Erl,
Really enjoyed your accounting of your family mini-tour. The idea of a
family riding together on a vacation is superb. I'd love to do a tour in
your neck of the woods one of these days.
~Hugh
Los Angeles, CA
On Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 9:01:03 AM UTC-7, WETH wrote:
During the cold and snowy days of January, my wife and I thought a
multi-day bike tour with our middle school aged sons would be a fun way to
spend spring vacation. Unfortunately weather during the last full week of
March in the Washington, DC area can be quite unpredictable. A cold and
damp forecast nixed the idea of spending a few days riding at the Delaware
and Maryland seashore. Since we live in the midst of a wonderful network
of trails, we settled on a micro tour (a s36o - credit card style to a
motel- if you will). The only questions were: How far could we and the
boys ride after a winter of little riding? Would the weather give us a 48
hour window of reasonably dry and not too cold temperatures? (Other
commitments crept in and limited us to two days of adventure.)
We departed Tuesday morning around 11am after waiting for the temperature
to rise into the mid 30s. We recruited a third teenager, a family friend
who had ridden the GAP trail with us last summer. Our first stop was
Bethesda, MD. Despite only having biked 6 miles from our house and
temperatures in the upper 30s, the boys wanted ice cream. I opted for a
hot cup of coffee. Departing Bethesda we rode 8 miles on the Capital
Crescent Trail which gradually descends into Washington, DC; we found a
good pizza place on the waterfront in Georgetown. Despite temperatures
still only in the upper 30s, the boys enjoyed a second ice cream before we
crossed the Key Bridge into Virginia. I always experience a bit of awe
crossing the Key Bridge. From its span you can take in the beauty of
Georgetown, the Potomac River, the Kennedy Center and the Washington
Monument.
I knew we had a climb, but I was not prepared for the steepness and length
of the first climb on the Custis Trail (
http://bikewashington.org/trails/wad/custis.htm) as it passes the Key
Bridge Marriott. After four hilly miles the Custis trail connects to the
WOD Trail (http://bikewashington.org/trails/wad/wad.htm) The boys
experienced several drivetrain mishaps on this stretch. My adolescent sons
do not shift with much finese or forethought. So I tended to several
dropped chains and one chain wedged between the smallest cassette cog and
the frame (not sure how that happened as I could not make it happen again
after freeing the chain). I wasn't complaining as these stops provided me
with needed rests from the hills.
Once on the WOD we had a lovely ride through the Virginia suburbs.
Without leaves on the trees, the view into the neighborhoods is expansive
and interesting. After Vienna, VA the trail takes on a slightly rural feel
as it heads toward Reston. Between Vienna and Reston, an approaching
cyclist called out my name. I enjoyed catching up briefly with Howard who
was commuting home on his gorgeous Rambouilliet.
The goal had been to ride to Leesburg, but the late start, dropped chains,
ice cream eating and leisurely pace left us running out of daylight. After
37 total miles of riding we found a motel in Herndon, VA and ate a fine
meal at an Outback Steakhouse next door.
Wednesday morning was damp and cold; we delayed our departure until 10am.
Just a few sprinkles remained, and we enjoyed a brisk ride back to Vienna
for breakfast. The weather warmed slowly, and we had a great time
retracing yesterday's route home. The Custis trail was much easier coming
the other direction, toward the Key Bridge, and we had no drivetrain
problems. Over the final miles, my wife and I agreed that we were glad we
went ahead with the trip. The colder temperatures had given us doubts.
Most importantly the boys had a great time! I so enjoy enjoy seeing my
sons cycling ahead of me as we pedal along.
One of the boys rode my 1977 Motobecane Super Mirage on which I installed
Soma Sparrow bars. I was unnecessarily concerned about the original 27
inch wheelset surviving a teenage boy. The only casualty was the
Motobecane's front derailleur; it was bent and twisted after eating a pant
leg. Fortunately I quickly converted the bike to a 1x5.
Pictures from the trip are here: https://flic.kr/s/aHsk9xLRaW
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