Getting accross the river

[consularrider]

There's no such thing as bad weather... just bad gear. After you get a taste of how great it is to ride to work, you'll start acquiring the stuff you need to remain mostly comfortable in any type of weather. (Although I'd love for it to stop raining too.)

Or learn to embrace the rain and love being wet.

[GovernorSilver]

This is one of my morning commute routes - rather, a section of it most relevant to your interests:

https://goo.gl/maps/tJtpPB9y5jN2

Obviously if you live too far north of Crystal City you might investigate another route/bridge.

I agree with the advice to try riding a prospective route on the weekend. Yes, driver behavior might be different but your primary goal is to familiarize yourself with where you'll be going.

I used to let rain dissuade me from riding but after too many would-be commute days that I lost because of a weather forecast (prediction: rain, reality: little or no rain), I figured out gear that works for me and just got used to riding in the wet. Feel free to start another thread if you want advice on what to wear for rainy days. I'm still a bit leery of real thunderstorms (the ones with lightning) but we don't seem to get lightning often here. The best advice I've seen so far for dealing w/ lightning is to head for an overpass or a building, although I suppose if I'm caught on a long-ish stretch of trail between overpasses, all I can do is hope for the best. This article mentions a technique to use if no shelter is within reach:

http://travellingtwo.com/resources/thunderstorm-safety

[KLizotte]

To the original poster,

It would help immeasurably if you told us which neighborhood you were starting from since that will dictate your route.

[scoot]

As noted above, a weekend reconnaissance ride will help immensely.

Even better: learn multiple routes between your origin and destination. Sometimes you may wish to avoid your primary route. For instance, I typically use the Beulah Street bike lane when I ride to Fort Belvoir. But I will occasionally duck into the neighborhoods or the power-line trails instead: these alternatives are slower, hillier, and windier, but they seem a bit safer when visibility conditions are poor.

Also, I've identified roughly one location every mile along my main route that I could pull off and shelter for a bit if caught in a thunderstorm. (This tip may be less useful for those of you who ride with smartphones. My only mobile GIS data source is whatever I can fit in my head...)

[consularrider]

... Even better: learn multiple routes between your origin and destination. Sometimes you may wish to avoid your primary route ...

Since our security people are always harping on varying our routes and times (well, maybe not so much stateside), I always know several ways to get somewhere by bike, plus liking to add distance or occasional climbing just because.

[huskerdont]

Since our security people are always harping on varying our routes and times (well, maybe not so much stateside), I always know several ways to get somewhere by bike, plus liking to add distance or occasional climbing just because.

It's like secret spy stuff applied to cycling. I like.

And since I can't seem to do the same route the same way twice, I'm all set.

[GovernorSilver]

Thank you to everyone who replied - these are hugely helpful - next challenge will be the endless rain! :>)

Just FYI, but the forecast calls for clear weather for the rest of the work week.

Of course you're welcome to post another thread for advice on rain preparation anytime.

[mello yello]

Case Bridge has some pretty big scaffolding on it now, which makes for a tight squeeze... it'd be a problem if it were a busier bridge.