[Smitty2k1]

@danlesh 212119 wrote:

I can promise the song won’t be on repeat the *whole* time. But I can’t promise people won’t want to wear costumes, or be rolling around a giant wheel.

Excellent!

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[Smitty2k1]

@Sunyata 212113 wrote:

You must either be rather young or rather old…

Hamster Dance

It does not appear that the original video is still around, but there are a few “updated” versions of it that you can still find.

So I’m definitely the right age for the Hamster Dance… but how does someone make an entire party out of a single song?

[Smitty2k1]

I don’t know what the Hamster Dance Party is but I dig it already

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[Smitty2k1]

@komorebi 211744 wrote:

Thanks for the ride report! Sorry to have misled you about the state of the trail — that’s a part of the Middle Branch trail that I haven’t ridden before. There’s another section of that trail that has the same problem — no signage in advance, no marked detour, no information online to indicate that the trail is partially closed. I find that baffling.

I was a bit surprised to hear about the heavy traffic. I usually ride that way on weekends, but I also took that route on a random Monday this past October, and the traffic wasn’t bad at all. If you find a better route, please let me know. I’ve tried a few different variations on the DC->Baltimore route, and the route I gave you is the best one I’ve found so far.

It may have just been more about my expectations. I suppose I was expecting more country roads but instead it’s a lot of industrial access roads and highways. I think my expectations were off considering it connects two nearby major metropolitan areas.

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[Smitty2k1]

Thanks for the updates!

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[Smitty2k1]

Ride report:

– 9:15am MARC at Union Station was fine. The platform attendee was not at all helpful, when we walked up and asked he just said “look for the sign” which was on a locked door. When we came back and told him it was locked he said “use another door and move your bikes to that area.” This is impossible in a double decker car with passengers. He finally reluctantly unlocked the specified door on the 3rd attempt. It was one of the cars that required bungees, which we had. The entire train would only really fit two bikes but no one else had a bike so we were good.

– Biking through Baltimore was neat. Stopped at Doobys cafe for coffee and lunch. Would definitely recommend and go again!

– Towards the outskirts of Baltimore part of the trail was washed out with debris from a previous flood (or three) and after walking our bikes through a lot of trash the trail ended in large impassible fencing. No signage indicated the closed trail nor a detour but we managed. Detail of area in question attached.

– A pretty considerable amount of the ride between the Baltimore and DC region was on uncomfortable roads with a good amount of traffic at high speeds. Even early afternoon on a week day. I found it rather unpleasant and would probably seek alternate routes next time. No close calls or anything and the drivers were considerate but it was loud and stressful always being on high alert.

– Weather was windy and cold but very sunny. Grateful for layers and multiple pairs of gloves.

– Rolled through Proteus in College Park at 3:03 and sadly their cafe closes at 3. They felt bad for me and gave me a free cup of what was left from the coffee pot. Grabbed dinner to go from the Naked Lunch counter at Moms Organic next door.

– Met two others for camping at Greenbelt and that was a delight. Got there at 4pm and had about an hour of daylight to setup camp and gather wood. Lows in the mid 20s overnight but we were well prepared and because the park has been closed for a while there was an abundance of dry wood everywhere. We built one hell of a fire. Never woke up with frost on my sleeping bag before.

Thanks Komorebi for the detailed RideWithGPS that was immensely helpful!!!

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[Smitty2k1]

@chris_s 211646 wrote:

This has the official “Bike on MARC Trains” info: https://www.mta.maryland.gov/bike

Thanks for this link, I knew MARC recently allowed bikes on all trains on all lines on all days, but I didn’t know some of the details:

BIKES ON MARC TRAIN
Full-size bicycles are now permitted on all MARC trains on all three lines. Identify which railcar to board by looking for the green “Bicycle Entrance” decal or an illuminated green light on the outside of the car. Passengers unable to find an available bike rack will need to wait for the next train with bike storage.

