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I visited Savannah this past March, but the CAT Bike system was shut down for that particular weekend. So I got my BAFS points by (1) going on a bike tour, and (2) borrowing one of my hotel’s loaner bikes.

In general, I found Savannah to be an easy place to bike: the historic district is mostly flat, and there are SCAD students biking everywhere so drivers generally know to look out for cyclists.

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Thanks for the king cake, w&w! It was great catching up with you, Arlingtonrider, and Steve O (and getting a bonus Rod Smith sighting).

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Great idea, w&w, and thanks for organizing. I’ll be there.

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@CaseyKane50 115977 wrote:

Alexandria City Hall had donuts from Sugar Shack

Sugar Shack was out of donuts by the time I got to the City Hall pit stop, but the guy at the table said that they’ll be giving out a free donut to anybody who bikes to their store today. I know where I’ll be stopping on the way home!

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@jpetty1 115750 wrote:

Thank you all for the support and coming out, definitely makes the early rise out of bed much easier to know that you all are enjoying the program. After this mornings event we are at 84 riders who have rode all week!

Also adding my thanks. Your friendly faces and the free bagels made my commute a lot better during a particularly stressful week. Thanks so much for getting up early and being out there every morning.

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@creadinger 115264 wrote:

Will anyone else be out counting this evening?

Not today, but I’ll be counting on the MVT just south of Daingerfield Island on Saturday.

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Today is the 1-year anniversary of my first bike commute! At this time last year, I wasn’t sure how the logistics of bike commuting would work but I was willing to give it a try, so I biked into work on a Sunday, left my bike at the office overnight, and then biked home on Monday evening. It’s a good thing that there was better weather and fewer gnats on this day last year, or I might not have continued commuting.

A few random statistics from my first year of commuting:

— Items of reflective or illuminating clothing or gear acquired: eleven. (Four types of lights, three ankle bands, two types of reflective stickers, one vest, and one pair of cycling tights.)
— Photos on my phone of spectacular sunrises over the Potomac that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen: forty-two.
— Coldest commute: about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
— Warmest commute: about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
— Number of times that I thought to myself, “Wow, this is crazy fun!”: nearly every time I commuted.
— Number of times that I thought to myself, “Okay, now this is just crazy”: two. (Once when dealing with extremely gusty crosswinds on the 14th Street bridge, and once when discovering for the first time that sleet really stings.)

Best of all, I’m stronger, happier, and healthier in ways that can’t be quantified but that I can definitely feel.

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Me: cyclist on Beach Road in Rock Creek Park, changing her first flat tire.
You: the many, many cyclists who whizzed by without stopping or asking whether things were OK. I interpreted your decision not to stop as a vote of confidence that I knew what I was doing. I’m glad that I at least looked competent, because I surely didn’t feel competent.

Me: see above.
You: friendly cyclist who did stop, after I’d finally fixed the flat and was about to remount the wheel. I ended up not needing your help, but I’m grateful that you stopped anyway. We chatted about minipumps, and now I’m thinking about upgrading mine.

Me: see above.
You: Mother Nature. I fully expected that my first flat would happen in the dark, in the rain, in the cold, or in all three. Seventy-five and mostly sunny was about as good as it gets.

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The cherry blossom petals looked like confetti at Hains Point this morning. They made me smile and think about the “winning your commute” thread.

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TAG! My bike by some cherry blossoms.

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Speaking of cherry blossoms, does anyone know the status of the cherry blossoms in the Bethesda/Kenwood neighborhood?

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My bike in a graveyard. I’m it.
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@Emm 112970 wrote:

That would be a pretty odd place for the correct call box–I generally assume that unless there are arrows stating otherwise, the call box closest to the road I am trying to cross is the correct one.

I suspect that whoever put up the call boxes was thinking that the pedestrians using the call boxes would be continuing straight — in other words, that pedestrians walking east along Glebe would use the call box closest to Glebe to continue straight across Potomac Ave, and that pedestrians walking south along Potomac Ave. would use the call box closest to Potomac Ave. to continue straight across Glebe.

Of course, the fact that the same people put the post smack dab in the middle of the path could be taken as evidence that they weren’t thinking at all. :rolleyes:

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@Emm 112942 wrote:

on the north west side the call button for the walk signal is broken. I have now tried it almost every day for a month and it has NEVER worked. The call button on the east side works fine though, so I refuse to believe this is a user error.

Emm, have you tried using the call button on the other post at the northwest corner (i.e., the post that’s closer to Glebe Road, not the post that’s closer to Potomac Avenue)? I’m pretty sure that the call button closer to Glebe Road is the one that you’re supposed to use if you’re trying to cross Potomac Avenue. I used it successfully just an hour or so ago, and it’s been working consistently every time that I’ve been through there in the last month.

I agree with you that it’s extremely annoying to have a post smack dab in the middle of the turn area, though. It bothers me every time I go through there.

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Rats. I actually have a good one for the “historic marker” tag, but you preempted me by a couple of hours, Steve O.

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Steve O, thanks for the leadership and for organizing the FSLNHPP! That was a blast. I’ve really been inspired by all of the Busters this winter. I look forward to seeing some of you at the happy hour, and I hope to see the rest of you out on the roads and trails.

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