Aside from the usual scary evening thunderstorms and hazy, hot, and humid days, July has been pretty good for bike riding.
I rode The Mule to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. My route there was 23 flat miles via the 14th Street Bridge. I hit the summer lotus and water lily blooms near the peak. I did about a mile walk through the gardens. When I was done, I was soaked in sweat. On the way home I took a 21-mile shortcut through Anacostia to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. I had forgotten about two big hills, one on MLK Jr. Boulevard and another up Oxon Hill in Maryland. They put the hurt on me but the blossoms were worth it.
About a week later I drove over to Talbot County on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The weather was perfect and the route was flat. I combined two rides from the Talbot County bike brochure. The School Days loop took me west from Easton through some farms and shady wooded areas. I passed through historic Uniontown along the way. The Oxford/St. Michaels route took me to the quaint town of St. Michaels before backtracking to the ferry to Oxford across the Tred Avon River. The ride finished with a 12-mile jaunt back to Easton.
A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel 