"So I Just Have To Ask..."

[ <--not my bike]

"So I Just Have To Ask..." said a woman riding up to me on her very nice looking and very expensive looking Trek road bike. I was in front of the National Cathedral here in DC, a favorite place to visit when starting or stopping a ride (I'm only a half mile or so from it). So we chatted about my Bike Friday. She asked how I liked it, which if course I answered in the affirmative and did all I could not to brag on it like a proud parent whose random kid just did something great at such-and-such elementary school. She also correctly guessed I am a commuter. I guess I can't hide my stripes!

As it turns out, she is a triathlete, hence her gorgeous, tricked-out bike. She had done an Ironman (IronWoman in her case!) and "thought she'd better have a suitable bike". Furthermore, she works at the National Cathedral as a fundraiser. How cool is that? You can't beat a folding bike for ice-breaking. Folding bikes: short in stature, long in conversation. Hey, that's a good tagline. I wonder if I can sell it to Dahon or someone? Bidding starts now. Please send money to me directly. Aaah, who am I kidding! Just send it straight to Bike Friday so I can get the Speeding Tikit model I am dreaming about these days.

Summer, Fare Thee Well

Officially summer doesn't end until September 21st, but with temps right now in tolerable range, I bid adieu to the heat and humidity. Yeah, summer will give one last try in the coming days to give the Mother of all heat wedgies, but it's a lamentable last gasp of desperation. Fall will come striding in, an with it, the finest riding weather of the year!

I've got an inkling to do an overnighter on the Pocket Crusoe along the C&O Canal towpath. I did a warmup ride this weekend, and discovered that riding the trail in my slicks is about as much fun as puberty. So, instead of riding the trail due west, I am going to ride west on MacArthur Blvd, then pick up River Rd. Waaaay out there, River becomes a tiny little tree-lined road that should be beautiful in the fall. At some point I'll duck over to the trail to camp out, and ride a bit of it to take in the Potomac River. and the canal. The hard packed dirt you see in this picture isn't so bad (minus the embedded rocks you have to dodge), but as the trail rises up to meet each old lock, the grade gets covered in loose gravel--not the finely crushed gravel as found on the Great Allegheny Trail. That stuff is smooth and secure. No, this gravel is more like large fish tank rocks and it does its best to dislodge me from the bike by playing tug-of-war with my front tire. Hence, I'm thinking to ride the road. Buying new tires with some grip is not immediately in the budget, especially considering the little used they would get. Most of my riding is road and paved trail. But, some expanded tours could be in my future. Any excuse for a bike ride!