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From commuting (and other) experience, getting into JBAB requires a federal CAC (Common Access Card), and has for the last few years. They tend to scan ’em at the gate with a bar code scanner if you have one, and turn you away if you don’t.
(And even when you have one, they sometimes make you go through an automated pedestrian gate. Because.)

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@wheels&wings 91292 wrote:

Has anyone biked in Aspen, Colorado? with kids? My brother gave me his frequent flyer miles to use for my week of Annual Leave. I looked up “Bicycle-friendly destinations” and up popped Aspen. So that’s where I’m going – with my two girls, ages 9 and 12. Has anyone been? How was the riding? Any favorite routes? Anything we should know? Thank you!

What I remember from biking in Aspen is a beautiful afternoon trip up to Maroon Bells via the main road (nicer because I think it’s closed to non-shuttle traffic during the summer). it’s easily reachable from town. However, I don’t know if your kids would enjoy it as much as you. It’s also a great coast on the way back.

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@PotomacCyclist 62961 wrote:

You can see the strands on the bottom of the shifter in this photo. When the shifter is in the down position, it’s not a problem. When I pull back to shift to the big ring, then the strands get forced outward. That’s when I have to be careful not to hold onto the strands.

If the chance of the cable failing is slim, then I’ll probably wait on replacing it until after the race. But I will still need to put something over the frayed ends in the meantime. Those ends are very sharp. If I accidentally grab onto them (which could happen in the middle of a race), I could cut my fingers. (I’m not a fan of staph infections.) If I were going to replace the cable later on, residue from electrical tape shouldn’t be a problem. Or am I overlooking something? I’m not much for DIY bike repairs. I limit myself to chain cleaning, tire inflation, tire replacement and safety checks. If other work needs to be done, I let the bike store people take care of it.

I have bar end shifters on my bike as well, and have encountered this same problem a few times (although only with the cable to the rear derailleur, never the front. yet.) I don’t think the electricians tape will hold the broken wires back very well or for very long (as you say, the wire is pretty stiff). My attempt at a short term fix involved clipping off the ends sticking out with diagonals (wire cutters), which can work for awhile if you can cut them really close to where they begin to stick out, and make sure that the remaining wires don’t get caught in the cable housing. Even if you’re successful, more of the wires will soon break and you’ll start getting sliced by them. (If you think about it, it’s an unstable situation: the fewer the remaining wires, the higher the tension on each of them– and they will start breaking sooner.) Given this experience, I now replace the cable as soon as possible to avoid the otherwise inevitable finger punctures.

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@PotomacCyclist 62961 wrote:

You can see the strands on the bottom of the shifter in this photo. When the shifter is in the down position, it’s not a problem. When I pull back to shift to the big ring, then the strands get forced outward. That’s when I have to be careful not to hold onto the strands.

If the chance of the cable failing is slim, then I’ll probably wait on replacing it until after the race. But I will still need to put something over the frayed ends in the meantime. Those ends are very sharp. If I accidentally grab onto them (which could happen in the middle of a race), I could cut my fingers. (I’m not a fan of staph infections.) If I were going to replace the cable later on, residue from electrical tape shouldn’t be a problem. Or am I overlooking something? I’m not much for DIY bike repairs. I limit myself to chain cleaning, tire inflation, tire replacement and safety checks. If other work needs to be done, I let the bike store people take care of it.

I have bar end shifters on my bike as well, and have encountered this problem a few times with the cable fraying like this (although only with the cable to the rear derailleur, never the front. yet.) I don’t think the electricians tape will hold the broken wires back very well or for very long (as you say, the wire is pretty stiff). My attempt at a short term fix involved clipping off the ends sticking out with diagonals (wire cutters), which can work for awhile if you can cut them really close to where they begin to stick out. Of course, more of the wires will begin to break and then you’ll get sliced by them. (If you think about it, it’s an unstable situation: the fewer the remaining wires, the higher the tension on each of them– and they will start breaking sooner.) I would replace the cable as soon as possible and avoid the otherwise inevitable finger punctures.

