Welcome to Washington - Can I Join You? - CycleBlaze

September 28, 2016

Welcome to Washington

Breakfast at the Fairfield Inn was followed with a 2-mile ride to the Cumberland train station, and then a chilly wait in the morning for the 9:20 Capitol Limited. It ran about 30 minutes late today, so it was a bit chilly standing around waiting for the train instead of riding and moving. We hopped on the train and made our way to the 1:25 arrival at Union Station in Washington DC. 

So for me, I love taking my bike into places where one doesn't normally see bikes. Like this fancy train station. There are people hustling and bustling past the fancy shops and here we are, in our riding gear, walking through this marble-floored wonder. We stop and get sandwiches next to our bikes as we watch politicians and government employees hustle past well-dressed passengers. And there we are, two cycling tourists dressed in bathroom-laundered clothing (so we didn't smell bad, but just may have looked less than fashionable). But who cares? Not us!

Making our way from the train to Union Station
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Great lunch spot eating sandwiches and watching the Washington hot-polloi hustle by
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It had rained in DC prior to our arrival, so we cycled with our rain gear on around some of the national monuments. "Are you sure we can ride on the mall?" Kath asks, and I tell let's do it until someone says we're not allowed to. After all, Google maps has it linked in green and we see others riding the mall as well.

Riding along the monuments. If you get a chance to cycle on the mall, DO IT!
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The original Smithsonian Castle
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The elusive Mile-Marker-0 of the C&O canal
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After this, we cycle to our Georgetown hotel, check in, and then walk around Georgetown and get Mexican and Margaritas for dinner. A day and a half of walking around Washington DC is followed by an overnight journey on the sleeper car back to Atlanta.

We celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary by dining on Amtrak.

Today's ride: 7 miles (11 km)
Total: 169 miles (272 km)

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