Those a-holes!
I mean, they act all sympathetic, but I ended up just implying they are bunch of lazy bastards passing the buck from one supervisor to the next. I'm going to contact John James, the acting Superintendent of the National Park Service and speak my mind. I'm also going to get in contact with WABA and see what they're up to. Then I'm going to contact an attorney. I can't believe the lame excuses I got earlier when I talked to them today- the best of the excuses was that the trail is NOT a bike path- it is a multi use trail, and right now, when it's snowing, they don't plow because it's used by cross country skiers and snowmobilers. CROSS COUNTRY SKIERS AND SNOWMOBILERS??!! Bite me! I told them that they need to consider who the primary users of the trail are and who's being the most inconvenienced by the loss of the trail- and that's cyclists and runners. It's so lame. The guy even told me that in order to change the way "things are", it would probably take congressional action. Congressional action?? Congressional action? Waht the crap does that mean "Congressional Action"? Not a problem, I told him. I'm going to talk to some people on the top floor of my building. They work in the senate, and I'm sure they can direct me to the proper congressional people. No answer to that one- I think he didn't know what to say after that. But I am going to contact my buddies at the Senate. Heck, I just had brownies up there with them on Friday. I'll bake a batch of my own brownies and bring it over and butter them up with it.
I am hoping that WABA can team up with a local runners group (any runners group). I'm perfectly willing to come by with a shovel and salt and take a section of the path and shovel it clean. If WABA can get 10 dedicated folks and the runners group can get 10 dedicated folks, and we just take the trail from mile 7 to the Key Bridge, we can pretty much clear up the mess along the path. With 30 dedicated people, we can have that path cleared within 2 hours.
*sigh*
The ride home definitely wasn't as bad. It only took me 50 minuts instead of the 1:05 min from this morning. It is pretty badly iced and snowed over still, but not as badly as this morning. It's got some patchy clear spots, then gets snowy and icy. Heading south, I got off at the Crystal City turn off and didn't bother to try getting over that second bridge. It looked to be completely iced over still.
Tomorrow morning, I'm taking my bike to the Metro. Then my brother is going to pick me up at the metro and drive me into DC. I'm going to ride in with him. As far as the ride back, I'll have to figure it out. I have to work until late in the evening, but I'm hoping that I can hitch a ride off someone who works at my fitness club. If not, I will have to stomach the metro back to my bike, then take my bike the rest of the way. By Wednesday, I expect to be 100% back to riding early morning.
Man, this is ridiculous.
Koffee