[Geoff]

@ShawnoftheDread 76894 wrote:

But Bilsko has assured us that this ride can be done in one day. Is Bilsko just crazy?

I’ve heard of people doing the C&O in one day. I expect it can be done, but not by most people. Also bear in mind you won’t be doing this on a road bike. I have seen people do it on a road bike, but you really want wider tires on the packed dirt and gravel surface.

Concerning the comment that the scenery gets boring after a while. Oh, maybe, depending on your disposition. But good travel companions can help with boredom.

[Geoff]

I did the C&O plus GAP a few years back. It was a great ride. Highly recommend it.

There are of course good resources on line, such as this one:
http://bikewashington.org/canal/

You can find others pretty quickly.

Both trails (C&O, GAP) go through long stretches where you will not be able to hop off the trail and get food / lodging / spare parts / etc. Even when a town is nearby it won’t necessarily be obvious how to get to it from the trail. Factor that into your planning. You may also run into detours where parts of the trail are washed out and you have to get off the trail onto streets, in which case it may not be obvious how to get back to the trail. I side-stepped both problems by taking a supported group trip where the organizer provided cue sheets, SAG services, and snack stops. Having said that, people do make the trip on their own; just do your homework and don’t expect to be able to pull into a town just any time you feel the need.

[Geoff]

Rode in this morning for the first time in a couple weeks, which means I’m in a much better mood today. Even though a jogger with dog tried to commit suicide by cutting in front of me. But he heeded my hollerin’ and pulled up; no blood, no foul.

[Geoff]

@culimerc 75886 wrote:

Its not so much the cold that’s keeping me off my bike as the prospect of an after dark commute on the WOD covered in ice and ruts. The potential for disaster is just a little too high for me. So if it would warm up just long enough to clear the trail, then it can get cold again, I’d be fine with that.

I feel much the same. Some of the recent mornings may have been colder than I can handle – I’m OK down to 20, haven’t tried colder – but ice and ruts are something else. A bad fall could put me out of action for months. Don’t need it.

[Geoff]

@jrenaut 75817 wrote:

if we really get biking’s mode share up where we think we want it, there are going to be traffic jams on the busy bike lanes

Hate to say this but I worry about colliding bikes on the Custis on a nice day. Haven’t seen it happen, but it could, easily: short lines of sight, somebody wants to pass, gets impatient, and finds himself locking handlebars with someone coming the other way doing the same thing.

Not so much of an issue this time of year.

[Geoff]

My commute comparisons are:
1. By bike, 50 – 75 minutes, depending on how strong I feel and depending on how many tourists I have to dodge.
2. Metro – Walk to EFC, 40 min (2 miles, yeah, I like walking), 20 min ride, 10 minute walk to office, so 70 min overall.
3. Drive – I never drive in DC if I can avoid it.

So it looks like biking is faster than Metro for me BUT “the transition” adds time. Changing clothes, cleaning up when I get to the office.

[Geoff]

Yer all bonkers. If God had meant for us to ride in this stuff he would have given bikes tracks and skis. Something like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86SmftMKtT8

(you’ll have to put up with an ad, sorry)

[Geoff]

Very quiet this morning, only one other rider on the Custis. Guess the rest of you had the day off.
But the sun rising over the monuments, as seen from the MVT, was very nice.

[Geoff]

Where was everybody today???
Very light on the Custis between ~6:30 and 7:00. Didn’t even see anybody in Rosslyn. Thought everyone would be out in force to celebrate the return of warm weather.

[Geoff]

@Raymo853 73738 wrote:

I bet OPM is going to close the Fed Gov offices Tuesday.

Now THAT would be silly. Doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen…

[Geoff]

@rcannon100 73694 wrote:

Please dont be silly about this. It is not worth it.

Glad someone said this.
I’m a northern country boy and take some pride in being able to handle the cold, but I don’t need to prove anything. I don’t need my brakes to fail, don’t need to wipe out on an icy patch, or have a collision with someone else who hit a bad spot.

I’ll walk to the subway tomorrow. That’ll be enough, methinks.

[Geoff]

They say there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. I lack the clothing to bike at 5 degrees. 😮

[Geoff]

I’ve long wanted to do the Erie Canalway (along the Erie Canal, of course).
Other trips on my list are TOSRV (Ohio), the One Day Ride Across Michigan (which I plan to do this summer), and there is a trip up Michigan’s Lake Michigan coast (can’t remember what it’s called) that I’d like to do.

Sound midwest-centric? Yeah, well, after all these years it’s still home…

BTW, the picture I use as my avatar was taken on the Great Allegheny Passage a few years back. I did it in combination with the C&O. A good trip, I recommend it.

[Geoff]

What frustrates me in reading this thread is thinking about all the people I’d like to tell off (the dog walker who nearly clotheslined me with a leash, the guys riding three abreast and wouldn’t make room, for example), and all the times I’ve needed forgiveness for doing something dumb. So, overall, I understand where Raymo is coming from, but suggest that he relax.

[Geoff]

Here’s a book my doctor recommended to me: Younger Next Year by Chris Crowley and Dr. Harry Lodge. It is a practical guide to the benefits of regular vigorous exercise, among other things.

I also take heart from the guys in their 70s blasting past me on the WOD. It doesn’t have to be downhill from here!

[Author]

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