Fredericksburg to Arlington

May 16, 2016

Today was the toughest and hardest day: 70 miles and 4500 feet of climbing. And this after five days of some serious biking already! So we had turned in early. Jeff's alarm went off at 5:30 AM; his train left the station at 6:30 . . . and he made it! I was a bit more lethargic but was still out the door by 9:00 AM and headed straight for breakfast at Mercantile, a mere three blocks away. Still, it was a cool start but promised to get warmer. And I definitely needed a good fueling for today's ride.

Breakfast at the Mercantile in downtown Fredericksburg.

So there was nothing particularly exciting about today since I was basically retracing my route from this past Wednesday. The area north of Fredericksburg was just as hilly as I remember it being when headed south from Kristin's, both times ridden at the start of the day, as chance would have it.

Today's ride to Arlington

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It dropped off a bit as I approached the "back gate" into Aquia Harbour, which is through Government Island Park. I had not had any difficulty passing through Aquia Harbour while headed southbound and totally missed these signs when exiting the development. But they were very noticeable on the return trip!

The backdoor bridge into Aquia Harbour . . .

I missed these signs while headed southbound . . . good thing!

If you have read my other blogs, you'll know that signs do not easily dissuade me! So I passed through. It got hilly again (I was climbing out of the valley after all), but eventually, I made it to the guardhouse, which I passed without incident.

Leaving through the main entrance and past the "guard" house.

So far, so good. But there were more hills to come. Telegraph Road felt much tougher going north than when I came south. The hill over Military Island is pretty much the same in either direction. The real challenge is from US-1 and up and over I-95. What a climb! Although the grade is really not that bad . . . maybe 5.5% to 6.0%. It just felt steeper and looked it!

From there, it was down Russell Road and left onto Breckenridge Road and then onto Quantico Drive, another steep climb. Probably close to 10%. I was doing fine until the halfway point when a car pulls up alongside me and the driver starts a conversation. And note, I was on the passenger side of the vehicle!

Well, that made me stop. He looked quasi-official, and I was at least near, if not on, a military base. So I wasn't about to ignore someone . . . per se . . . but read on.

So practically the first thing out of his mouth was that I would not be allowed through the cemetery. At the time, I took that to mean "through" traffic was not allowed. So my position was that I was a tourist, going to visit the cemetery, stop and look at some of the memorials, etc., etc., etc. But he persisted along the vein that passage through would be denied and I would be turned around by his foreman (my emphasis, not his).

I'm persistent, too, and kept up my line of argument, not to mention that my dad had been a veteran and US-1 was not an alternative route (as he had suggested). This went on for a good while, nice enough, but he wasn't budging on the "warning." I will say, at no point did he tell me to turn back. I was not to the cemetery property yet either, which is administered by the Veteran's Administration, not the Marine Corps.

Eventually we parted. The hill was too steep for me to get started again . . . unless I went sideways or back downhill a bit and then turned up again. I have done that before, but it is challenging, and the road was wider. This road was narrow, and I was not in the frame of mind to fight it, so I walked the last half. And . . . I was not about to be stopped. My determination had not been shaken . . . yet lol.

Until I saw the sign: "No Bicycles."

OMG, it's not just "Through Traffic" that they prohibit, but bicycling, jogging, running . . . pretty much any recreational activity. OK, fair enough, but I was not on a club ride, and I don't bike commute through here regularly . . . so in retrospect, maybe the supervisor who spoke to me actually got that message . . . or maybe it was just the fact that it was lunch hour. But as I pedaled on, developing a story line in my head should I be challenged, and passed the maintenance facilities — the ones I had passed going southbound and received queer glances from the staff — today, there was no one . . . no staff about whatsoever!

So I continued on through the cemetery but also picked up my pace. I figured if I made it far enough "in," then the shortest way "out" would be through the far gate . . . and mission accomplished! I also decided to take a slight detour onto a secondary road that somewhat shortened my passage . . . and kept me off the main road and maybe more out of sight. Before I knew it, there was the main gate. I had passed a few groundsmen but apparently not the foreman, so success! The beachhead was mine!

