Tag: Beach Drive

Snaps, Flaps, and Cats

Snaps and Flaps

I was finishing up 50,000 miles on Big Nellie, my Tour Easy recumbent. I was four miles from home when my rear cable snapped. I still had three usable gears so I made it home without too much aggro. I took the bike to Bikes at Vienna and left it in the care of Beth.

When I picked up my bike a few days later, I had a new cable and a new chain. Actually, I had three new chains because that’s how many chains the transmission on this long bike takes. Beth did a light tune up, replacing some seriously noisy brake pads. As I went to take my bike for a test ride, Beth pointed out her aesthetic enhancement to the bike. I had long ago broken off the small, cheap plastic fender flaps and replaced them with black duct tape. Beth noticed the tape had become ratty. She took it off and replaced it with these enormous mud flaps. I think they look awesome. Thanks Beth.

Left to right: Busted cable. Rear fender flap. Front fender flap.

Cats

My friend Rachel lives in Oregon, the high desert part. She has lots of critters. Chickens, a couple of dogs, and a cat. She posted a picture online of how she screened in her porch to create a catitat, or his it habicat? I told her about my friends Mike and Lisa who have built elaborate habicats or cat houses onto the front of their home. It was a lovely day so I rode Big Nellie 23 or 24 miles north to check take some pictures for her. One section is connected to their porch. Another is stands next to the front door. Cats can pass back and forth between the house and cat structure through a basement window.

Clockwise from top left: The porch cat house from the side. The view from the porch. The house next to the front door. The porch house from the street. The front door house from above. The front door house from the side.

After talking with Mike and Lisa and their house guests, Mike showed me an easy way to get to Rock Creek Park for the ride home. Just a couple of blocks through an alley and down a side street, we came to the old Walter Reed Army Hospital grounds which is being converted into a mini-city. Mike is especially happy that they included a Whole Foods store. Most of the development is new but many of the old brick buildings that were once the hospital complex still stand and are being renovated into housing. Mike pointed out one building which was where Dwight Eisenhower died. Imagine living in a condo where an ex-president died.

Mike’s tour ended with the two of us directly opposite Sherill Road and the entrance to the park. The trees are just starting to turn. It will be a riot of colors in a week or so.

Beach Drive in Rock Creek Park. You can almost feel the crisp autumn air.

51 miles without stopping

Yesterday was the first real test of how my stenosis recovery is affecting my bike riding. It was in the high 40s when I left home, back on The Mule for the first time in a couple of months. A nice little tailwind pushed me to DC where I found my way to Rock Creek Park after 15 miles of dodging kiddies on wee bikes and bouncing up and down over scores of tree roots. I am pretty sure that the CrossCheck does a better job of cushioning my back from these bumps. Nevertheless, I made it to DC without medical intervention.

Up the creek I rode. For 1 1/2 miles the trail bounced me all over the place. Then I arrived at the cross over point where Beach Drive is closed to cars. The pavement is new and deliciously smooth. The ride is a gradual uphill all the way to Maryland. The creek was babbling. Roller skaters, both old school and in-line, were in heaven. I made it to East West Highway and began the short climb to Jones Mill Road, the halfway point.

Jones Mill took me over a series of rollers to downtown Bethesda where, rather than stay on Woodmont Avenue, the street that I was on, I started wandering about looking for the Capital Crescent Trail. Soon I found myself pointed back the way I came on Woodmont. Hmmm.

I checked the Google, turned around, and rode to the trailhead, managing to avoid two unsignalled right hooks by drivers.

The trail was almost completely blocked by dog leashes. It was like a scene from that Tom Cruise movie where the jewels are protected by criss-crossing lasers. I cruised on through (sorry) without incident. The next seven or so miles were gradually downhill, weaving in and out as I passed walkers and more kiddos learning how to subdue their unruly bikes on training wheels.

By the time I made it back to Georgetown I was pooped. Normally, I get this far without too much fatigue. Normally, I stop in Bethesda for lunch. Today, I was abnormal. So I stopped and ate some mini cookies that Mrs. Rootchopper had put aside on account of their blandness. The bag had only 150 calories of food in it so the cookies barely put a dent in my pathway to bonkdom.

Of course, the last 15 miles was into the wind. Just grind it out, my brain said. My knees and lower back were not in complete agreement but they had no say in the matter. I descended from the 14th Street Bridge to take a hard right onto the Mount Vernon Trail. It was here that I discovered that my brake pads were so worn that they no longer could stop The Mule.

Derp.

I somehow managed not to hit anybody or anything. I even managed to stay on the pavement.

I carefully worked my way through the crowds at Gravelly Point Park and the tourist throngs in Old Town. Claiming no victims, I cruised homeward. I arrived with 51 1/2 miles for the day. My back and knees were sore, but it wasn’t stenosis, just what-hell-are-you-doing-to-us muscle fatigue.

Today’s plan: buy some brake pads.