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@ebubar 62618 wrote:

I really don’t think I was in the wrong here. Its consistent with the REI cycling skills course I took (I think). Happily he just gave me a warning, but the comment “these roads are dangerous enough without you people on them” was uncalled for.

From now on it looks like i’ll get good at climbing and just brave the hills of Military Road on my way to Chain Bridge from now on, but this seriously shows me why more people don’t bike. If you follow the law, you’ll get hit. If you follow what’s safe, you’ll get ticketed (potentially).

First, I’ll echo the sentiment that you have every right not to have to hug the right edge of the road. It isn’t because of bikers that “these roads are dangerous enough”, it’s because of those people in the two-ton vehicles.

Secondly, I’ll put in a plug for a better way (my favorite) to get from Marymount (I live just south of there) to Chain Bridge, which takes you through the scenic neighborhood streets, but avoids most of Glebe and the hills on Military. (There is one short hill here, on Dittmar just before Old Glebe, but it’s short (~800 ft) and not bad especially if you keep your momentum from the downhill just before it). Plus, you pretty much don’t have to pedal until that short hill. The route:

1. Head northwest on N Glebe Rd toward N Rock Spring Rd, 0.2 mi
2. Turn right onto N Rock Spring Rd, 56 ft
3. Turn left onto 32nd St N , 0.1 mi
4. Turn left onto N Albemarle St, 0.3 mi
5. Turn right onto N Dittmar Rd, 0.8 mi
6. Turn right onto N Old Glebe Rd, 0.5 mi
7. Continue onto Military Rd, 0.1 mi
8. Turn left onto N Randolph St, 0.2 mi
9. Turn right toward Chain Bridge Rd [41st St], 0.2 mi
10. Slight left toward Chain Bridge Rd, 312 ft
11. Turn right onto Chain Bridge Rd, 23 ft
12. Turn left onto Chain Bridge, 285 ft

The link in google maps would be https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Marymount+University,+North+Glebe+Road,+Arlington,+VA&daddr=38.9140763,-77.1320915+to:Chain+Bridge,+Washington+DC&hl=en&ll=38.916715,-77.125568&spn=0.029851,0.031972&sll=38.918351,-77.129388&sspn=0.029851,0.031972&geocode=FcCmUQIdBB5n-yGSBVqc2z2ZPCkf8NKzzbW3iTGSBVqc2z2ZPA%3BFRzIUQIdxQ5n-ymzgoMyvLW3iTGbQ0MhoCQOgQ%3BFVYEUgIdekpn-yHCsSV7HJ4XCynNeruu8LW3iTHCsSV7HJ4XCw&dirflg=b&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=15&via=1&t=m&z=15&lci=bike

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@TwoWheelsDC 61921 wrote:

FWIW, I saw a tandem successfully navigate it without dismounting during 50 States ride last year…

Just another data point: I’ve a long wheelbase recumbent that I’ve taken through those hairpins many times with no dismounts or problems (other than having to slow way down around the corners). End-to-end length of that bike (I just measured it) is 85 inches.

Having said that, I usually take the sidewalk “Anacostia Riverwalk Trail” (ART) to East Basin Drive and over to the 14th St bridge. Which brings up: What is the deal with the ART there? I just noticed an “ART begins here” sign today on Maine Ave underneath the Case bridge (going southbound) — and after that, nothing, no signs. Where exactly does the ART go to around the fish market? The sidewalk sorta disappears at the end of the fish market leaving you at an abrupt and narrow 90 degree turn into a fish market parking lot entrance. Are you supposed to be on Maine Ave at that point (going SE is ok, but NW bound would be salmoning), or cutting through the fish market parking lot (always a dangerous idea, although it seems popular) or what? I didn’t notice any ART signs around there, where it would really be helpful.

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Saw two loons (the swimming bird variety) in the Potomac just upstream of the 14th St bridge this morning about 8:30AM. I’ve never seen them in this area before.
(Must be on their way up north.)

Sorry, just had to tell someone.

