[JustinW]

To be fair, one should include the Subway (in the “lower” section of Shirlington) as well as the Weenie Beenie, which is close enough to count. Neither have beer, tho you could buy some at the Harris Teeter on-site and dine al fresco.

[JustinW]

This may be too easy given the subtle visual cue next to the bike….

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[JustinW]

Visited Seattle last Summer and also found it bike-friendly. The hotel we stayed in (the Maxwell) even had loaner bikes available, thus facilitating hands-on research in the area’s bikeability. Some tasty hills, yes, but overall a happy experience.

[JustinW]

Beware the road (Old Jeff Davis Hwy) that parallels the park – “it needs some work” is a generous assessment. Don’t be a tourist on this road, looking at the park’s finery. Look *at* the road, lest you be swallowed up by a crater.

[JustinW]

Not wonderful, but if you turn left just prior to the shell path onto a short gravel (I know) path that heads to the road, you should be ok. The gravel is pretty well packed. You have to lift your bike over the guard rail, but you do have a slightly sheltered piece of road to start on there. Then it’s a quick jaunt on the road to the development itself.

[JustinW]

Can also get around the area by detouring on the grass. Quick ‘cross intro, really. I think they are beefing up some areas adjacent to the curb, so I doubt the path will be affected.

[JustinW]

Already happens – some peds get pretty quizzical looks as I squeak by…

[JustinW]

@Mark Blacknell 22196 wrote:

I’m a big fan of whoever marks those collars with bright yellow paint.

(The parks department has been asked to remove the collars where bollards have been removed. It’s not a priority for them.)

I ran into an older gentleman a week ago spraying a bollard collar at Walter Reed and Shirlington Mill Dr. Nice guy, and he advocated participation in the Arlington Bike Avisory Committee (think that’s it) to help address the bollards issue.

Some of my faves – NOT – are along the bike trail that parallels Route 50 between Pershing Drive and 2nd Street (think that’s it). Narrow trail entrances coupled with tall old bollards = serious potential hazard. As if anyone is going to drive on that path anyway…..C’mon.

[JustinW]

I do hope that there are some activities (perhaps personal ones?…) when you *don’t* have your trusty camera in operation…..

Welcome back. Not many people mention missing their commute after a vacation!

[JustinW]

After tomorrow (Monday) I’ll have one that may work, and I live close to you. Want to connect tomorrow afternoon / evening?

[JustinW]

A big THANKS to BikeArlington for providing cyclists at today’s tour with swaggy hi-ves vests!

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The weather was prime, the cyclists had fun and saw some impressive homes and gardens, and even cooler was the fact that we were faster from home to home than many of those participating in the tour and riding in cars. Ha!

[JustinW]

@eminva 20399 wrote:

… the total stranger on the metro platform who sagely intoned that my pregnancy must be a high risk one given how old I appeared to be (this was over 11 years ago).

Liz

I hope you then informed said stranger what a high risk situation he had just gotten himself into….

[JustinW]

@5555624 20312 wrote:

Four Mile Run Trail, down near Route 1?

Right trail, but head west a bit…right near the I-395 bridge. Some artist-to-be has created a series of little stone statues for our viewing enjoyment.

[JustinW]

Here goes – Easter Island in Arlington…..but where exactly?

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[JustinW]

Ok, there were routing and support issues, yes. Part of the problem may stem from the issue each year of “exactly how many riders will we have” and of course what will the weather bring…Gotta think that separating the full ride traffic from the family ride traffic – and then blending it back together again – makes trouble.

By the time I got to the approach to the IJM, we all had to stop and wait for 10-15 minutes. Not really sure why, tho I expect this was to alleviate crowding somewhere down the line. The subsequent hill with the metal plates was really tight going down and jammed beyond reasonable capacity going back up. Silly – that part of the route should not have been scheduled as supporting 2 way traffic.

Still many positives enjoyed, including:

– Friendly ride marshalls (when they were present)
– 2 dogs riding along
– 2 or 3 immense unicycles
– Copious snacks and water
– Wonderfully smooth pavement on the GWP
– And at the end, genuine BikeArlington telescoping Vuvuzelas! (Now I need to craft a special holder on my bike for the new accessory…)

[Author]

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