John Aylward Photography

Today’s Highlights:
For the first time on this trip, we had a group start and stayed together for the first 15 miles of the ride. Shane, the ride leader, guided us through the city streets of DC for a few miles, then on the bike path along the Potomac River and over the I395 bridge. Entering Alexandria VA, we continued together on the Mt Vernon Bike Path for another ten miles. It’s a beautiful path that winds along the Potomac and through the woods, and in places dips and rises. It’s quite fun. There were several boardwalks over wetlands. For walkers, there is a lot of nature to obverse, including Osprey and Eagles. But we traveled along quickly, passing by the views, flora and fauna. It is impressive how many people use the bike path, many commuting to work in Alexandria, Rosslyn and DC.
I really enjoyed cycling with the whole group this morning, since most days I cycle alone. After leaving the bike path, I cycled with 4 or 5 guys until about half way – 50 miles, then spent about 30 miles by myself, and rejoined Rene, Barry and Allen near the end.
While we were all together, I tried to get pictures of the group. It not very safe to do that in a line of cyclists, so I was very selective. It was also the prettiest part of the route. Once off the bike path, there was nothing special about the scenery. We cycled on major roads, past malls and industrial area, or on tree-lined streets with no open views. We passed some mini-mansions and only a few nice farms.
The afternoon got hot, in the high 80’s and above 90 in places. I finished the 93 miles at 3:30 PM, after eight hours on the road.
We had four new riders join us today. One couple is from Canada, one from Maryland and one from Virginia. We now have 22 riders and our four staff people on the road.

Day 11

Statistics:
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Time: 8/24/2016, 4:03:1

Duration: 08:09:57

Ascent/Descent: 3513 ft 3538 ft

Distance: 93.32 M

Today’s Highlights:
This was our first rest day after nine straight days of cycling. The group stayed on New Hampshire Avenue, not far from the White House. I spent the night and most of today at Chris and Stacia’s house. I had a leisurely evening and morning, and a wonderful visit. We drove into DC around noon, making my first visit to Barracks Row, and enjoyed a nice lunch at a Greek restaurant, Cava Mezze. We took a walk up to Eastern Market and caught a nice view of the Capitol building along the way.
In the evening, Chris returned me to the hotel. I had dinner with Rene, Veronica and Eric, then got organized for tomorrows 93 mile ride.

Day 10

Today’s Highlights:
We had beautiful weather for our 80 mile ride into Washington DC today, with lower humidity and temperatures started out in the 60s. The roads we traveled on in Maryland were in excellent condition, although there was no shoulder and more traffic compared to other places we have ridden so far. Our route arched far around the west of Baltimore through very nice farmland. You wouldn’t know that we were near some of the most heavily populated parts of the Northeast. The first fifty five miles were hilly. A tailwind occasionally helped us out, and the last 25 miles were fairly flat. At mile 56, we got on the Rock Creek Trail, following Rock Creek. It was narrow, winding and rolling. It would be really fun on a mountain bike. Since the trial was a bit rough, we were routed onto the nearby roads whenever possible. So we continued to use the trail, side streets and parkways all the way to Pennsylvania Avenue in DC. I was really surprised how one could cycle or walk into Washington DC without going on any major road and being mostly in the woods.
I reached Pennsylvania Avenue around 1:45, and it was only a mile more to Washington Circle and to the hotel. After cleaning up, I met my son Chris and drove to his house to spend the night and the first rest day. The group will spend tomorrow in DC and get a nice rest after nine days and over 650 miles of cycling.

Day 09

Statistics:
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Time: 8/22/2016, 4:08:0

Duration: 06:53:53

Ascent/Descent: 3981 ft 4211 ft

Distance: 80.36 M

Today’s Highlights:
We were pleasantly surprised to learn that the route for day-8 was changed to utilize a 40-mile rail trail. Instead of the very hilly route used on previous years, we had a very flat ride today. It was also only 63 miles, so it was a relatively easy Sunday ride. We started at 7:20 AM, riding on town roads. Ten minutes into the ride, we were greeted by Debbie, her son and his wife. Debbie rode cross country with ABB in 2002 with me. She then got a job with ABB and was on staff for this ride and others for many years. Everyone enjoyed being cheered on.
We continued on the streets of Columbia PA, and then crossed the Susquehanna River on the Veterans Memorial Bridge into Wrightsville. For about 10 miles, we rode passed farms and shopping centers, then through a small section of the city of York. In York, we picked up the Heritage Rail Trail.
The rail trail had a few small sections of pavement, but for most of its 20 miles in Pennsylvania it was crushed stone and a smooth enough surface for a road bike. The railroad tracks were still in place, unlike most rail trails today, and there was one town where you could take a ride on a steam train. The trail was tree-lined, and we spent the rest of the day under the canopy of the trees.
We had one rest stop today in Seven Valleys, around mile 30 of our route. There were three large bike sculptures there. Along the way, many little towns had eateries for trail travelers. We also followed a small river for much of the way. At the halfway point on the trail, we reached New Freedom Station near the border of PA and Maryland. It just started to rain as I arrived at the station, and I made a brief stop for water and a snack. The rain shower passed quickly, and I pressed on. As we traveled over the border into Maryland, the trail changed from a slight incline to a nice gradual descent. It also changed from a well maintained crushed stone trail to a two track dirt and grass path. There was so much water from the rain, it formed two little streams down the hill. For the next 20 miles, we rode in these little streams and through mud. By the time we finished everyone’s legs and back and bikes were covered with mud. At the hotel, we immediately went to the back parking lot and hosed off our bodies and bikes. Once clean, we could go into the hotel.
It was a fun day, with quiet roads on a Sunday morning, 40 miles of off-road cycling, comfortable temperatures, a delightful rain shower, and riding through puddles and mud like a kid again.

Day 08

Statistics:
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Time: 8/21/2016, 4:19:1

Duration: 05:21:57

Ascent/Descent: 1270 ft 1414 ft

Distance: 62.44 M