go big on a bike

After doing domestic-related chores 'round here, I got the crazy idea to hop on my bike and ride out to Vienna. She's dog-sitting, and I thought it'd be a nice ride with some sunny skies overhead.

Everyone else had the same idea. Lucky for me, we were all going the same speed this afternoon. All the weekend warriors had hit the trail and headed home before lunchtime. I didn't have to dodge too many folks, hollering out, "On the left!" as I passed.

Today was test day also for a pair of bike shorts. No, I wasn't rocking spandex as outerwear. This was a pair of padded bike shorts meant to be worn as underwear. I looked normal on my old-school Fuji road bike, padded all the while. Perfect for my type of riding. Weekend warrior style. Not saddle sore yet. We'll see how things feel tomorrow.

The ride was uneventful. I knocked out the 13 1/2 miles one way in a shade over an hour. My legs were tired. We took a nice long break, visited with her brother, niece and sister-in-law, ate dinner, and I headed back with not enough daylight to spare. I found my way to the Metro and hopped on. Haven't gotten off the couch since. Wound up being close to 20 miles.

Climbing forecast tomorrow: unknown, unloved, and undiscovered. Good times, I hope.

spring-like temps

Winter went on vacation this weekend. The weeks of below freezing nights still haven't thawed all the snow and ice out in the woods and waters, but this weekend was downright warm. Fifties yesterday, sixties today. May as well have been summertime, what with the short sleeves I sported today.

She and I went for a deliciously delightful ride on our bicycles yesterday. Metro'ed into the city, wheeled around, checked out a museum, then took off to Georgetown. University, by way of M Street. For you non-District denizens, a ride down M Street is gridlock in a car and somewhat treacherous on a bike. It's mind-numbingly slow on the former, and considerably quicker on the latter. I'll take my bike. Traipsing around a college campus was a lot of fun again; she was remarkably tolerant of my shutterbuggery. Look for the pictures on the other channel later this week.

Today, Northwest Branch Creek put out the Batman spotlight to call all the suburban "hikers" on a beautiful day. After an hour delay due to an alarm being set for the wrong eight o'clock, we got out there to cool enough temps, but no need for sleeves. An overhung, crimpy boulder problem finally fell to me, but I have the dubious distinction of getting the last ascent. A first ascent is often sought by climbers, but I've yet to pull one. The next aspiring ascensionist unfortunately broke a key hold, thus forever changing the face of the climb. It went from a V3 to a V-hard. Too bad.

The rest of the day was spent seeing all that NW Branch has to offer. That is approximately three more boulders. Hyperbole of course, but it is a small area. Never a destination, but somehow I wind up climbing there several times a year. Despite the short day, we wound up at an awesome pub in Great Falls called the Old Brogue for a few pints and some good bar food.

I can't wait until the weather improves, and we can make some real trips to some real crags. Coopers, here we come!

mmm, sulfur!

i'm a writer for a music website called jamsbio. well, sort of. i was a beta writer. once they stopped paying for contributing, i kinda quit doing it. more important phish to phry. the premise of the site is that certain songs are linked to memories in your life. listen to a song, tell a story to go along with it. interesting concept, no?

whilst on a bicycle ride today, mind a-wandering, i connected another sense to memories. the beginning of my ride was hella fun. zipping along a paved path, twisting alongside four mile run in breezy wooded glory. much fun. except for that god-awful smell. sulfur. it immediately linked to several happier memories in my past. thank goodness! here it is, my moment of zcent.

the ball fields in north lauderdale were next to the water treatment plant. every fall (or was it the spring?) i played ball in the asphyxiating stench of sulfur used or released in the treatment of raw sewage. i loved playing baseball, bad as i was, so my young mind came to associate that smell with baseball. the smell of the non-potable sprinkler water used municipally at most city and county parks always brought me back.

when we moved to coral springs in the last month or so of fifth grade, i quickly realized that living less than a quarter mile from the treatment plant would put that smell in my nostrils for the majority of the days i played front lawn baseball or football or rode my bike. it was then that i also started camping in boy scouts. any of you that've been to camp seminole in davie (few in number for sure!) know that the water we were supposed to drink and clean with was tainted by the same resident of number 16, periodic table. it took a few years before my taste buds would adjust to the shock of such a vile elixir, nevermind my body to the simultaneous shock of a cold outdoor shower and the sensation of not getting clean in tainted water.

i'm not really sure where the stench came from today. dog poo fermenting in four mile run. industrial runoff along west glebe road. stagnating water. straight up raw sewage. who knows. all i can say for certain is that, pretty as it was, i'm probably going to avoid that route until it cools off and that cooked putrid olfactory assault subsides to less nausea-inducing levels.