[DCAKen]

I should be there, enjoying the camaraderie (and the bonus points for cycling to Shirlington)

[DCAKen]

Is it me or is the trail crossing where Rock Creek Parkway meets Beach Drive getting more dangerous in the evening rush? On Tuesday, I was waiting to cross (going southbound) when a car stopped in the right lane to let me cross. A truck coming up behind in the left lane didn’t seem to notice the stopped car and came to a screeching halt as I was halfway across. A car behind the truck was going even faster and couldn’t stop in time, rear ending the truck. When is this intersection going to get a HAWK signal or its equivalent, like at the MVT crossing?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehpuON4Mlxw

And as an added bonus on Tuesday, I had an close encounter with a cab that was turning right on a red light at Q Street and 20th. I was in the left lane on Q Street to make a left on Connecticut. He couldn’t even stay in the right lane, despite the fact that he was continuing straight on Q Street. I had to pound on his window to get his attention.

[DCAKen]

I’m signed up. Last year’s challenge really kept me on my bike during some of those cold, miserable days of winter. That helped put me at almost 5000 miles for the year. This was a big increase over last year’s 4100 miles, previously the most miles I’ve cycled a year.

[DCAKen]

@dbb 70865 wrote:

You: Lady running north on the MVT between the inlet to Roaches Run and the Gravelly Point parking lot.
Me: Cyclist behind you saying “Whoa” at my loudest traffic control volume when you did a Crazy Ivan this morning about 0630. That your running partner did one about 15 feet ahead of you was a clue to me that excitement was coming. Sorry (not really) if I startled you. Crazy Ivans at turns on the trail are just, well crazy.

This is why I’ve gotten into the habit of always calling my passes. I want to not only minimize the possibility of a Crazy Ivan, but to also be snarky if they complain about getting buzzed.

[DCAKen]

Thanks, BA! Although it’s preaching to the choir here, anything to get people (cyclists, runners, pedestrians) to be more visible at night is a good thing.

[DCAKen]

And there’s now an Android app that will point you in the direction of Wallops to watch the launch.

[DCAKen]

My bike set up with a dynamo driven B&M IQ Cyo R and taillight. I also have mini blinkers on my helmet (front and rear) more for attention. In the picture, the headlight isn’t at full strength, but is showing the “standlight” intensity. I’m also wearing a reflective vest.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4057[/ATTACH]

Here’s a video of my light in action on the road and trail. As Starduster mentioned above, you can see the sharp cutoff of the shaped beam. Unfortunately, my GoPro doesn’t have great low light sensitivity, so it doesn’t catch the spilled light outside the main beam that I can see while riding. You can get a sense of that with the way the signs are lit up, though.

[DCAKen]

Me: Heading south on the Rock Creek Park trail between the zoo entrance and the tunnel

You: A deer, bolting across the bike path

This was the closest I’ve come to hitting (or being hit) by a deer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzCNal1lRmY

Unfortunately, it continued running across Beach Drive. The bang at the 0:05 mark is when it got hit by a car.

[DCAKen]

A few years back, I wrote to the Rock Creek Park staff about their failure to clear the snow from the trail. Their response also justified their lack of plowing with the specter of cross country skiers.

Due to the fact that it is a multi use trail there can be conflicts in
philosophy between those who believe we should leave the snow for
recreational purposes such as cross country skiing and those who use it to
bike on and feel it should be cleared down to asphalt. Finding the happy
medium is not always possible but we make an effort to do so. This was
less of an issue in past years because we did not have this continuum of
cold weather. To answer your question- why the trail doesn’t get the same
attention a week after the snow ? – if its icy and unsafe, a week after a
snow, it should be getting that attention. Our overall goal and guiding
principal is to keep the trail safe. If in the future you notice areas
that need attention please let me know and we’ll take care of it.

[DCAKen]

The trail through Rock Creek Park is also bad in the places where it’s a little below the grade of the parkway or Beach Drive. Then there’s the usual ninja runners who are even more difficult to see in these areas. One of the worst places this time of year is just south of Pierce Mill, when the trail is almost covered in leaves. In the morning as I head north, it can be very difficult to even see where the trail is with the glare of the headlights.

I’ve found that using a helmet with a visor helps quite a bit with blocking the headlights. This is even useful when I’m Beach Drive and faced with the truly annoying drivers who refuse to turn off their high beams.

[DCAKen]

This might be more of a phone problem, but I’ve noticed my tracks have been looking pretty jagged. I’ve also noticed the distance isn’t corresponding as well with my odometer.

[DCAKen]

One surprising improvement that happened this week was that a section of the Rock Creek Park bike path was repaved. The section from the Massachusetts Avenue Bridge to the bridge south of the Calvert Street ramp has gone from being one of the worst sections of the trail to the best. Wide and smooth…I can’t wait for the rest of the trail to be rebuilt.

[DCAKen]

I saw a few cars parked on the path on Sunday. When I cycled past Gravelly Point today, I noticed one of the electric signs had the message “No Parking on Grass”.

[DCAKen]

This was a sign I came across on my ride today in the Marin Headlands. It was a foggy day, so there were no scenic views, but that also meant there were very few cars on most of the roads. I’d love to do this again on a sunny day.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3760[/ATTACH]

[DCAKen]

Thanks for the heads-up. I watched the live feed of the launch and could see the exhaust plume from my office window. We followed it up past the cloud towards the top of the photo before it faded from view

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3698[/ATTACH]

[Author]

Posts