[Rockford10]

@vern 112433 wrote:

The plywood patches on the Citizens Bridge have somehow survived the winter, but they are very squishy at this point. Is there a plan in place for a permanent solution to repair the bridge?

I emailed with the NVRPA people asking about the bad wood and permanent solutions. Here is the response:

Dear Rockford10,

Thank you for your interest in the W&OD Trail. I am waiting on a proposal from the contractor to replace the bad wood (approximately 40 pieces are scheduled to be replaced). I hope to receive the proposal this week and move quickly on this. Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions on this or any other trail matters.

Sincerely,

Karl Mohle, CPRP
Park Manager
W&OD Railroad Regional Park
21293 Smiths Switch Road
Ashburn, VA 20147
(703) 729-0596 – office
(703) 724-0898 – fax
[email]wod@nvrpa.org

Not that it matters, but it looks like some of the wood has just been repaired. No comment at all on my “Have you thought about using something other than wood planks on the bridge?”

[Rockford10]

DKel and I hit up Old Ox on a beeneuring trek during freezing saddles. It was a nice place and literally a few steps off the trail. Lost Rhino was a mile or so off the trail, but it was a more enjoyable stop. Lost Rhino had some food and plenty of beer to sample, while (if I remember correctly) Old Ox only had six beers on tap and an almost empty-of-food food truck in the back. Old Ox did have the “game” on and corn hole, but I would prefer to return to Lost Rhino. (We did metro back home from Vienna to EFC, but we did that partially because we didn’t have enough time to get home when expected.)

Herndon and Green Lizard coffee is a nice stop to or from if you like.

[Rockford10]

Bollard Busters!

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[Rockford10]

@ShawnoftheDread 112552 wrote:

Did you beat up dkel and steal his sparkle pony? ‘Bout time.

No, but I will be with the purple pony and the amp. That’s just easier then describing my bike.

FINE. I will be on a bike and will probably be wearing my black tights, black sweater and yellow jacket. Is that more helpful?

[Rockford10]

I’ll be riding back to Falls Church at the end of the festivities. Look for the purple sparkle pony and the amp. Also, let’s be honest, I’m not fast and my speed doesn’t go up after a beer. No need to worry about keeping up.

[Rockford10]

@vvill 111956 wrote:

15 is an awful lot of fancy beers though. :rolleyes:

I had a work event Thursday night and the thing I ordered was a Miller Lite. True story.

[Rockford10]

On Sunday, along with visiting Lost Rhino, I also hit up Old Ox. It’s a lovely little place steps off the W&OD. I had a sampler of beer and liked the lighter Golden Ox beer. They’ve got a nice little facility there with a BBQ truck.

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Tuesday, St. Patrick’s Day, was the last beer ride, which was celebrated in style with a green beer from Hops in Alexandria. I don’t think I’ve had a green beer since college. Actually, that was a green bagel, but I digress. The beer, which was made green for the occasion, was their Lightening Bold Gold. Fun!

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[Rockford10]

Yep, I think new buildings of a certain size need to include a gym/locker room. Maybe that’s not Fairfax County though.

There is always the Hilton nearby.

[Rockford10]

In (maybe with two kidz).

[Rockford10]

Are we really holding back all the recent beer rides? Well then.

Last Saturday also meant a visit to Right Proper off of Florida Avenue. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t eaten at Gordon Biersch right before. The Kick Kick Snare I had was very nice and sour, but it may have been too “fussy” for more than the half-pour I got. I would go back here again and try their food!

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Next up was Atlas Brew Works. It seemed like a nice place to hang out with friends on a rainy Saturday. While I can appreciate the beers, they were not necessarily something I would want to drink again. I got the sampler and liked the Saison des Fetes the most. I believe they were almost out of the Saison. Pizza truck rolled up as we rolled out.

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Finally, a trip to Bardo. I didn’t see other riders there or at Atlas, but I am sure they were out and about. I had the Chuck Brown Ale. I usually like brown ales, but this was a little bitter for my tastes. Next time, I would try something else. The brewery was, interesting. It was wet and soggy outside and the neighborhood was a little more up-and-coming than I frequent. No food.

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[Rockford10]

The adventure on Sunday lead to Lost Rhino brewery in Ashburn. I admit to not liking Lost Rhino beers in the past, but my trip to the brewery itself was lovely! They had many beers and some nice eats. I had something I can’t remember (oops!) and a milk stout. Both were very nice.

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[Rockford10]

On Saturday I visited another Gordon Biersch location – near the Verizon Center. I had the Golden Export and it was very nice. It was cold and refreshing on such a miserable day.

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[Rockford10]

What? Wait, let me finish my beer and I can check.

[Rockford10]

For a year and a half I’ve been getting a young trumpeter to practice just by strapping his trumpet to my rear rack. Two bungees and a short ride and it works fine. He hated walking home, so we recently got him a gig bag (a soft shell, $15 on Amazon) to carry the trumpet across his body while he skateboards home.

While Steve is very, very right about the gig bags, consider the instrument. This particular trumpet is not something I’m terribly concerned with; therefore the gig bag works for us. I nicer trumpet, maybe not so much. I play the French horn. I have a strap on my hard case which could work on a bike (my horn teacher in college rode his motorcycle to work with a hard case strapped over his body). I would not put the horn in a soft case where I might fall.

Final thought, my older kid plays tuba. There is a tuba at home and a tuba at school; problem solved. Maybe a few mentions about how lovely the Baritone Sax sounds if the school can swing this?

[Rockford10]

None. But, if I see any snow or ice I immediately hop off the bike and burst into tears about riding in situations I’m not comfortable with.

(Not exactly true, but true enough. Please don’t ask how many times I’ve done this in 2015.)

[Author]

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