Daffodils!

I was going to blog about my ride this morning, but the only exciting parts were as follows:

1) There was a red Honda parked in the bike lane that pissed everyone off.
2) I stopped for a pedestrian in the cycle lane crosswalk and she was huffy because two cyclists had already whizzed in front of her.
3) I picked up an old iced tea jug that was rolling down the street because it occurred to me that if I didn't and someone swerved to miss it and crashed, that it would somehow, cosmically, be my fault.
4) Sharrows recognized me, and it makes my day when other cyclists, especially cool bike bloggers, recognize me and say hey.  It doesn't happen often.
5) Hipster Douche in pink crew socks and a plaid sweatshirt cut in front of me at a red light then proceeded to bike slowly because a CaBi biker was in front of him.
6) The weather.  Was.  Beautiful.  So beautiful, in fact, that I left my internship early and took the long way home through Rock Creek Park. No hipster douchiness ensued, though lots of roadie douchiness did (would it kill you to bike slowly behind a pedestrian for 3 seconds so I can get by????).

--

But that's not what this blog post is about! The Kate-inator (as she shall henceforth be named) and I decided to go for an epic bike ride this past Sunday, when the weather was less beautiful.  After careful consultation of the DDOT bike map, we (by which I mean Kate) decided to bike to Virginia, take the Custis Trail up, cut over to the W&OD, find Four Mile Run, take it to Mount Vernon, then bike back home through the wilds of Georgetown.

Kate on the Key Bridge

Somewhere in Nova.  NoVa?  NoVA? 

The ride, in total, was something like 20 miles, which to me, falls into the category of "semi-epic."  However, had the entire route been anything like the Custis Trail, it would definitely qualify as epic.  Holy HELL, does that trail have hills going into Arlington.  They're short hills, but most of them are between roughly a 75 and 90 degree angle.  Sheesh.  We had to do a lot of standing and sprinting.  By the time we got to the park at the end of the trail, we realized we'd ridden only four miles and were baffled, because it felt more like 15.  

There's a system of really cute parks in that part of Arlington.  We rode by a disc golf course and saw lots of kids out playing on awesome playground equipment.  It makes it pretty easy to get confused, but fortunately, the Kate-inator (that's lame, isn't it?) has a much better sense of direction than I do, and we found our way.

Four Mile Run is NOT four miles.  It's more like nine.  So why they named it that, I will never know.  

Shirlington seems like a fun place to live, but there were parts of it that weren't so awesome.  It might also have been the dismal grey skies....

Something called the Beenie Weenie.  Or Weenie Beenie.  I wanted to eat there, but it was closed.

I have done the Mt. Vernon Trail roughly 27 million times (not to sound like a jaded ass or anything), so there was nothing super notable about it up to the point where it hits the 14th Street Bridge.  Except that, in a moment of weakness and stupidity, I stopped to use the port-a-johns at Gravelly Point.  It's not an experience I ever want to re-live.  I think everyone was anticipating the snowstorm that never happened, because that trail, along with all the others, was pretty empty.  I wasn't complaining.

We rode back up to Key Bridge, past Roosevelt Island.  That was pretty neat, because I've only done that part of the trail once or twice.  It was pretty cold by that part of the ride, though, and both of us were slightly under-dressed and therefore ready to go home.  We took the back streets of Georgetown (of which there are many) and wound our way back.  

There were TONS and TONS of daffodils on the side of the Mount Vernon Trail.  I don't even know how they got there--aren't daffodils bulb flowers?  So don't they require cultivation and wintering and all that fancy stuff?  Didn't someone need to plant them?  I actually noticed a whole bunch on the side of the Rock Creek Trail today, too--has DC always had a giant crop of wild daffodils or has it been this abnormally warm winter?

Daffodils in the distance

Anyway, excited for future springtime rides!  Kate is training for some super athletic event, so it's a good excuse to go on rides with her.  We think it might be fun to head out to Leesburg on the W&OD and see how far we get before we have to start biking back, because I doubt my legs' ability to make it the whole way.  It would be good training for a cross country ride, however....

Ice biking! (slash making the most of tragedy)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2097779/Europe-weather-Snow-covers-continent-temperatures-plunge-MINUS-40C.html

You know, you gotta hand it to them.  Rather than bitching about everything being frozen over and staying inside/having snow days/whatnot, the Europeans are instead getting out there and taking the opportunity to skate and bike across everything.  I support that.

It certainly puts into perspective those days when I complain about having to bike and it's +32 F outside.

