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About 2:15 PM I was heading north on the Custis about a mile after turning off the W&OD. Thankfully I was going slowly as I turned a corner and there was a woman stopped on the trail holding the leashes of 6 to 8 dogs essentially blocking both lanes.

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@Kitty 159747 wrote:

That is the oddest thing. Where I’m from towns/cities/townships/villages etc. are contained within counties, and the county within the state, and the state in the country–just like little nesting dolls.

Independent cities are uncommon in the US. Most of them are in VA. One which is not in VA is Baltimore which is independent of Baltimore County. OTOH, New York City consists of 5 counties (New York, Kings, Queens, Bronx, Richmond).

FWIW, there are many towns in Germany which are not part of counties (Landkreise).

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@dbb 158846 wrote:

More details from the NPS GWMP.

To the BikeArlington question whether it is a closure or a detour, the NPS responds “Only a small section of the roadway will be closed. Trail users will be able to walk around the closure to access the rest of the detour. The goal of the flagger, who will be on the lower part of the ramp, is to notify trail users that they need to slow down as they’re rounding the corner.”

NPS is expecting that the notice from their contractor regarding the timing will be short – “assumption is hours, not days.”

That sounds more minor since depending upon recent weather, I have had to walk through the mulch already.

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Yesterday I road the length of the W&OD for the first time this year.. I was happy to see that work is well underway to the eliminate the crossing at Belmont Ridge Road.

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I am very impressed by the work that all the people mentioned here and probably others have done. I remember the great difficulty that I used to have before I retired, seemingly for at least a week usually, having to walk across the South Capital Street Bridge after a snowfall. Walking also told me how much that bridge shakes.

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@vvill 156605 wrote:

You can calculate both. Most folks would look at lifetime though, I imagine.

Mine then is 120, but it will not get higher since I have been cutting down on the maximum as I get older. I have 91 rides of 121 miles or greater.

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@closebr 156603 wrote:

I too have experienced the “I own this road” attitude from motorists. My experience is that the road is no place to have a nuanced discussion or an argument. I have gotten to the point where I just give a thumbs up instead of some obscene gesture. Shuts them up everytime. Most disputes come out of an irrational sense of extreme impatience anyways. If logic and truth were important, no one would be upset at cyclists. There is no good reason why, but asking why will not work.

Sent from my LGLS755 using Tapatalk

Doing loops on Haines Point which I do a lot of since I live in SW DC, I have always found that drivers on Buckeye Drive are very impatient. Many people who use it use it as a short cut and think that the 25 MPH speed limit does not apply to them, I often wish that there was a sign on that stretch that I could point to.

(That’s two posts in a row that I remembered to answer the random post before posting.)

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@Rod Smith 156547 wrote:

I only ride to generate statistics. 357m, 812ft based on 1336 days of rides logged on Strava. So 27% of my rides had 357 meters or more of climbing. 61% had 812 feet or more of climbing.

Oh by the way my Eddington number will go to 100 Saturday and you’re all invited. The ride starts at Vigilante in Hyattsville at 7am.

Is the Eddington number supposed to be for a given year or lifetime? A couple of weeks ago I calculated this back to 1999 which is the first year that I input all of my rides into a spread sheet.

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The worst mirrors that I know of are the two on the W&OD going under the bypass at the eastern side of Leesburg. They are big enough, but whatever they are made of has gotten so warped and damaged over the years that one can’t figure out much at all from them.

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In which direction is the mirror useful?

Didn’t someone post that the trail was going to be rerouted slightly on the Bon Air side to eliminate the 90 degree turn?

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I want to thank everyone for making me aware of the detour. Today was the first time that I was there since the fall and I hadn’t ridden on their since the trail by the sewage treatment plant opened I think decades ago.

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Does anyone know what the status of the Georgetown store is? I have four bikes which I bought there, all Treks. Two are still under their protection plan.

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I carry a cheap kit which I bought at a Safeway, I think that I have needed for myself twice and helped others a couple of times too.

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@Vicegrip 155089 wrote:

Smiths Switch Station stop (MM 25. has an empty vending machine plaza. Has covered space, outlets and just so happens to be right next to the W&OD Regional Park Headquarters. Has been empty for as long as I have been riding that far out. There is an electric air station so I know there is power to the stop at least.

Busted….As rcannon mentioned I joined the Trail Patrol a while back. I had to have the cool flashing blue light for my bike helmet, silver handle bar bell, a shiny star for my jersey and flip book with “Excess of 6 feet long dog leash” tickets. They let me carry a bullet but I have to keep it in my jersey pocket.
All kidding aside the trail patrol is not a bunch of old farts on bikes looking to nag people on the rules. Well, based on myself and many other patrol members I have met the “old farts on bikes” part is sort of true but the rest is not. Help when needed, information when asked for, eyes and ears on trail conditions for the park service and always being a positive example on the trail is about it. Think our man Dirt in a yellow shirt. I don’t have the details or overall specifics but I think the trail patrol benefits from miles logged but there is some small value. The real value is being a source of information and lending a hand now and then on the most used MUP in the US. My orientation and training was focused on information and help more than anything. The W&OD trail patrol has been going for a good while and the model for other trail systems starting up their own patrols.

The difference between a bike ride and a trail patrol is I carry some extra repair stuff, information handouts in the repair kit I ride with and stopped sneaking up on and going “Ahh, I almost did not see you!” behind the ninja joggers. (I do miss that part) :rolleyes:

SSS twice had vending machines with energy drinks, ice cream and I think candy — no bike parts. Both times they were vandalized. I suspect that this would be the case again if they were reinstalled.

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One year, one stage was many loops around the Pentagon and marine Corps Monument. Another year there was stage involving Rock Creek Park. The latter may have been after it became the Tour DuPont.

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