Day 9: Tropical Storm Ophelia

September 23, 2023

12:30am - I wake to rain hitting my tent. I'm nice and dry inside. 4:00am - rain subsides and I take a bio-break while it's "somewhat" dry. Then back into the confines of my shelter; I get more sleep and the rain intensifies.

6:30am - it's "go" time. I have a reservation on the Amtrak sleeper car so I have to make Union Station in Washington DC by 6:30 (well, really, 6:00 since I have to get a baggage tag for the bike and all). This is a distance I could certainly make in the ~11 hours but this time Tropical Storm Ophelia is between me and my destination. Last night I pulled everything into the tent so I had my Clif bar and water for breakfast and stayed nice and dry while it rained. Thankfully, it was a light steady rain as I packed as much as I could while still inside the tent, and then packed the rainfly and tent away wet.

I was able to pack up everything while dry inside my tent. Here, I even show my breakfast choice.

I start to shoot video but my GoPro stops in the middle of the recording. That was the result of two days of not recharging. I carry two GoPro batteries and based on the amount I shoot, it looks like each battery is good enough for about a day's worth of shooting. I have a fairly-full battery on the iPhone, and about 25% remaining on the mobile battery pack. That should be enough to get me to Washington DC. I figure I can shoot video on my iPhone.

Or so I thought. I didn't account for the water hitting the touch-screen. The phone is waterproof which is a good thing but the touch screen is nigh-impossible to use in the rain, as it screws up the sensors while there are water droplets on it. So I was able to record very little today.

It's a steady rain as I make my way down the trail in my rain jacket. I haven't put rain pants on as it's not that heavy that I cannot withstand a bit of cold rain. I run into a group of cyclists setting up mile-markers for a running race - looks like that will probably be a washout today but good on them for their optimism.

Ophelia ramps up her bothersome precipitation as I make my way across the aqueduct.

An hour later, Ophelia is upset and starts ramping up her use of precipitation and rain. I'm able to get my phone out of a dry pocket to shoot video rolling over the aqueduct, and then it's wet and has to go back into the pocket.

The rains further intensifies, my shorts are rather wet, so it's time to put on the rain pants. Yes, they are uncomfortable but better that than getting hypothermia or chills.

About halfway through my ride, I hit a gravel section of the trail. Now this gravel is freshly poured, and pea-sized, really wet, and is very soft as I ride through. It adds another challenge to the day. I feel the type-2 fun slipping away. It's not a rough-ride but rather each pedal stroke pushes through the gravel and leaves behind a "rut" where I rode through. How much longer will I have to ride through this mush, and in the rain?

Rain abated a bit at Great Falls and I was able to take (and video) the falls.

Hard to believe this is only about 15 miles from Washington DC.

I rolled into Georgetown in my rain gear and with the rain decided not to visit mile marker zero. I had been there before, and while it was ceremonial and an accomplishment, I figured stopping at Trader Joe's and getting snacks for the train ride home would be a better spend of my time. I did miss cycling down the National Mall past all the monuments and Smithsonian museums. It just wasn't worth it in the rain.

First stop in DC was Trader Joe's. I wanted to get a sandwich for lunch and some snacks (Everyone has their own "best" snacks but when I found dark chocolate covered pretzels I knew I found my snack utopia). I devoured the sandwich on the street outside the store, and planned a route through DC to the train station. Somewhere between 30-60 seconds after I unlocked and mounted my bike to ride to the station, Ophelia became somewhat enraged with my progress and unleashed a torrent of rain. Sometimes straight down, sometimes blown sideways, sometimes swirling around me. Thankfully, it was an easy route across town (L street to slight right on Massachusetts Ave) because I was completely unable to use the phone (see "problems with using touch screen in the rain" above).

Despite the rain, the unavailability of the touch-screen, the several wrong turns, the experience of mixing it up with Washington DC automobile urban traffic in all the tropical storm chaos, I made it to Union station. AND, how cool was it to walk into the first class lounge all wet from the ride? I had about 4 hours of relaxing, charging devices, and getting ready for the overnight trip in my sleeper car. But first a trip to the handicap stall to change out of wet clothes and into dry ones.

Sitting in my roomette as the train pulls out of Union Station.

6:00 they call us to start boarding the train. I roll the bike out to the platform, and the train pulls in about 5 minutes later. I hand them my bike at the baggage end of the car and then I'm off into my roomette for the journey and to contemplate this trip. And I'm dry. And happy. And I'll be home with my wife Sunday morning.

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Today's ride: 53 miles (85 km)
Total: 617 miles (993 km)

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Bob DistelbergI was actually driving through Ophelia on our way to my daughter's house at the same time you were doing this, and I thought THAT was pretty challenging. So, being out on a bike, not to mention riding through DC, that's pretty impressive. Glad it all worked out ok! An interesting end to your trip for sure.
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7 months ago

Paul MulveyIt was, @Bob - to put it plainly, not the most pleasant ride of my life. I remember a tour a few years ago I was coming through New Hampshire just as a Nor'Easter hit, and then not quite a week later, a (I kid you not) bomb Nor'Easter when I was crossing out of CT into NY. What is it with me and storms on bike tours? I will say, though, that I had 8 phenomenal days of great weather and even with the rain, it was a blast.
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7 months ago