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@dasgeh 26935 wrote:

I asked about this before and was told there are no no-carry options, aside from Wisconsin & M. All of the ramps I know over the canal (all East of Key Bridge) involve steps (=carrying). So if you could be more specific on 1 & 2, that would be great. Thanks.

The “no carry” route: From the CCT (in the area around where Foxhall road turns into M St), take the tunnel underneath the canal; this leads you to a (steep?) path to the sidewalk on the east side of M street. From there you can stay on the sidewalk towards Georgetown / Key Bridge. This is not a great ride since there is at least one place where there is a telephone pole (and maybe a fire hydrant?) directly in the middle of the sidewalk (and not much space to get by), but if you’re willing to go slow and dodge or follow possible pedestrians it is passable. When you get to the light by the Whitehurst Freeway entrance, cross to the west side sidewalk and go up the Key Bridge.

This is not a favorite path of mine, but it does allow you to get to from the CCT to the Key Bridge without any carrying of the bike.

(The other alternative is to go all they way down to Wisconsin, up Wisconsin, then back along M Street. I actually prefer that option, but you have to be
comfortable in traffic, to say the least.)

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details (from an email I received on a different list):

Open House (tonight) Regarding Arlington County and Vicinity Non-Motorized Boathouse Facility EIS Process

George Washington Memorial Parkway (GWMP), a unit of the National Park Service, is seeking public input on preliminary alternatives to be considered in the Arlington County and Vicinity Non-Motorized Boathouse Facility Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. The EIS will assess the impacts of the proposed siting and construction of a public facility for non-motorized boats on the Virginia shoreline of the Potomac River in the vicinity of Arlington County.

On Tuesday, July 24, 2012 from 6:30-8:30pm GWMP will host an Open House informational meeting at Washington-Lee High School. A short group presentation will begin at 7:00pm, the remainder of the time be in an “Open House” format with staff available at presentation boards. This meeting is being held so that interested people can learn more about the EIS process, have an opportunity to view preliminary alternatives and submit written comments about these alternatives. All are welcome to attend.

LOCATION: Washington-Lee High School Cafeteria, 1301 North Stafford Street, Arlington, VA 22201

METRO- Walking from Ballston Metro Station:
– Head east (right) on N Fairfax Dr toward N Stafford St
– Left on N Stafford St, walk 300ft
– High School on Right
– Enter through Main Entrance (Door 1)

DRIVING- High School parking deck provides ample free parking:
– Located near intersection of 14th St and N Stafford St
– Enter High School through Side Entrance (Door 5)

MORE INFORMATION: A scoping newsletter with a site map, information about the project history/EIS process, a copy of the NPS press release, are available online at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/arlingtonboathouse

The public scoping period is open through August 31, 2012. During this period, the public is invited to identify how they might intend to use such a facility, concerns they may have with the preliminary alternatives, as well as offer suggestions. Written comments can be submitted electronically at the NPS’s Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/arlingtonboathousescoping. Other options to submit comments are detailed on the website.

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Two things about bicycle mirrors:

1. They can be an acquired taste. For many years, although I had tried them, I couldn’t make one work for me. Handle bar mirrors vibrated relative to my head/eyes, and I found the mirror too small for them to be useful. And I couldn’t get used to the one-eye use of helmet mounted mirrors in the limited time I tried them for them to feel comfortable. I found I could get by just fine turning my head when needed.

2. Then I starting riding a recumbent. On a recumbent, a mirror is almost a necessity because its so difficult to turn your head around, in the leaned-back position these bikes have. So I got a head mounted mirror, and quickly got used to it. Now I feel naked without it — even when I’m not on the bike. Sometimes if I’m walking down the street I find myself glancing up and left to where my mirror should be.

I prefer a head mounted mirror – although the mirror itself is smaller, the nearness to you eye means that it takes up a larger solid angle of your vision, and you get a much better view of where you’ve been than bike or bar mounted mirrors. My current favorite is the Cycleaware Reflex Bicycle Helmet Mirror
(http://www.amazon.com/Cycleaware-Reflex-Bicycle-Helmet-Mirror/dp/B00012343C) which I use on all my helmets. It has a flexible attachment – less likely to break when it gets bumped, and easier to position it where you really want it.
The only drawback I’ve seen to the head mounted mirrors is that the ball joint connecting the mirror to the armature often loosens with age and the mirror can constantly get out of alignment from a touch or a steady headwind. With this model, a bit of sticky duct tape and a small zip-tie around the ball-socket holder firms it up nicely.

