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@Emm 163062 wrote:

Also, another broken bottle on the MVT by the airport fencing. Looks like I’ll be taking an alternate route home to avoid it since NPS has pretty much stopped trying to deal with all the broken glass it seems like.

There was an NPS worker cleaning up the glass around 830a and I pointed him to the large pile north of the north airport overpass, so hopefully all is clean on the way home.

[gibby]

Welcome to DC and hopefully it’s not too brutally hot while you’re here.
I’m so jealous that you’re going to do this. Before my M-F 9-5 days, I rode those routes several times during the week and it was light traffic– but that was several years ago so I don’t know what kind of development may have sprung up in the meantime.

Another option, if you want to experience the Virginia side also, would be to take the W&OD trail out to Leesburg, Rt 15 up to the Point of Rocks crossing and Rt 28 down to your Strava route.

Enjoy!!

[gibby]

Montgomery County Parks Rules & Regs, beginning July 1-
No person shall operate an unlicensed motorized scooter, motorized or electrically assisted bicycle, Electric Bicycle, segway, hover-board or similar motorized personal locomotive device except
(1) as authorized by Permit; or
(2) in areas where expressly designated by Park Directive and posted accordingly

(thanks washcycle)

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@KWL 161927 wrote:

Expletives were used. Sometimes you just need to give up and not worry about keeping any part of your body dry.

I thought I was being oh so smart by leaving work early to ‘beat the storm,’ only to be hit with what felt like needles and pins all the way across the 14th St bridge.
Those shoes are gonna need a couple days outside the house to unstinkify and dry.
But still beats metro!!

[gibby]

On a related note- I used to see a couple e-bikers on the MVT during rush hour who seemed to think they could do a constant 25mph+ despite congestion (and without giving any warnings). Haven’t seem them in a while, so I’m wondering if they got smart…or just don’t like hot weather.

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@dasgeh 161154 wrote:

I just sing good morning songs from my kids’ preschool as I ride

I’m going to have to start taking a Rosslyn detour to experience this!
Sure beats the tinkerbell symphony, that half the time I have no idea where it’s coming from on a crowded trail– Is that in front of me? behind me? Are you cueing behind me and warning the jogger than I’m also just about to pass? Are you a strava&*^&^% who is going to try to pass me and the jogger at the same time with oncoming traffic?

I lived in Portland in the mid-2000s and I rarely experienced anyone calling passes. Seemed a bit odd, coming from the alert-obsessed DC, but you get used to it and it was no big deal. But then Portland doesn’t have the commuter trails like DC (so much for biking mecca).

[gibby]

@AT_Hiker59 161146 wrote:

Why would you ASSUME I threatened him!!!

Thanks for highlighting that.
Before I read the little-too-quick-to-judge responses, I had a funny picture of said cyclist with an embarrassed, wimpy thought bubble as he saw you standing next to him at the intersection.

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@KLizotte 161063 wrote:

If the glass is being swept into the grass…

I’ve never seen NPS crews sweeping glass into the grass. They’ve always been very helpful–and using brooms and dustpans.

[gibby]

Thank you to the good samaritan who retrieved my chain that snapped as I was making a stupid move against the light crossing 14th St on the Mall.
Fortunately bike karma was not totally against me and I had a chain tool in the bag. 😮

[gibby]

@sjclaeys 161054 wrote:

I saw glass this morning at these same spots, but also NPS personnel walking on the MVT with a broom and other clean-up equipment. Unfortunately, they were walking away from where the glass was.

They were cleaning up glass on the airport north overpass at about 8a. I told them about the glass chunks at the south end and they said I was the third person to tell them so hopefully it’s cleaned up soon.
This seems to be a new spot for the glass breaker(s) since it’s always been on the two airport overpasses.

[gibby]

@Emm 160629 wrote:

Today on my ride to work, I forded the mighty Potomac! I lost 2 oxen and 100 lbs of food, but I didn’t drown at least.

No oxen lost, but I am thinking of getting a tetanus shot, a bubonic plague scan and cholera test after splashing along 4MR under the Rt 1 overpass….and people fish in this???

[gibby]

@semperiden 159931 wrote:

Rain shoes? Rain boots? Rain shoe covers? I commuted on my rubber sandals this morning. I hope I don’t get athlete’s foot.

I may have to invest in some sandals for the rainy summer days, tho it seemed a bit chilly yesterday. Do you have a toe warmer at work?
My biggest issue is that both my pairs of bike shoes get quite stinky for a few days after getting soaked like that. At least I can switch out shoes so I don’t scare away everyone at work today. 😮

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@Amalitza 159824 wrote:

… people just translate that habit to the trails either without giving it much thought or thinking of bikes as fast and scary things like cars that should be treated similarly.

I’ve figured that was the logic also, but I’ve noticed this when there are other joggers and walkers all on the right side, so I’m befuddled as to why someone wouldn’t think “hmm, maybe I should be on the same side as everyone else”

Several years ago, before there were many bike commuters, I used to take the Wash Blvd sidewalk path along the Pentagon to Memorial Bridge and almost all the joggers (who I assumed to be military types) would be of the left side. I figured this was a military or overseas thing and gave up my fuming. Altho taking it a few times recently, it seems most everyone is on the right side, so maybe habits are changing…

[gibby]

If you biked yesterday, today will feel like summer (almost) with barely a breeze.
Mostly clear and definitely safe on skinny tires from Braddock metro-Potomac Ave bikepath-CC service road-Long Bridge-Humpback-14th St Bridge.
1st St cycletrack has some large crud chunks you need to weave around.

[gibby]

@LhasaCM 149948 wrote:

I’m seriously starting to wonder about the state of driver education among the drivers on 1st NE near Union Station. 5 times in the past week before today (so averaging once a week), I’ve almost been hit by a driver who was travelling southbound turning left onto either L or K streets NE, while I was travelling southbound in the “protected” bike lane. !

And while they’re at it, a pedestrian education course would be very helpful, since the general practice closer to union station is ‘come bolting out of the metro tunnel, don’t look left or right, throw quick glance over shoulder when you’re halfway into bike lane, express shock that there is a bike crawling up your back’

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