Nobody Expects A Man in the Baggage Car

3.20.2016
14m
mtd:102 ytd:236

Rode Falls Church, Va to Union Station via the W&OD, Custis, and Mt.Vernon trails. They were all in excellent (paved) condition. Weather was cool and sometimes light rain. It's fantastic to have a network of trails.

Saw a Syrian protest at the Lincoln Memorial. Saw the ongoing work on the reflecting pond, and I wonder if that project isn't just a facade for a major underground deep-government project, hidden in plain sight. Saw the Capital building which looks a bit like Parisian barricades.

Rode to Union Station. My recent Amtrak experience is small stations: Pittsburgh, Connellsville, Harper's Ferry. Union Station is like the ORD of Amtrak. Also, a remarkable structure. Rolled in with my bike, no problem at all. In Union Station there was no need to take elevators between levels, the track platforms are at the same level as the outer doors. (So are the tracks, so you have to lift your bike up into the baggage car).

The Amtrak experieince is great. There's a phenomenon common to cyclists I call GBCWHW: Great, But Can We Have WiFi? When a new bit of cycling infra is introduced, it's wonderful, it's magical, it's a capability where there was none before, it's a miracle after years of planning, coordinating, and persuading. And while the magic persists and we continue to appreciate the new (bridge, ramp, service), very quickly the cyclist mind turns to: Great, But Can We Have WiFi? I love the Amtrak service and I really look forward to onboard Wifi, which is a thing they do on other routes. I'm very happy with my RORO service, I just wonder: I can has RORO&Wifi, por favor?

I really try not to delay the train when disembarking (I can't quite say detraining, although the Amtrak announcements use that term) so I'm positioned outside the locked baggage compartment fifteen minutes before arrival. In a few minutes the conductor arrived to unlock the door, and I go into the baggage compartment and derack my bike, then retrieve my five bags and start loading the bike so I can roll off in one Therblig.

The train arrives just as I finish schlepping, and a different story is onfolding on the platform. An Amtrak worker drives a tug pulling baggage carts out on the platform, stops next to the arriving train, the train stops and she opens the big baggage hatch.

I'm standing inside the baggage hold, the door opens, and by reflex I said "Hiiiiii!" as is my wont. I don't think she expected that, it kind of startled her. Nobody expects a man in the baggage car.

Cherry Blossoms and Cold Fingers

3.19.2016
32m
mtd:88 ytd:222

Rode today from Leesburg VA to Falls Church, VA along the W&OD in cold rain. I have a formula to determine "what sucks" and the answer is: cold, wet, dark; 2 out of 3 sucks. Today was cold and wet.

In Leesburg I stopped at Plum Grove Cyclery, which has just relocated from the outskirts of town into the core of town. I think they're the closest bike shop to the hotel complex. They were excellent; I went in complaining of too much play in the front wheel, which I couldn't diagnose, and they found the culprit, fixed a few other things that needed attention, and asked a very reasonable price. I was so appreciative they'd take a walk-in off the street. They started off in downtown, moved out to the perimeter, and now they've moved back into town, so they're presenting as Plum Grove (Re)Cyclery during the transition. Very nice people; recommended.

The entry from the hotel complex to the W&OD Trail was extremely easy. The W&OD is a paved, signed, well-marked trail. The only problem is: there's an at-grade crossing about every two miles. There's lights and crosswalks, and the locals were very courteous. When in doubt, they stopped.

I got to see cherry blossoms in Reston. (I have it on good authority that wet cherry blossoms on the street are very, very slippery).

It wasn't a very bad day, it just (whine) hurt. I didn't bring waterproof, low-temp gloves and I suffered from it. This is my paradox; I carry too much stuff, and I end up wishing for some gear I intentionally left at home. Operator Error in Judgement.

I did stop at GreenLizard Bikes and Coffee in Herndon, immediately on the W&OD trail. Hot soup and coffee on a cold day; so excellent. Nice people here, too; celebrating their third anniversary.

This section of the W&OD has three new breweries adjacent to the trail, and they each have a sign out: Water, Bathrooms, Tools. That's really tremendous. (Caboose Brewing, Old Ox Brewing, Loudoun Brewing Company). And there's a Whole Foods, what more can you ask.

Today I'd ride for an hour, and then find a place to get warm for probably the same amount of time. The traditional problem with the W&OD, that it's unshaded and very hot, just wasn't a factor today.

In the news today: autonomous Google car chases cyclist for three miles after obscene gesture. (hat tip: KC)