Thoughts on biking both short and long distances

I do commute by bike almost every day.  I promise.  It's just that when I work at the coffee shop, I normally take Wisconsin Avenue straight up, because let's be honest, there aren't all that many creative ways to get to Friendship Heights.  New Mexico Avenue through AU's campus was my preferred route, but I really just hate that hill and 44th Street is boring.  Unfortunately, Wisconsin Avenue is not very interesting either, aside from nearly getting sideswiped by cars every 3 minutes or so.  If anyone has suggestions for a different route between Glover Park and Friendship Heights, let me know...

After waking up this morning with an alarming amount of fatigue in my legs, I decided to bike in anyway.  I suspect the fatigue had something to do with standing up for 7 1/2 hours while selling baked goods to a non-stop stream of last-minute Valentine's Day shoppers, many of them snobby and demanding.  I am highly in favor of a snob tax, or an additional $5 charge for people who are excessively haughty.  I have always hated pink, and I refuse to own anything with hearts on it, so Valentine's Day was not a holiday designed for me.  Also, men are awful, confused creatures who shouldn't be allowed to date until they turn 30.  NOT that I'm bitter or anything.  Nevertheless, I acted perky, cheerful and was highly caffeinated, and thus made it through the day.

But I digress.  Despite the tiredness, the bike ride was lovely.  The tinge of springtime was especially prominent, and the sunshine was wonderful.  A bus passed me near Dupont with about 2 inches of space, which was the only really scary part of the ride.  There was also the guy who nearly stepped into my path along Massachusetts Avenue (really?)....and Joe Pedestrian meandered into the bike lane, as per usual, but a guy on the sidewalk pointed me out to him and he jumped out of the way.

I've decided that I need to bike across the continent....most of the grad schools I applied to are out West, so I'm probably going to end up there anyway.  And I don't have a car, so the idea of getting rid of most of my stuff and just biking out is so appealing that it's occupying most of my thoughts.  It's something I've wanted to do for about 2 years now, and it seems like it could be possible with some planning and maybe a little bit of money.  The most I've ever managed to do in one day is about 60 miles, though, so I would need to work up to it as I rode.  Plus, if I get into school in Anchorage, I would necessarily HAVE to bike through the Yukon...and really, how cool would that be?

Karma

Today I was going at a fairly decent clip down the bike lane when a man proceeded to walk in front of me without even looking.  I narrowly missed him and shouted, "SIR!" as I went by (at least I'm polite in my scolding).  He mumbled something in response along the lines of not seeing me (which, I would like to point out, is because he wasn't looking).  I swear to god, one of these days I'm going to attach an ice cream truck music box to my bike.  Or possibly just bike around with a boom box on my shoulder, blasting obscene rap music.

I made up for it later by letting a pedestrian cross even though she didn't quite have the light.  Karma-wise (karmically?), I think this morning was a wash.

The weather forecast lied.  It was not nearly cold enough to warrant all the clothes and the comically large scarf I left the house with.

On whales and bike rides, in which I use the phrase "Mount Pleasant" too much

Today was yet another adventure in which I realize how small DC really is.

After work, I decided to meander through Chinatown to try and find a good coffee shop in which to sit and read.  Turns out there is no passive meandering to be had in this part of town during rush hour, so I got stressed and left.  Since I was heading to a Moby Dick book club (yes, I am a nerd and I associate with nerds and I am terribly proud of this fact) in Mount Pleasant, I decided to venture up there early and head to Dos Gringos.  As it turns out, Mount Pleasant is not a million miles away.  It's just always felt  that way because I usually take the route down Porter Street, which is a looonnnnggggg hill to climb back up. 

Instead, I took the 15th Street cycle lane all the way up past U Street.  There were several things in the bike lane, including a Metro Access van.  Note to self: When they say Meridian Hill, they're not fucking kidding.  It is a doozy of a short climb, and I haven't done it in about a year.  I shifted down to first gear, and that helped tremendously. Also, the bike lane makes no sense there.  Right at the park, it ends, then starts up again after the intersection in the middle of the street.  This confused me to the point where I had to stop when I had the green, look around, and say out loud, "I'm confused".

Somehow I wound up heading the wrong way down 16th Street, which is a very VERY busy road, fraught with weird intersections and lots of S buses headed towards Silver Spring.  Turned around, found Mount Pleasant Street, found Dos Gringos, settled in for a latte and a sandwich, and read through several chapters of Moby Dick.  The mark of a successful bike ride.  

