Group Ride: Saturday, July 3, 2010

Group Ride: Saturday, July 3, 2010

We had a great group ride today.  Jordan, David, and Erik were joined by Lesly, Liz, and Mary.  It was a bit hot but we ventured out with plenty of water.   

We headed up the Metropolitan Branch Trail towards the Fort Totten Metro station.  From there, we headed southeast past the green space that aligns with Eastern Avenue.  

 We then cut south to the National Arboretum.  After tackling some of the hills in the park, we stopped by the original columns taken from the US Capitol building for a photo.    

Then we were able to take a break by the Koi Pond.   We filled up our water bottles in the visitor center and a few of us indulged with an Italian ice.  Soon enough, we pushed on and cut through the neighborhood by Springarn Senior High School.  As we passed, some residents were having a barbecue with a dj playing music.  They gave a shoutout to us!   Some kids, excited to see our fancy bikes, chased after and raced us.  One of them was really pretty fast.  Leaving the neighborhood, we crossed Benning Road and got on the Anacostia Riverwalk trail.  We cruised by RFK and soon crossed the river where we rode on Anacostia Drive, SE.  It was nice to be right along the water in Anacostia Park.  We next crossed over the 11^th Street Bridge where we briefly stopped at an overlook to peer out at the water and Nationals Stadium.   We made our way back towards the center of the city on M Street, SE and cut north on 4^th Street, SW.   This street really looks great with the new Safeway and other shops.  The bike lanes make it easy to navigate. 

4th Street took us up to Pennsylvania Avenue where we were able to try out more bike lanes.  These new bike lanes have gotten a lot of attention lately after their recent installation.  A few more blocks and we were back at the store.  Everyone had worked up quite an appetite by then and we all discussed plans for going out to eat!  This great route was just over 20 miles.  Many variations could be done to add distance like doing a loop around Hains Point, for example.  Check out the map here:  http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/dc/washington/970127844510079320.

 

Prep Work

Got the sealant down just in time for the rain! Looks like the east wall is good, and there are several spots where it's leaking on the west wall. Thanks to some excellent clearing and prepping work by Paul and Jordan, it should be a cinch to fix once we have dry weather again.

Update from 4/24

Finished etching the front section today, and power-washed to remove the truck repair depot residue. That is some machine, the overhead valve is sweet! - thank you Mike Abrams of 443 Studios!

After a great lunch including mashed potatoes and gravy, greens, mac & cheese, and cornbread from Henry's Soul Food Cafe, I had the energy to just about finish scrubbing and washing the quonset hut floor.

When I had arrived home, I got a message from the prime contractor candidate. Could this really all be done in 3 weeks??