Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Spring!

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originally uploaded by frickercycle.
Yesterday I took a lovely ride from my home in Falls Church, Virginia, across the Potomac, and up the Capital Crescent Trail to Bethesda, Maryland. It was warm and sunny and gorgeous out. The trails in Virginia into the city are nice, but the Capital Crescent is a winner. Lots of trees, many in blossom right now, and some great views of the Potomac. Close to DC, the trail parallels the C&O Canal, one of my favorite rides. The Crescent, however, is paved, which is nice for skinnier tires. I was on the Miyata 210 commuter though, which now has 35 mm Pasela tires in place of the Nokian studs, so either path would have worked.

Anyway, along the river, I saw this cluster of cormorants looking out over the river. There were two other groups on other branches nearby, giving the whole thing the feeling of some sort of eerie gathering of dark birds. If I hadn't recognized them for what they were, it might have been creepy.

I ended up catching Metro train for part of the trip back, across the river in Virginia. It was only my second longish ride of spring, and much of it was up a long, steady climb (funny how that happens when you follow a river upstream), so I was kinda pooped. All told, I think I put on a little over 30 miles, at a pretty relaxed pace. A lovely ride on a lovely day. I also got to have lunch with Annie (she works in Bethesda), and ran an errand as well. A good day off .

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