Side note: When did Mount Pleasant turn into hipsterville?  I have nothing against hipsters.  I rather like them, and, though I think the term is too broadly used, one could argue that I have several friends that fall into this category.  They just all seem to congregate in the same places and it confuses me. 

On the way back, I was once again astonished at how close Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan are and, consequently, how easy it was to figure out my route home.  Why did I think Mount Pleasant existed in a bubble?  Seriously.  I've lived in the District for 6 years minus one summer, I've been biking in it for 5, and I'm still relatively clueless as to how to get from Point A to Point B.  Apparently not everyone is born with a built-in sense of geography.

This blog is really getting too bike-heavy.  I need to cook something one of these days.  Biking is just less of a commitment.  My apologies to all none of my loyal cooking post readers out there.  

People

I apparently suck at updating lately.  My most recent post was going to be a cooking post entitled "How to Fry Everything" (in honor of the Super Bowl, I made risotto balls and onion rings), but I forgot and I suppose that will have to come later.

My old blog sort of devolved into a series of rants of things that annoyed me, so I would like to revert to that version of me for just a minute.

A memo to the world: If you enter a place of business where there is someone waiting to serve you, GET OFF YOUR CELL PHONE BEFORE ENGAGING THAT PERSON IN CONVERSATION.  As a fellow human, I deserve your full attention when you are ordering.  None of this "Yeah, did you see what she was wearing last night?--Um, excuse me!--Ugh, it was totally awful--I'd like that cupcake and, um, hang on--oh my gosh, I KNOW...--and a half-caff soy latte with no foam" hand me your credit card with nary another word directed to me bullshit.  This happens.  Especially in DC, where everyone is apparently too rich and important to give their full attention to the scum of the earth who are, based on various life decisions, working a service job.  I have made it my policy to pointedly ignore anyone who walks in while yakking on their cell phone until they directly acknowledge me.  If they insist on talking to me while talking to someone else, I respond as loudly as possible.  Just to make sure they hear me.

While we're at it....a memo to all men, especially those who are my father's age: if you see a girl sitting alone in a bar, drinking a beer, wearing ratty clothing, watching a hockey game and constantly checking the door and her phone....she probably doesn't want you to sit next to her.  And then she probably doesn't want you to share your life story with her.  Or talk about hers.  Or have you make comments about how young and hot she is. In fact, she'd probably like to sit there and watch the game and enjoy her beer.  Thanks.

Ugh.

To flip it over completely, few things brighten my day more than cyclists who look like they're really enjoying themselves.  I tend to wear my "intense" face when I'm on a bike, but some people just chug along with a grin.  A man on a hybrid passed on the other side of the Pennsylvania bike lane with such a look this morning.  I smiled back.  There was also a girl on a pink cruiser coasting down Massachusetts--she had something that looked like neon extenders on her rear hubs?  There were too many cars in the way for me to get a good look, but I wonder if that's a tool to force drivers to give you space.  Anyone know what those might have been?

The same orange-hatted hipster who passed me last week was making it a point to ignore every traffic law every while weaving down 15th with a cigarette jammed into his face.  This confuses me.  You wouldn't run while smoking, so why would you smoke on a bike?  Seems sort of counter-productive.  He also wasn't wearing a helmet (not that I should judge or anything), so maybe he was just trying to jeopardize his life as much as humanly possible.  I guess adrenaline rushes can be fun.

Some lady walked directly into my path in the bike lane today.  I saw her coming, so I steered around her.  I opted not to be a douche and yell at her, and instead hoped that passing her closely would startle her and make her more alert in the future.  Maybe that was more douche-y.  I don't know.

Speaking of un-alert folks, I was walking a friend's dog the other day, and he stopped to sniff another dog.  I tried to drag him away since we were blocking the sidewalk, but he's a strong pup and was being pretty insistent.  As the dogs were parting ways, a jogger came by and tripped over him.  She somehow failed to see a 35 pound beagle (and another dog and 2 humans) in her path.  Instead of apologizing for being completely dumb (and perfectly exemplifying what Sharrows refers to as 'zombie joggers') she said "UGH" in a very annoyed tone and continued jogging.  I figured someone needed to apologize, so I yelled "Sorry!" as she ran away.  I wonder if it's not even zombie jogging so much as territorial jogging.  Like--"I AM FASTER THAN YOU SO THIS WHOLE SIDEWALK IS MINE AND YOU HAD BETTER MOVE OUT OF MY EFFING WAY."  Then again, zombies are pretty territorial.

