BAFS National Cathedral group ride + private tour

[ChristoB50]

Hi folks;
I decided we'll forego the Rock Creek Park Trail section entirely. Which means the entire ride will now be on roads. A first for me in DC, but Josephine has been super helpful and patient in reviewing my route and making me feel more comfortable!

So this removes the risk of encountering marathon spectator / support crowds along the RCPT.
And also, sadly, I confirmed last Sunday that the RCPT stop I'd planned doesn't actually have a line of sight to the specific Oak Hill Cemetery grave I'd point out. Very, very close, but just out of sight.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/29443...JRtEEI6qNiUtSA

[ChristoB50]

Bumping this one last time.
Looks like we're in for chilly, but apparently dry weather for the 8:30 morning ride up to the private group tour at Washington National Cathedral this Saturday...!
If you're interested, there's space available for the private tour -- you just need to complete an Eventbrite registration to secure your place.
All the details are in the first post at the top of this thread.
Thanks! --ChristoB50

[bikesnick]

Chris,
Thank you for planning and leading the ride to the National Cathedral and giving us a private tour.
It was very informative and enjoyable.

Also, thanks to all the cyclists who rearranged bikes at the end of the tour so I could extricate my bike from the massive block of locked bikes.
/glenn

[Judd]

The Cathedral Ride was top notch. Thanks for organizing Chris B. You are an obviously well seasoned docent. Perfect delivery of information. I really like the information about Charles Glover. It’s very inspiring.

Our valiant leader.


Biking into the Cathedral.


Lots of pretty stained glass.


Chris shows us where we are in the LEGO Cathedral.

[ChristoB50]

Chris,
Thank you for planning and leading the ride to the National Cathedral and giving us a private tour. It was very informative and enjoyable.
/glenn

You're very welcome, Glenn!

[ChristoB50]

The Cathedral Ride was top notch. Thanks for organizing Chris B. You are an obviously well seasoned docent. Perfect delivery of information. I really like the information about Charles Glover. It’s very inspiring.

Thank you very much, Judd! And thank you, and Josephine too, for the inspiration to plan this ride in the first place. Really happy with how it turned out!

[ChristoB50]

Wow, what a great group of troopers y'all were, biking through the cold morning to get to our tour at the cathedral! Thank you all for making my 'first time' (organizing/leading a group ride) such a breeze! And thank you to the whole gang for picking up lunch; an unexpected treat! (The fact that the bill settled up with too much cash in the end, and you opted to buy LEGO's for the cathedral's fundraiser, is just terrific!)
I had a great time sharing the building with you -- and pulling out some of my favorite "Wait! Just one more thing to show you!" features and spaces... Thanks for sticking around til the bitter end (4pm!)

Enjoying a well-earned beer/chips/sangria/tex-mex break at Cactus Cantina


Master Builder at work on the LEGO replica of the cathedral (which will built entirely by the public)
(which will be 13 feet long, 8 feet tall and 7 feet wide, made of approximately 500,000 LEGO blocks when done. We added 30 to that effort today!)


The die-hards, 70 feet above the floor of the cathedral, under the great West Rose Window at the end of the day.

[komorebi]

Thanks for putting together an excellent ride and tour, Chris! Your passion and extensive knowledge really shone through. A++, would do again!

Learning about what might have stood at this location if Pierre L'Enfant had gotten his way:


Trying to imagine the time when everything west of Rock Creek Park was wilderness:


Woodrow Wilson's tomb:


Inside the chapel of St. Joseph of Arimathea:

[ChristoB50]

Thanks so much, Josephine---and especially cuz you were a major contributor in the success of the ride by patiently sharing your knowledge of DC streets and options -- none of which I'd ridden a bike on before your input -- as I planned, then frequently revised my intended route!

[komorebi]

I'm fascinated by the Lego cathedral fundraiser. I can't wait to go back later and see how much progress has been made.

A few action shots from our group donation:





Those of you who didn't stick around for Chris's "wait, just one more thing" tour really missed out. We got to see the 7th floor observation deck, wander through the attics, and go outside.



And we got to stand underneath the West rose window, which might have been my favorite part of the whole tour.



Thanks again, Chris!