Securing Bicycles
Passengers must bring two (2) bungee cords to secure their bicycles. Not all types of rail cars have racks for bikes. On those that don’t, passengers are required to secure their bikes in the designated area using two bungee cords. MARC train equipment assignments vary day-to-day and your train may have any type of MARC rail car, therefore, you must be prepared to travel and store your bike with bungee cords. Passengers are not permitted to bring their bikes on a railcar that does not have bike racks if they do not have bungee cords to secure their bike.

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[Smitty2k1]

@komorebi 211633 wrote:

I’ve only ever ridden DC -> Baltimore, not vice versa, but https://ridewithgps.com/routes/37966497 is the reverse of the route I did last month, which I thought worked pretty well. Just pay attention to the few places on the cuesheet (at miles 3.0, 4.3, and 10.1) where there are some tricky spots — e.g., I suggest staying on the sidewalk for a block or two, or using a cut-through by a train station.

Wow awesome thank you! Will definitely use this route. Thanks for all the advice everyone. Excited to get out there and bike camp again. I’ve done a few overnighters already this year, but this will be the most “adventurous.”

Trying to make up for a canceled DC to Pittsburgh fall trip.

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[Smitty2k1]

I forgot this was today and went out for a ride up the Anacostia trails from DC a little after noon. Had a great time seeing everyone coming the opposite direction back towards the city. Seems like a great turnout!

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[Smitty2k1]

I do most of my riding at night (thanks to a 13mo that takes two of us full time to manage) and around the Anacostia trails in SE DC. I’ve noticed that TONS of the path lighting is out, especially east of the river. I don’t think it’s a timing thing with the sun setting sooner, as the occasional light here and there is on, but it’s VERY dark. Who can I contact about this?

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[Smitty2k1]

@trailrunner 211171 wrote:

Here’s a photo from when I was there in 2014. Have a good time!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]25354[/ATTACH]

Managed to miss all the rain and things were nice and cool yesterday evening. Campsite was rather loud and they are packed in next to each other real close.

Mostly a nice ride from DC. The Mount Vernon Highway stretch was a tad uncomfortable with Friday PM rush hour traffic, and the stretch acrosst that new bridge had us being tailgated by a few cars that refused to pass.

Bike path along Hwy 1 is much appreciated. The unprotected bike lane that was on the road looked super sketchy. Thanks again for the info and directions.

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[Smitty2k1]

@trailrunner 211163 wrote:

The Mount Vernon trail will get you to Mount Vernon. From here take Mount Vernon Highway to Route 1. Mount Vernon Highway has a side path, but I’d recommend riding on the road and dealing with the traffic for about five miles. When you get to Route 1, cross it, then go left on the nice new bike path on the north side. Follow the path to Old Colchester Road. Turn left on Old Colchester and follow it to Gunston Road, then turn left. These last two roads have a lot of cyclists on the weekends, and I’ve ridden them many many times, including with my camping gear.

Note: The bridge on Old Colchester Road had been closed, but it looks like it was just reopened last week, so your timing is perfect.

https://www.virginiadot.org/projects/northern-virginia/old-colchester-over-pohick-creek.asp

Thanks. Just booked a spot at Pohick Bay for Friday and really appreciate the navigation tips. Should be a fun afternoon/evening, my buddy has never camped before and I convinced him to spend a week in October riding to Pittsburgh with me, so this is his first night out ever.

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[Smitty2k1]

What’s a good bike route down to Pohick Bay/Mason Neck area? Seems like MVT and ECG go most of the way there but some in-between stuff looks wonky.

[Smitty2k1]

@Steve O 211073 wrote:

Looks like DC Bike Party had a ride last Friday. I don’t see one on their Facebook page for the 30th
If they do, our ride shouldn’t intersect with theirs.

Yeah this is Critical Mass, 4th Fridays. They are just getting it going again after a long break so it probably won’t be that big. Also I was just mentioning it for the person who asked what to do between Jazz in the Garden and Midnight Saddles

https://m.facebook.com/events/580531786277134/

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[Smitty2k1]

@consularrider 211060 wrote:

So, what do we do between the closing of Fridays at the Fountain and the start of Midnight Saddles? it doesn’t take that long to get from Crystal City to the Washington Monument.

I may be mistaken but are there not Critical Mass events the 4th Friday of the month?

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