Arlington, VA to Towson, MD

May 16, 2017

OK, Day 1, and we're off . . .

Today's ride to Towson.

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I woke up early. 7:00 AM! Something I have been doing routinely since last week when I started the renovation of my bathroom. In spite of promises, however, the workers never arrive as early as they say they will, but one still needs to be ready.

But I needed to rise early anyway to fuel the engine and do last-minute checks on the bike and luggage. And check the weather and decide what to wear. In spite of the "current" weather report of 53°F, stepping out on the balcony told me it was much, much warmer. Not in the 70s yet, but close. So I went with summer clothing but am packing a heavier long-sleeve jersey in case there is a chill in the mornings as we head north.

Push-off was at 9:00 AM. No workers had shown up by then, and I had some issues to discuss with my contractor, so a longish email went out before I left (which may have been closer to 9:10 or 9:15).

On the freight elevator down to street level.

The loaded bike ready to ride! This has now become my standard setup: two panniers and a saddlebag. About 20 lbs. total.

Me and my building. It was a beautiful morning.

I was to meet Jerry on the National Mall at 9:30, so I really pushed those first six miles. The Mall is beautiful almost any time of year but particularly so on a nice spring morning. So I took the time to take a few pictures on my way to meeting Jerry.

In front of the Lincoln Memorial . . . yes, there behind the trees!

Riding along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

Still, I arrived "late" and found Jerry relaxing on a park bench. He had been there about 10 minutes, so had arrived on time. But without much ado, we pushed on down the Mall towards the US Capitol and chatted as we pedaled along, discussing, among other things, an annoying click he was hearing when he applied his rear brakes. We both decided it probably had something to do with the panniers, and while concerned, didn't take it too seriously. We were to meet Happy in Hyattsville between 10:15 and 10:30, and I figured we would easily make the 10:30 time, if not earlier.

Of course, we were on a well-ridden route. Jerry has biked to Baltimore many times and has it memorized. I am less familiar with the route but know the area well, so followed my Garmin closely. This was Jerry's first tour with a Garmin, and while he needed the practice using it before we go to Europe, he decided to leave it off until we hit "new" course material in downtown Baltimore.

We met Happy promptly at 10:30 at a point where Jerry and he meet often, Magruder Park. It was at this point that Jerry first seriously delved into the "clicking" issue, but nothing was obvious. After a 10-minute respite for the three of us to catch up and get organized, we headed down the Anacostia Trail network that we would follow for the next several miles. When I last rode this route with Jerry, it was quite overcast. Today was bright and sunny, allowing the scenery to really jump out.

The three bikes, two Bike Fridays and my trusty Cannondale T2000, parked but ready (except for that annoying click!).

On the Anacostia Trail network, this is along the Northeast Branch Trail.

Riding along Lake Artemesia on the Northeast Branch Trail.

Finally we crossed the Beltway, passing the Greenbelt Metrorail Station, and broke out into the Maryland "countryside," such as it is. I use quotes since the Maryland suburbs can be densely populated. But this route follows some less traveled roads and provides for easy biking. The best roads are Brock Bridge Road and Race Road, which alone will nearly get you to Baltimore. Not quite, though, but it does take you through some pretty nice terrain, particularly along the Patapsco River.

Riding along Race Road. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the only "racing" I have seen along the road was by cyclists!

At the end of Race Road, we turned right onto Furnace Avenue and continued onto River Road. But the section along Furnace Road is low-lying and, apparently, subject to flooding!

And then we entered Baltimore, hon. Right into the Inner Harbor (or thereabouts). At this point, we had "technical difficulties" with the Garmin route. Unfortunately, this happened concurrently with Jerry turning on his Garmin so he could use it to navigate to Towson. We were not together; I was a bit ahead, but Happy helped him through the experience. They survived. I did too, knowing how to zoom out and/or find myself on my RWGPS app and get back on course.

The USS Constellation in Baltimore Harbor.

The infrastructure around the harbor has a bit of a European feel to it. Cyclists to the left and pedestrians to the right (at least going in this direction).

Which meant only about 10 more miles to Towson, no problem! Well, not really. About seven of those miles were all uphill! Not the end of the world, but definitely (at) the end of the ride. So it was a bit tough at times. Shows how out of shape I am!

On the plus side was the abundance of bicycle facilities Baltimore now has. We made good use of those! But it was still a lot of climbing. Up out of the harbor all the way to Towson.

The protected bikeway along Fallsway in Baltimore, Maryland.

So Towson was a good waypoint from a logistics point of view but really lacking in other amenities, like good restaurants. While Mo's Seafood is highly rated and was within walking distance, we found it coming up short in the quality department. We decided the high ratings were due to price and quantity. The portions are huge, and the price cheap (relative to what we are used to anyway).

A hearty bowl of Maryland Crab Soup at Mo's. The soup was good.

Rockfish at Mo's. I had it grilled, but it was overcooked and dry. But, as you can see, the portions are huge (and only about $20).

But before dinner, Jerry unloaded his bike and took it back downstairs for a full examination in brighter light. Prognosis is on the next page!

Today's ride: 62 miles (100 km)
Total: 62 miles (100 km)

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