Exiting Quantico National Cemetery . . . without being "caught."

I figured that was the last challenge. Next stop: Prince William Forest, which I did not know was run by the National Park Service!

And into Prince William Forest . . . owned and operated by the National Park Service. I had no idea!

The ride through was a lot more pleasant this time around. Very warm. Very bright. Still hilly! But almost no cars.

And the entrance to Burma Road, which becomes the fire road out the back gate of the forest.

The ride through the forest was pretty uneventful. At Burma Road, I passed the gate and made a rest stop of it, eating some snacks and doffing some layers. A pair of park rangers pulled up in a pickup truck, opened and passed through the gate with hardly a word. I was worried that I might be told no bicycles on the back roads and trails. But no warning, and I continued on my way, the same direction they were going, without seeing them again.

The road was a little rougher returning than I recalled from the first pass through. Maybe that has to do with the direction of travel, the grade, and whether you're ascending or descending. Regardless, I have wide (and new) tires, so I was not overly concerned. After a short distance, I arrived at the back gate . . .

The back gate at Route 234, Dumfries Road. Locked, but as you can see, there is a way around . . .

I was now officially back in suburban Prince William County with its wonderful suburban arterials, usually lacking bicycle facilities! But there are some exceptions, like this passage through Montclair.

Passing through a subdivision known as Montclair, I took this picture of the lake from the trail on top of the dam.

And I absolutely had to have a picture of this "Bus Stop" sign, which is totally lacking even basic information such as the agency serving the stop. So even if I wanted to use the bus, I'd have no idea where to go for information to allow that to happen. Thanks to Google Maps, however, I later figured these are stops for various routes operated by the PRTC, the Potomac Rappahannock Transportation Commission. Maybe one day they'll get that on these non-nondescript signs along with the route numbers served at that particular stop!

I remembered these "Bus Stop" signs while headed south but did not stop to take a picture in the rain, so I grabbed one on the return trip. Not very useful signage, and I never saw any buses.

From the "Bus Stop" sign, I moved onward along Cardinal Drive and then onto Minnieville Road, where I rode the sidewalk and "trail" all the way to Occoquan, retracing my route through a few residential neighborhoods when I was close. Then it was Ox Road (Route 123) and over the Occoquan River. My original plan was to pass through the town and take the old road, but I was being expedient today and opted out on that.

I then passed the former Lorton Reformatory again, this time getting a better picture of the remaining guard towers.

Pushing across Prince William County, I eventually reached the Occoquan River and the town of Occoquan, now captured in bright sunshine.

The guard towers of the former Lorton Reformatory reminded me of an abandoned concentration camp. The site is now an arts center . . .

I stayed on the trail along Ox Road as far as Silverbrook Road, bypassing the trail along Giles Run, and then entered the Fairfax County trail system off of Oakstream Court.

I finally arrived at the start of the Fairfax County trail system I would pretty much follow to Annandale. This section started out unpaved but soon became paved.

This made for easy riding, although I tried to keep my pace up, as I was anxious to get home . . . sort of.

The Lake Accotink Dam. You never get a really good view of the lake, and the trail has a steep climb up the slope on a poorly maintained trail. At the top, it returns to a "natural" (read unimproved) surface.

At the dam, you can go left, as I did, and follow the west/south trail, but that was a steep climb on a poor trail surface (I walked the bike). As I mentioned while headed southbound, the east/north route is likely paved and probably better maintained (or just newer).

From there, it was an easy ride back through the park and to the beltway crossing. Still ten miles to go, though.

Across the beltway . . . now only ten miles from home!

Back on the W&OD Trail . . . a trail I am intimately familiar with, as I used it to commute to work. I stopped here for a bit to refuel (eat) and enjoy the spring weather.

And finally, home . . . and a beer!

My last Heady Topper (Vermont) . . . the world turned upside down! I know, I know, "Drink it out of the can," they say, but I'm a pour-and-drink kind of guy. I'm trying to get friends in Vermont to send a fresh supply . . .

Today's ride: 70 miles (113 km)
Total: 397 miles (639 km)

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