cvcalhoun
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cvcalhounParticipantBethesda:
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Nothing there when I arrived at 7:15 except a sign lying on the ground. I got an e-mail later saying that they had been open and had 130 riders there, but I can only assume they either opened very late or closed very early. (It was supposed to be open 6:30 am to 8:30 am, so 7:15 should have been right in the middle of it.) This was particularly frustrating, because I didn’t have to be anywhere until 10:00 AM, and had gotten up early and braved the rain specifically in order to get to Bethesda, which was my registered stop.
Georgetown Waterfront:
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Lots of good food here–coffee, cupcakes, granola, bananas, yogurt. Also picked up map, copy of DC bike laws booklet, water bottle, Chipotle coupon, and coupons for a one-day CaBi membership and $10 off a yearly membership. Was initially told I could not get my t-shirt there because I wasn’t registered there, but someone finally relented after I explained I had been relying on a t-shirt as something dry to change into. No raffles. Revolution Cycle had a tune-up station there.
Georgetown Library:
Not an official pit stop, but they were handing out a free book, animal crackers, and fruit punch to anyone who bicycled there. The selection of books was unexpectedly good. And they were there all day, so I didn’t have to make it during a specific morning or evening period.
Malmaison: (Happy Hour)
I was a bit disappointed in this one. I’d thought it might be a chance to meet other cyclists. But it was so spread out that cyclists were not talking to each other. They did have some happy hour specials. But when I ordered the half-priced cocktail special, they charged me full price and I had to go back and complain to get the extra charge removed.
Capital Heights: (afternoon)
Another Chipotle coupon, a banana, and a couple of granola bars. Not a lot of swag, although I could have gotten my map and DC bike laws pamphlet there. They had socks, but were charging $7 for them, so I passed. But they were doing raffles every 15 minutes. I won the one for the 10 yoga sessions. Of course, I’m not entirely sure what I’ll do with it given that I don’t do yoga and don’t live or work in that area. But the frequent raffles definitely increased the fun factor, and kept people hanging around and socializing longer than they otherwise would have. And they also gave me another t-shirt.
cvcalhounParticipantRock Creek Trail is currently under Rock Creek in spots between K Street and the National Zoo.
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cvcalhounParticipantI know they call it the Rock Creek Trail, but I thought having the trail under Rock Creek was a bit much! I started out thinking it was just a large puddle on the trail. But when my pedals (and my shoes) started going under the water with each stroke, and I realized that there was a fairly serious current in that water, I decided it was the better part of valor to get off the trail and just walk my bike on the grass at the side of the trail.
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cvcalhounParticipantI know they call it the Rock Creek Trail, but I thought having the trail under Rock Creek was a bit much! I started out thinking it was just a large puddle on the trail. But when my pedals (and my shoes) started going under the water with each stroke, and I realized that there was a fairly serious current in that water, I decided it was the better part of valor to get off the trail and just walk my bike on the grass at the side of the trail.
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cvcalhounParticipantThere was water running first across and then beside the CCT, near the sewage plant. I tried not to think too much about whether it was just water, or …
cvcalhounParticipantA friend tells me Friendship Heights was open. But my concession to the weather was to go down the CCT, not Wisconsin Avenue, so I didn’t check it out personally.
Apparently the 23rd and Pennsylvania people got moved to Georgetown Waterfront.
cvcalhounParticipantGeorgetown Waterfront was open.
cvcalhounParticipantI didn’t get an e-mail. But the only evidence of the Bethesda pit stop is one sign on the ground.
cvcalhounParticipantThe Accuweather on my phone is assuring me that it is merely “cloudy” right now. Apparently the rain pounding on my roof and the river in my back yard are merely figments of my imagination.
cvcalhounParticipantThey are showing pit stops there. But those don’t look like full-fledged happy hours. For example, the one in College Park is “In front of Metro’s Bike & Ride Station facing River Road and Paint Branch Parkway.” That sounds like they might be passing out snacks, but not like it’s a place you could sit down and get adult beverages or a meal. But I’d love to find out I’m wrong about that!
cvcalhounParticipantRemember that “we” aren’t the focus of BTWD. Sure, if you already biked to work every day last winter, this is nothing. But the focus of BTWD is to encourage people who haven’t normally been commuting to work by bike to start. And if it’s your first day of bike commuting, a downpour may not be the best day for it.
@peterw_diy 85473 wrote:
Wimps. Seriously. This isn’t a hurricane, it’s just heavy rainfall.
Far too much of our MUP bike commuting infrastructure is very vulnerable to flooding. All this talk about bailing because it’s gonna rain hard just reinforces the rotten notion that bikes are fair-weather toys. HTFU, folks, and show the region we don’t retreat when it’s wet.
cvcalhounParticipantSomehow I agreed to bike from Bethesda to Silver Spring tonight. I’m thinking it must be because I think I need drowning practice before tomorrow?
cvcalhounParticipantAlthough apparently Baltimore is postponing.
@culimerc 85433 wrote:
The reason is that this isnt a strictly local event, there are “sister” events going on all at the same time across the country.
May 15, 2014 at 3:48 pm in reply to: Back in My Day, I Biked 25 Miles to School, Both Ways, Up Hill, in the Snow, in July #1001313cvcalhounParticipantBack in my day, bikes had 2 or 3 speeds. Mine had 2. If you back-pedaled a little bit; it changed gears; if you back-pedaled the whole way, it braked. Hand controls were limited to steering.
cvcalhounParticipantAt least we’ve been getting in lots of Rule 9 practice this week. I don’t think there is a day this week it hasn’t rained at least some of the time.
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