anomad's commuting adventures

[anomad]

I am starting a thread to capture my commuting memories in one place. I ride from basically Huntington Metro station to L'Enfant Plaza and return.

Today I wore my new Nashbar softshell jacket and found it to be way too warm with an undershirt and two layers beneath. I sweated out with the slight tailwind and then froze the short ride back through the mall to the office. Tonight I wore only a thin wool jersey underneath and was sweating like a pig.

I love the empty winter path riding. I stopped to play with 3 dogs and their humans on the way home. Such good puppies!

Saw starvin Marvin but no sign of Smokey Bob the umbrella man.

Possibly some precipitation tomorrow AM but much warmer.

[Crickey7]

A lonely commute
Bitter cold evening ride
Loved every second.

[anomad]

Nice warm weather this morning for the ride in. I was surprised in Ye Olde Towne Alexandria, there was an American Robin belting out his song before dawn. He better save his energy for the rest of winter. So funny to hear a bird singing this time of year.

On the way home by the marina there was a 2 stroke scooter on the bike path heading North. What is the best thing to do for some meathead like that? Call 911? If he was going the same direction I might have tried to politely educate him about motorized vehicles on the bike path being unacceptable, but that wasn't to be.

[anomad]

No commuting for me this week. I was lucky enough to have telework today and training out of town tomorrow and Thursday. Perfect timing with all the inauguration closures!

While you legends are in the Freezing Saddles competition I can revert to indoor training of another variety when its not favorable outside. Good for core strength and stamina when I get back to the bike.

[OneEighth]

Nice warm weather this morning for the ride in. I was surprised in Ye Olde Towne Alexandria, there was an American Robin belting out his song before dawn. He better save his energy for the rest of winter. So funny to hear a bird singing this time of year.

On the way home by the marina there was a 2 stroke scooter on the bike path heading North. What is the best thing to do for some meathead like that? Call 911? If he was going the same direction I might have tried to politely educate him about motorized vehicles on the bike path being unacceptable, but that wasn't to be.

Willing to bet I saw the same vehicle on the 4MR trail last week. Looks like a single cylinder mounted to a bicycle, right? Also, unmistakably a two-stoke.

[anomad]

Willing to bet I saw the same vehicle on the 4MR trail last week. Looks like a single cylinder mounted to a bicycle, right? Also, unmistakably a two-stoke.

Maybe not. This was a full blown scooter with fairings and a headlight and all that stuff. Not a motorized bicycle.

[anomad]

What a beautiful day for commuting. Light south wind this morning and perfect sunrise was a really great way to start the day. Then having all the fair weather riders on the ride home out on the path made for lots of great entertainment!

Electric bike guy passing unsafely by the airport this morning was not cool. I totally dig electric bikes and have talked to a bunch of them. There's one guy that rides very frequently North to South in the mornings on a large volume tire model with upright riding position. He's very thoughtful of other path users and I like seeing riders like that pedal assist or not. Another guy I met riding downtown this summer said he bought his to avoid the metro shutdowns and ended up paying for the electric bike in the parking fees he saved. We chatted riding down Madison Avenue as he enjoyed a cigarette... Hilarious.

[anomad]

I have a couple helmets to chose from. One has a GoPro mount for my helmet light or camera (duh). This morning I opted for my other helmet thinking who needs a camera or helmet light when the sun will be up in half an hour?

As I crossed Cameron Run the sun was just illuminating the horizon and there were geese swimming and 6-8 deer swimming single file across North to South to the golf course. The Potomac in the background, snow all around, beautiful pre-dawn colors in the sky... yeah who needs a camera? Then, the sunrise colors on the Washington Monument with the snow on the ground. So many beautiful images from this morning's ride - all just stuck in my memory. It was a great way to start the morning and a busy week at work.

[Judd]

I have a couple helmets to chose from. One has a GoPro mount for my helmet light or camera (duh). This morning I opted for my other helmet thinking who needs a camera or helmet light when the sun will be up in half an hour?

As I crossed Cameron Run the sun was just illuminating the horizon and there were geese swimming and 6-8 deer swimming single file across North to South to the golf course. The Potomac in the background, snow all around, beautiful pre-dawn colors in the sky... yeah who needs a camera? Then, the sunrise colors on the Washington Monument with the snow on the ground. So many beautiful images from this morning's ride - all just stuck in my memory. It was a great way to start the morning and a busy week at work.

I have an internal struggle about whether I should take pictures of beautiful or interesting things that I see on the bike or just enjoy them as a fleeting experience. I tend towards the latter.


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[anomad]

I'm attending training this week at "Homeland Security Acquisition Institute" over by Union Station (yawn). If anyone has the pleasure of attending classes there they have two large private bathrooms and a "wellness room". Not as good as a real locker room, but the bathrooms work well for changing. There are a couple good bike racks in the garage and usually two attendants keeping an eye on things. They're actually pretty nosy, so I always make a point to say good morning and let them know what I am up to and offer to show ID. The only downside is there's nowhere to hang your clothes unless you luck out and get a classroom with one of the little closets for extra chairs and stuff.

Started the ride home with my tights on this evening and got so warm I stopped and put them in my panniers. Riding in shorts in February is awesome!