[ursus]

This is probably not the correct thread because it doesn’t pertain to a trail condition per se but I noticed early this morning that the water fountain on the W&OD where it intersects the Custis trail has been removed. Does anyone know if it is being replaced?

[ursus]

At about 10 AM this morning, I was on the W&OD heading eastbound at the US15 underpass on the east side of Leesburg. At the bottom of the ramp there was a police car blocking the eastbound lane. The policeman was outside of the car looking up the ramp in the direction I was coming from. I slowly crept around him and didn’t say anything as this is a hazardous place even if one lane isn’t blocked. Thankfully, there was no one coming from the other direction. Does anyone know why the policeman was there?

I don’t think that there was a connection, but a bicyclist was changing a tire off the path immediately after going under US15.

[ursus]

I saw a National Park ranger playing Pokémon Go on Ohio Drive this morning. At least I think that was what he was doing. He was pressing buttons very fast. This was only a fraction of a mile from where a policeman gave me a ticket two weeks ago for not coming to a complete stop at the northeast intersection of Buckeye Drive and Ohio Drive.

[ursus]

@Drewdane 142966 wrote:

I figure it’s only a matter of time ’til someone posts up in “Missed Connections” about a near-miss involving someone cutting across the ROW while hunting digital critters.

I avoided a group of four or five young, overweight Pokémon players today on the W&OD, east of the Custis cutoff at mile 4.

[ursus]

Before I retired I used the SCB to commit to work but used the other side. Sometimes the other side was closed. for example when the path was being “fixed” at the time the stadium was built. I would flintstone there.

[ursus]

@Terpfan 140563 wrote:

Oblivious Lexus driver utilizes entire bike lane and half of road lane last Friday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWi0YvSoyRg

I honestly think the woman was oblivious to even me being right next to her at the red light (for those wondering, the road here kind of forces cars/bikes to curve left somewhat in intersection to continue on it, so it’s not like I came off the sidewalk there). Pretty sure she was on her phone. Either way, she proceeded to ride up the hill in the bike lane for several hundred feet before eventually correcting herself.

The video is private.

[ursus]

I saw a snake today on the W&OD. I don’t recall where, but I think it was between Herndon and Leesburg.

[ursus]

@lordofthemark 139976 wrote:

I have never seen conditions on the MVT both so crowded, and so smooth. Usually the most crowded times are evenings and weekends, when the combination of rambling pedestrians, and unpredictable bikers (both slow newbies and fast Freds) creates chaos and stress. This AM was as crowded as that, but was all either BTWD cyclists, or US Army runners. It was a sight to behold.

Not true. There was me. I rode from DC to MV, turned around, took 4MR to the W&OD as far as the kennel before Leesburg, turned around and returned to DC via the W&OD and Custis to get in a century.

I have been retired for 5 years. When I worked, I had a reverse commute and never participated in BtW Day. I think that this is the second time that I have ridden on BtW day since I retired. I passed 4 or 5 meeting places along the W&OD. None were up yet when I was on the MV trail.

[ursus]

@bobco85 138911 wrote:

This morning’s rain gave me an opportunity to try out my new helmet cover (bought it last Friday), and I wish I had bought one years ago.

Normally when riding in rain, I reach a point where my skull cap under my helmet gets so soaked that the water (mixed with my sweat) starts running down my head and getting in my eyes. I then have to stop, take my helmet off, take my skull cap off, wring out my skull cap, take my cycling glasses (clear lenses) off, and rub my now-stinging eyes before putting everything back on to continue my ride.

This time I did not have to do that

The one I got is here (I got a neon yellow one): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVBZH0Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

@ursus 138934 wrote:

That sounds like a great idea just for the reason which you mentioned. Any idea if it works when you have a helmet-mounted mirror and a visor?

I finally ordered this a few days ago. When it arrives the rains will stop and won’t return until I misplace it.

[ursus]

@bobco85 138911 wrote:

This morning’s rain gave me an opportunity to try out my new helmet cover (bought it last Friday), and I wish I had bought one years ago.

Normally when riding in rain, I reach a point where my skull cap under my helmet gets so soaked that the water (mixed with my sweat) starts running down my head and getting in my eyes. I then have to stop, take my helmet off, take my skull cap off, wring out my skull cap, take my cycling glasses (clear lenses) off, and rub my now-stinging eyes before putting everything back on to continue my ride.

This time I did not have to do that

The one I got is here (I got a neon yellow one): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HVBZH0Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That sounds like a great idea just for the reason which you mentioned. Any idea if it works when you have a helmet-mounted mirror and a visor?

[ursus]

@Tim Kelley 138708 wrote:

Top Men are working on it. It’s likely that even though the lights aren’t on, it’s still counting just fine though.

Does anyone happen to know how the bikeometer differentiates between bikes and walkers and counts two bikes passing simultaneously? It seems to do this correctly.

BTW, at about 3 AM on Tuesday, I was #1.

[ursus]

@bobco85 138572 wrote:

I agree completely with this. The area near the tunnel is not a very crowded place, and there are plenty of other sections of the trail where enforcement would do more good.

Out of curiosity, using data from Google Maps I found the trail is an average 1.1% grade going downhill from Bethesda to the DC/MD border.

The CCT gets very crowded especially as you get closer to downtown Bethesda. I understand it is very easy to speed when heading south even while riding at a casual pace, but it’s a corridor that requires slower speeds. I find it irresponsible to maintain any more than a casual pace when there are so many people around (this also applies to the other major crowded trail, the MVT).

The MVT south of OT has the additional problems of winding a lot with poor sightlines.

[ursus]

It’s probably been mentioned, but this was the first time that I have been there this season. Does anyone know what is being done in Vienna, west of Park Street on the W&OD?

I went to Purcellville and finally rode the new section at Clark’s Gap. Nice! It looks like that they left in the old switchbacks also. That wasn’t on the plans as far as I could tell.

[ursus]

@Tania 137989 wrote:

So what about riding clockwise instead?

You could still park at White’s Ferry, and take White’s Ferry road up to 15 and then make a left on 15 (decent shoulder at this point) and head into Leesburg. Then follow this route up to Taylorstown (is that general store there EVER open?), make a right on Taylorstown road and pick up Furnace Mountain going downhill. I can’t help you with the unpaved part, but at least you’re avoiding the climb which I’ve heard is nasty.

It went out of business, perhaps 20 years ago. IIRC, it was not open on Sundays when it was still in business.

When I do that, I make a left in Taylorstown on Taylorstown Road. At its end, right on Lovettsville Road (all downhill) to the bridge. That avoids the unpaved Furnace Mountain Rd. The only time I ever did this in the other direction was when I made the mistake of doing this route when the river was very high and the bridge was out, and I had to reverse my course there.

If you are not out to make time, but want to see something, getting off the main road in Waterford is worth a detour. E.g., left on Factory which becomes Second and then at some point back to the main route. The general store there is still open on occasion.

[ursus]

@NickBull 137476 wrote:

Yeah, I think it’s some sort of marine paint. It doesn’t seem to make it more slippery in practice. And it’s good to know that the park service values cyclists lives enough to buy a gallon of paint once a decade or so. This is the second time they’ve painted with this stuff. It’s also the second time where they weirdly don’t just paint the entire area. They’ve partially painted it and then apparently decided their work is done. I guess cyclist’s lives are not worth the two gallons of paint it would require to finish the job.

I just rode through there this morning. Truly weird looking.

[Author]

Posts