[jawms]

Some feedback from a senior first timer.

1) Walter Pierce Park is not id’d on Google Maps or on my 1998 Thomas DC map book. Googling it didn’t yield much either. There was no address or range to use to find directions. Nor did I see a sign identifying the park at the Adams Mill Rd. entrance, though there was a reference to the “Walter Pierce Slope something Project” near the Calvert Bridge. Obviouslly this place is well-known to those who live nearby and to those who have participated before, but what about the rest of us?

2) The 13 Colonies ride left out Connecticut. Hard to believe that Nathan Hale, Roger Sherman, Elihu Yale, and Noah Webster can be rendered placeless, but the geographical ignorance of WABA’s dominant demographic is well-known. I am copying the entire Connecticut congressional delegation, the governor and the National Geographic Society for suggestions about how to remedy this. Please revise the T-shirts appropriately.

3) What are WABA marshals supposed to do? The ones I saw were haning out together at the park, then took off at the head of the pack and were seen no more. My expectations of what marshals do are based on Vietnam era demonstrations and the Obama inauguration, but this clearly exceeds anything in WABA’s manual.

4) I noticed a lot of people who, like me, were alone, knew none of the other participants, were riding unfashionable bikes and had non-spandex clothing without bike-product names written on them. The social director of a fifth-rate cruise ship would have known what to do in this situation. Our events coordinator, pretty and sweet though she is, hadn’t a clue.

Notwithstanding all this, I had a good time. The route, though historically inadequate, was well-chosen for comfort and safety, the weather was perfect and — now that I know where Walter Pierce Park is — I’ll do it again!

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