[colleen]

Kind of random, but does anyone know what is going on with the railroad tracks that cross GW Parkway between Slaters Lane and Bashford Lane? At one point it was paved over, but now it looks like something has been through to clear out the asphalt from the tracks. Whatever is going on, be careful at that crossing – lots of loose gravel and newly open ruts.

[colleen]

@TwoWheelsDC 124874 wrote:

4MR does this pretty drastically in the Glencarlyn area when you’re riding the W&OD westbound from the river. It seems most noticeable on those rare warm winter evenings or in the evenings of spring/fall, when the days are warm but the nights are cold. You’re nice and warm and enjoying the ride and then you cross Columbia Pike and boom, temperature drops 5-10 degrees in a matter of seconds.

Also on the MVT right after passing the Marina going south onto the wooden boardwalks – the temperature drop is usually a welcome change for me in the evenings, right before tackling the big hill into Old Town.

[colleen]

I’ve seen a few comments suggesting the ticketing was just a one time enforcement during the Arts Festival – my husband is unfortunate proof to the contrary. He was ticketed (same $91) a few weeks ago at Royal and Wilkes for rolling through the stop sign on the morning commute. If I was with him that day, which is our usual AM commute routine, the Alexandria PD would have doubled their haul.

[colleen]

Have you checked out the Holmes Run trail? That trail follows Eisenhower Ave (or merges with another trail to follow it), which goes through Hoffman Town Center towards Old Town with sharrows or bike lanes most of the way. Then once in Old Town meet up with the Mount Vernon Trail north (either Royal St or Union St while in Old Town), which takes you eventually to Memorial Bridge. There could be more direct routes, but that one is ~85% trail.

Alternatively if you can find a street route to Shirlington, you can get on the 4 Mile Run trail east to the Mount Vernon trail, and take that north.

[colleen]

Arg sorry everybody for the confusion. Let this be a lesson in caution when viewing webpages on mobile that are not meant for mobile. Alcova is right I’ll be back once I’m approved again. In the mean time I’ll have to see how many surprise miles I can rack up

[colleen]

I plan on being there, and will join the late night convoy in the shirlington direction.

[colleen]

…was bittersweet. Spring-like temperatures and the first time I could use the trails all the way to work in something like two weeks. But it will only last a day…

[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.

[colleen]

From Slaters Ln going north on the MVT, there are extended stretches of Dry Pavement (!!). Shaded areas still have lots of snow and ice, but there was always a 1-2 foot path to follow between Old Town and 4MR – I didn’t have to get off my bike once. NB: This is for the Royal St – GW Parkway hov lanes cut through. If you take the Union St way around to the east of the old power plant, there are some spots that are completely covered in snow/wet ice. In particular, the blind curve next to the power plant is just a sheet of bumpy ice.

[colleen]

4MR: 1-2 ft long ice patches scattered next to the sewage plant; mostly avoidable. Larger patches underneath the W Glebe Rd and 395 underpasses – definitely advise walking.

WOD: Thin dry path is appearing between Shirlington and Columbia Pike. I took a mix of road and WOD on that stretch. Large piles of snow at the crosswalks and the occasional disappearance of the dry path make the straight shot impassable for now.

[colleen]

@dkel 109360 wrote:

I thought the forum didn’t allow all-caps posts. :confused:

It was an honest reflection of how loudly I said it, in my head.

[colleen]

@Harry Meatmotor 109353 wrote:

what can i say, I’m a racer-guy. speed matters.

THIS IS THE ONLY LEADERBOARD THAT MATTERS!

[colleen]

Took a mostly on-road route to work from Alexandria to Ballston today for the first time. It wasn’t bad, but I’m looking forward to the trails thawing. I did take 4MR from Potomac Ave to Shirlington. It’s mostly clear save some ice patches, which are fine when you can see them, but be careful if you’re going that way in the dark. At Shirlington I could see a promising ray of light at the start of the WOD – about a two foot wide clear path up the hill. I didn’t venture that way – decided to stick with the original plan – but it would be great to know how long that extends. Can anyone report?

[colleen]

@dkel 109293 wrote:

Or are we just giving up?

Never!

[colleen]

@sjclaeys 109285 wrote:

Easy to remedy. Step 1, dislike his post. Step 2, ride more.

Step 2 is easier said than done with the MVT and WOD covered in a sheet of bumpy ice. But I am working on an alternate route to work – tomorrow I am going on an adventure!

[Author]

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