The route to our first SAG stop @ 20 miles was mostly on secondary county roads, but we had that dreaded combination of traffic and no shoulders most of the way. No pictures, and not much recollection of the terrain because I was simply focussed on holding a steady line and avoiding any potholes and cracks in the road. Lots of ups and downs and windy roads again today. Oh - and construction too, just to make life more interesting.
We did pass through a quieter and prettier area for a bit after that. It reminded me of some of the countryside outside of Ottawa. Rural or undeveloped yet within spittin' distance of the nation's capital. I think it was in this stretch that some of the apparently undeveloped land was marked as US Reserve land or US Military land.
After 40 miles we were on to a busier state road, but with better shoulders. Definitely more civilization about. We passed through a cute little town (think Merrickville) called Occoquan before crossing a pedestrian bridge and then climbing up to a bike path beside a very busy state highway.
Just after exiting the state road and finding our 60-mile SAG stop, we had the extraordinary olfactory experience of cycling beside a huge landfill site - several mountain-sized piles of garbage. Trucks constantly coming and going and bulldozers appearing as mere specks atop the piles.
Then it was on to the busy US1 highway. The cue sheet for the next turnoff was out by a few miles. The locals at the Walgreens store were of no use with directions. After riding through more construction (sorry drivers, but I'm just taking this lane; you can wait behind me!) I finally found the turnoff to Fort Belvoir - a US Army base.
After producing drivers license and passport at the entry point, they saw fit to let me in. And what a lovely respite it was. Apparently home to over 7,000 people and employing over 51,000, it had a lovely bike lane, little traffic and lots of green space (it was a plantation in a former life).
Shortly after that we came to Mount Vernon. It was still early and I was ready for some time off the bike, so I did a tour. "George Washington acquired Mount Vernon in 1754 and spent the next 45 years of his life expanding his home to reflect his status as a Virginia gentleman." The grounds include his mansion (which has an incredible view out over the Potomac River), outbuildings, extensive gardens, a farm, Washington's tomb (George, Martha and other family members), a slave memorial and burial ground, a distillery & gristmill, and of course a really well-done museum/education centre. Oh - and did I mention thousands of boisterous school children. Time to go......
Once back on the bike it was about another 10 miles to our destination in Alexandria. Most of it was on the Mount Vernon bike path beside the Potomac River. Such a nice change from the traffic and noise earlier in the day, although the cue sheet could use some revamping.
Just as we were coming into Alexandria we passed under I-495 which at that point was a bridge going over the river. They've really done a great job of making the area into a little park with lots of recreational opportunities.
There's also an interesting display of a WWII wooden rudder retrieved from the river.
Alexandria has a nice "old town" section and a vibrant waterfront area.
We were on our own for dinner. A few of us were craving carcass so we headed off to a steakhouse. It was great!
Thursday was a "rest day" for us. It also happened to be a cold, rainy day so I probably didn't do as much as I otherwise would have. I walked back to the old town, took the trolley up King St, browsed the shops, did some olive oil tasting, read my book in a coffee shop (oh - and there might have been a cookie and some hot chocolate involved), caught the Metro into DC, headed over to the Capitol and walked down the Mall. I didn't go in any of the buildings or museums. The biggest reason was that you couldn't take in food, drink or liquid. Of course, I travel with food & water as well as sunscreen - none of which I was willing to part with. So - I just walked around until I had to pee. Since all the restrooms (note that I usually still say "washroom" and people look at me with a blank stare) are in the buildings, which means you have to line up with hoards of schoolkids and tourists and then get rejected because you have food & liquid in your pack, I headed back to the Metro to look for facilities there. Again, no luck. A security guard had to unlock a maintenance area for me and lead me to a customer restroom which looked like a broom closet. Really?? Safety reasons, they say. I considered just finding a tree, but judging by the number of US Capitol Police patrolling the grounds, I'm thinking they wouldn't have taken too kindly to that.
Enough ranting! A good day yesterday despite the traffic, and a good wandering day today despite the rain. Hopefully the sun will be back with us tomorrow.
Stats for yesterday:
139 km from Fredericksburg VA to Alexandria VA. Nice comfortable temps from 14C to 27C. An irritating headwind, but enough turns to make it an occasional thing. 4500 feet of climbing.
Wow, Sue, that seemed to go fast. Washington, DC is practically in our backyard -- at least we've driven down there a couple of times. Love DC!! Too bad you didn't go into any of the Smithsonian Museums, they're free and really well done.
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