They're calling for a wintry mix tonight...hopefully nothing too icy.  I do love cycling when the weather is in the upper 30s/lower 40s, though...it's really the ideal temperature.  I enjoy springtime and everything, but given that I have horrendous allergies, late winter is where it's at.

Highlights

Last night:

Went to Dupont.  Locked Vancouver (my bike, not the city) to a pole. Bought a terrible mocha (seriously, Firehook?) and a cookie with a friend.  Observed that there are lots of cyclists when the weather hits 60-something degrees.  Observed that there is definitely a Dupont type.  For men it involves hipster glasses and a beard.  For women, hipster glasses and a yoga mat.  Or high heels.  Biked up Massachusetts and discovered that the left side of the street (closer to the Observatory) may be slightly less steep.  Maybe.  It was the first time I have ever biked up that side in 5 years.  Change is good.

This morning:

Threw Vancouver on the D1 and read Moby Dick (only a part of it--the bus ride isn't that long).  It's the best kind of bike commuting some mornings.  Got off at 10th and Constitution, near the very long Bikeshare docking station and biked on over to L'Enfant.  Caught up with one of my office's curators at the bike rack, and he chastised me for not wearing a helmet.  I probably should bring one, even for short distances.


At internship:

L'Enfant has a post office!  Who knew.  Took about half an hour to find it.

Went to a seminar about graduate school and worried over the fact that I haven't gotten any acceptance letters yet.  Said a prayer to the school gods that the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) accepts me with full tuition.  Looked up cycle commuting in Anchorage.  Turns out it is a thing.  Planned a very, very, very tentative move to Anchorage.  Decided to bike or road trip if possible. We'll see what Stanford, GW and UBC have to say.


This evening:

Probably should also have brought a jacket, because the wind ate right through my sweater.  Also, my back bike light remains broken, even after I changed the batteries.  Today was an unprepared sort of day for me. Continued home anyway.  Some hipster in an orange cap and a shiny red racing bike rode next to me on Penn (in the wrong lane) for a spell.  Got mumbled at and glared at by a disgruntled pedestrian crossing on 15th (I was just sitting there!).  Got sprayed in the face with windshield cleaner on Sheridan Circle, shortly after nearly being sideswiped by GB1OWN from Texas.  Common sense should dictate that if there is a cyclist behind you, you can wait about 2 seconds  to spray chemicals from your car.  Unless, of course, you are aiming to be a dick.  But not the Moby kind because whales probably shouldn't drive cars.

Now:

Sitting on the couch and eating a giant bag of rice crackers.  Welcome to my life.

On passing and communing (or not) with fellow cyclists

It's been a week since I last posted.  I apologize--this will go down in the personal record books (I don't actually have those) as the worst week of my life thus far, so I haven't much felt like blogging.  

If you can pass me when we're both supposed to be stopped at a red light, and you dodge through cars in order to do it, that doesn't make you faster or any more bad-ass than me. 

Is this passive aggression?  Do people get angry when you pass them while you're both actually moving, and thus pass you at red lights out of spite?  I kept this going with a girl all the way from Calvert Street down Massachusetts.  Passing people is not fun for me.  Sometimes I wish that everyone would just go faster so that I don't have to deal with the pressure of passing someone and then trying to stay ahead of them--sometimes it stresses me out so badly that I have a hard time breathing and get light-headed. Perhaps I should see someone about this.  It may also have something to do with the fact that I bike with a messenger bag wrapped around my lungs.

Oh well.  Maybe the girl and I will be friends someday.  In retrospect, I probably should have stopped to ask her if she was OK when she stopped on the sidewalk of Massachusetts instead of biking by her (really really slowly, while saying, "Excuse me"), but it looked like she was just adjusting her saddle bag.  I would have been annoyed had someone done that to me. Once upon a time, I used to be good at acknowledging strangers.  No more.  Not sure what happened there. 

Rode behind a guy down the 15th Street bike lane, and it turns out he works in the same building as me.  He had a sweet green steel frame bike with fenders and a giraffe horn on the front.  We walked into Starbucks within 30 seconds of each other, and because again, strange people are often not my thing, I didn't say anything but instead kind of half-smiled at him as if to say, "Hey, I bike too!  Cool!"  He didn't see me.  Next time.

LOTS of bikers out today.  The plaza on the North side of the White House was kuh-razy.  I do kind of miss the solitude of wintertime riding because, oh yeah, we've barely had a winter.