7Y1Cv8M2). But even as recently as 20 years ago, one would never have known it existed. (Pics of entrance and historical marker)
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During the Civil War, the Union occupied and controlled Alexandria. Many slaves who had been freed came to Alexandria, and the influx of people created a refugee crisis. They were called Contrabands because slaves were considered property and contraband refers to goods that have been illegally imported/exported a.k.a. smuggled. Poverty and disease led to many deaths.

In January 1864, the federal government established a cemetery for freedmen, their families, and, for a time, black veterans (in 1865, they were moved to Alexandria National Cemetery) on land seized from a pro-Confederate owner. Graves were marked with a whitewashed wooden grave marker. It is estimated that around 1,800 people were buried at this site, over half of which were under the age of 16. Burials stopped in 1869 when the government abandoned the property and original owner reclaimed the land. (Pic of grave information sign)
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After the original owner reclaimed the land, the cemetery became forgotten, and groups started to encroach on the cemetery grounds. In the 19th Century, the Alexandria Brick Company eroded the dirt from the west edge of the cemetery, and the Manassas Gap Railroad overlapped a portion of the cemetery. After 1948, the cemetery location was no longer marked on a city map. Then, in 1955, a gas station, an office building, and parking lots were built on top of the cemetery. In 1961, construction of I-95 impacted the south edge of the cemetery. Things were not looking good for the cemetery.

Then, in 1987, City of Alexandria historian T. Michael Miller rediscovers an 1894 Alexandria Gazette article referencing the cemetery, and an effort is started to turn it into a memorial park. The Friends of Freedmen’s Cemetery forms in 1997 “for the purposes of preserving, commemorating, and researching a little-known Civil War-era African-American burying ground in Old Town Alexandria” (from their website: http://www.freedmenscemetery.org/). Archaeological studies and excavations then occurred from 1996 to 2007 finding many graves and even some Native American artifacts. The gas station and office building were eventually demolished in 2007.

A rededication ceremony was held on May 12, 2007, and a design competition was held for the memorial. Eventually, on September 6, 2014, the memorial was completed and became open to the public. You can still see the base of a wall on the north side of the former office building, and the walking area at the memorial is on top of the gas station’s concrete because removing both would cause further disturbances to the graves. (Pics of information sign that can be read on Church St and aerial images of the area)
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[bobco85]

@drevil 164184 wrote:

Much-a success on big big log

WARNING: Cursewords said.

[video=vimeo;229661087]https://vimeo.com/229661087[/video]

For some reason, the embedded video doesn’t show up on my computer, but it did show up in Tapatalk. Here’s a link in case anyone else couldn’t see the video: https://vimeo.com/229661087

[bobco85]

Alright, time for the last set of notes before I do something else with my day (probably something with biking :cool:).

• Stop #30 – African-American Heritage Memorial Park
  • African-American Heritage Memorial Park
    • Opened in 1995, is an 8 acre park containing a cemetery and an African-American burial ground dating before the Civil War
    • Sculptor Jerome Meadows created the bronze tree memorial sculptures called “Truths That Rise from the Roots – – Remembered”
    • Other sculptures commemorate historic African-American neighborhoods and the 21 people buried in Black Baptist Cemetery
  • The Bottoms
    • Settled in 1798, first free black neighborhood in Alexandria
    • Undesirable marsh “bottom” land leased to free men, now more commonly called the Dip
    • Free black population rose greatly when Alexandria became part of District of Columbia due to its less restrictive laws against black assembly and education
    • First black religious congregation, Colored Baptist Society, formed in 1803, built first black church in Alexandria in 1818 (Alfred Street Baptist Church)
    • Odd Fellows Hall built in 1870, site of ceremonies, social gathering, and business meetings for over a century
• Stop #31 – Franklin & Armfield Slave Office
  • Built 1810-1820, housed the offices of the largest slave trading firm in the antebellum South, started in 1828 by Isaac Franklin and John Armfield
  • Extension behind the building was used as part of the slave-holding facilities, there were also other slave pens whose bricks were used to build the adjacent townhouses
  • Was in use until Alexandria fell to Union forces in the Civil War
• Stop #32 – Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery
  • In January 1864, the federal government established this cemetery as a burying ground for freedmen in Alexandria who were sometimes called Contrabands
  • Contraband: good that has been imported/exported illegally, i.e. smuggled
  • Graves marked with a whitewashed wooden grave marker
  • Burials ended in 1869 when the government abandoned the cemetery, and it became forgotten, encroached by gas station, railroad, and interstate
  • In 1987 the city of Alexandria started the process to turn it into a memorial park
  • Approximately 1,800 people were buried at the cemetery, at least 123 graves have been located by archaeologists as of 2004 (note: a plaque at the cemetery shows up to 540 have now been located)
• Stop #33 – Woodrow Wilson Bridge
  • Jones Point
    • Starts from South side of Wilson Bridge at Lee (Water) and South (DNE) Streets, standing on impassible quagmire
    • Named after Calwallder Jones, a frontier trader who set up a post here in 1682
    • Once referred to as Piper’s Island because high tides would separate it from the mainland (Piper name unknown)
  • Woodrow Wilson Bridge
    • Built in 1961, crosses 3 jurisdictions (a spot on the bridge between the 1st and 2nd observation decks is technically in DC; marked on the bridge itself, too)
    • Named for the 100th anniversary of Woodrow Wilson’s birth, his widow died the morning of the bridge opening to traffic
    • Designed to handle 75,000 vehicles/day, it was serving 200,000 vehicles/day by 1999
    • New bridge opened in 2006, spans 20 feet higher, bike/pedestrian path opened in 2009
  • Battery Cove
    • Named for Battery Rodgers during Civil War
    • Filled in 1911-1912 to make space for ship-buildings operation
    • President Woodrow Wilson drove 1st rivet in a ceremony marking opening of shipbuilding yard on May 30, 1918
  • Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation
    • Built facilities for 7,000 workers in the matter of 3 months
• Stop #34 – Jones Point Lighthouse
  • Jones Point Lighthouse
    • Built in 1855, served primarily as a warning lights for naval ships approaching Navy Yard
    • Used a fifth order Fresnel lens (most advanced at the time) that could be seen up to 9 miles away
    • Discontinued in 1926 and replaced by a small steel skeletal tower for 10 years
    • Damaged by weather, tides, vandalism, target practice by soldiers during WWII, about half of the wood was gone
    • Sold by Daughters of the American Revolution to the National Park Service and became a park in 1964
    • Only river lighthouse still standing in the Chesapeake Bay area, but only working lighthouse on the Potomac River is at Fort Washington
  • DC South Boundary Stone
    • In March 1791, President George Washington issued a proclamation that established Jones Point as the starting point for the federal territory’s boundary survey
    • Survey team was made of Major Andrew Ellicott, Joseph Ellicott, Benjamin Ellicott, Isaac Roberdeau, George Fenwick, Isaac Briggs, and Benjamin Banneker
    • Survey team placed boundary stones in 1791-1792, area contained became District of Columbia in 1801
    • Daughters of the American Revolution to thank for putting protective iron cages around each one of the boundary stones
  • Major Andrew Ellicott
    • American surveyor, part of team surveying Mason-Dixon Line
    • Continued and completed L’Enfant’s work on the plan for DC
    • Mentor and teacher for Meriwether Lewis
    • Surveyed many of the lands West of the Appalachians but East of the Mississippi River (before Louisiana Purchase)
  • Benjamin Banneker
    • Free African-American born in Baltimore
    • Almanac author, surveyor, naturalist, and farmer, largely self-taught
    • Knowledge of astronomy led to many commercially successful almanacs

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