For other opinions, check out http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/best-bicycle-mirrors/

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I tried replying to you earlier, but my post has been stuck in limbo somewhere (Administrator?), so I’ll try this one more time.

I bike in from Arlington to that area (Naval Research Lab) and use the Douglass Bridge-South Capitol-Overlook Ave route in the morning. There’s really no problem doing that in the morning, as the traffic is pretty light outbound and there’s also a pretty wide (though trash strewn) shoulder between Firth Sterling Ave. (the Naval Annex gate) and Malcolm X. There’s also a bike path between the South Cap bridge (or the old 11th street bridge) and Firth Stirling.

The problem, as you noted, is going back. I take the route through Bolling / Anacostia Base, but that may not be available to you — It’s not clear what their policy is right now but a few years ago they insisted that you needed an official USGov’t Common Access Card (CAC) to go through the base, which freezes out all the contractors who work at the Lab (they just have lab badges, no CAC).

If you can’t take that route, then you’ll be shunted off onto South Capitol – you can still take Overlook Ave north until Chesapeake St, then go backstreets to the MLK ave/South Cap intersection. That stretch of road from there to the MLK intersection by the Bolling main gate is not the best stretch of road for a bike, but it may be OK in the evening (since most traffic is outbound). I know at least one person who claims to use this route, but haven’t tried it myself.

The one other option I’ve tried (when Bolling closed their south gate for some reason) is to go up Overlook until the Bolling south gate (where northbound Overlook ends), then go against traffic by staying on the grassy section between the street and the Base wall. That’s not too bad except for a short stretch where Overlook joins South Cap — there’s a guard rail and a short steep downhill behind it between the guardrail and the base wall. You pretty much have to walk or carry your bike through that section. You continue on the grass until Malcolm X, then cross the bridge and ride South Cap north to the bike path at Firth Sterling.

I believe there are plans for a real bike path along South Cap, but I don’t know when that will happen. And I wouldn’t hold my breath.

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No one else has answered, so I’ll give it a try. I bike in from Arlington to that area (Naval Research Lab) and use the Douglas Bridge-South Capitol-Overlook Ave route. There’s really no problem doing that in the morning, as the traffic is pretty light southbound then and there’s also a pretty wide shoulder between Firth Sterling Ave. (the Naval Annex gate) and Malcolm X. I should also mention the bike path between the South Cap bridge (or old 11th street bridge) and Firth Stirling.

The problem, as you noted, is going back. I take a route through Bolling / Anacostia Base, but that may not be available to you — It’s not clear what their policy is right now but a few years ago they insisted that you needed an official USGov’t Common Access Card (CAC) to go through the base, which freezes out all the contractors who work at the Lab (they just have lab badges, no CAC).

If you can’t take that route, then you’ll be shunted off onto South Capitol – you can still take Overlook Ave north until Chesapeake St, then go backstreets to the MLK ave/South Cap intersection. That stretch of South Cap from there to the MLK intersection by the Bolling main gate is not the best stretch of road for a bike (no shoulder and possibly speedy traffic), but it may be OK in the evening (since most traffic is then southbound).

The one other option I’ve tried (when Bolling closed their south gate for some reason) is to go up Overlook until the Bolling south gate (where northbound Overlook ends), then go against traffic by staying on the grassy section between the street and the Base wall. That’s not too bad except for a short stretch where Overlook joins South Cap — there’s a guard rail and a short steep downhill behind it between the guardrail and the base wall. You pretty much have to walk or carry your bike through that section. You continue on the grass until Malcolm X, then cross the bridge and ride South Cap north to the bike path at Firth Sterling.

I believe there are plans for a real bike path along South Cap, but I don’t know when that will happen and wouldn’t hold my breath.

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