The shift to daylight savings time is always a problem for sleeping. It doesn’t help much when you are twice woken up by sharp pains in your lower back. Apparently I was rolling over when the pain hit. It felt like someone was sticking a needle in me. When I did get out of bed, I had a sharp pain across my lower back.

Four hours later my back felt fine. Go figure.

I did some light work around the house. I was surprised that my lower back didn’t start aching until I’d been going at it for over an hour.

Next up was a ride up the Mount Vernon Trail to DC to check out the first blossoming trees of the year. The Enid Haupt Garden is situated at the rear of the Smithsonian castle. The flower beds had been planted and the magnolia trees were in the first stages of bloom. (The blossoms weren’t open but they were colorful nonetheless.)

There was a controlled burn about 35 miles to the southeast. This accounts for the slight haze in what otherwise would have been a perfect spring sky.

I then rode down the national Mall slaloming through scores of tourists along the way. The reflecting pool between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial had been emptied.  I couldn’t resist going for a ride in it. I had lots of company.

The ride home was into the wind. I didn’t mind.

Time to hit the hay. That lost hour of sleep is catching up with me.