Mt. Vernon snow update-DC/NoVA
02-13-06, 05:42 PM
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Thanks for the information all, looks like I will give it a whirl tomorrow. Great pics velogirl!!! Looks like tomorrow I will be "back in the saddle." Always a little more cautious, my cyclocross does not have quite the number of studs on my tires as the old mountain bike. (god I miss that thing) Can't say enough good stuff about the studded tires though, I too highly recommend them
02-13-06, 06:37 PM
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DCcommuter -- I would guess that I ran into the plow about 9:30 right at the DC line. It took me over an hour to make the 6-1/2 miles from Silver Spring. A truly ridiculous amount of time for 6 miles. The plowed areas were already showing melting when I passed through.
02-13-06, 07:35 PM
#28
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I came home taking a shortcut on the Route 50 trail. It was a blast! There was one nice downhil at the Route 27 /50 overpass that was untouched powder. There were also some tricky sections where pedestrians had created the usual frozen lunar landscape, and some deep parts to slog through. If it were a ski run, it would be classed intermediate.
Koffee: I agree with velo that you should get some studs. I'm amazed that you did as well as you did without them. You must be a very good rider -- much better than me, certainly. I chatted with another commuter today who said that there is a right turn off of Joyce near the 395 overpass that leads right to the 14th Street Bridge MUP.
Paul
Koffee: I agree with velo that you should get some studs. I'm amazed that you did as well as you did without them. You must be a very good rider -- much better than me, certainly. I chatted with another commuter today who said that there is a right turn off of Joyce near the 395 overpass that leads right to the 14th Street Bridge MUP.
Paul
02-13-06, 09:55 PM
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Koffee,
Am I missing something here? I use the Capital Crescent trail for commuting but for times like this I have a through town route that keeps me on plowed roads. Is there some reason you're not taking to the roads?
My geography of VA is hazy (I'm one of those people who don't cross the river!) but I do have a sense that a lot of the VA roads leading into DC aren't especially accomodating for cyclists. Is this why?
VA has had a long habit of building high speed expressways with no shoulder forcing cyclists onto MUPs. Of course - in winter we see that this is a case where seperate is not equal.
Am I missing something here? I use the Capital Crescent trail for commuting but for times like this I have a through town route that keeps me on plowed roads. Is there some reason you're not taking to the roads?
My geography of VA is hazy (I'm one of those people who don't cross the river!) but I do have a sense that a lot of the VA roads leading into DC aren't especially accomodating for cyclists. Is this why?
VA has had a long habit of building high speed expressways with no shoulder forcing cyclists onto MUPs. Of course - in winter we see that this is a case where seperate is not equal.
02-13-06, 10:18 PM
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I'm not coming from DC. I'm coming from Alexandria... VA. The only real way to get into DC from Alexandria/Arlington is via the Mt. Vernon trail... though it does look like there are a couple of tricks you can try. The highways that go into DC don't have accomodations for cyclists once you hit the bridges. You have to get on the trail (from what I've seen so far, so I'm not sure I can exactly state with certainty what's going on with these roads). *sigh*
Not being from here, I'm not sure about the roads yet, so it would take just a wee bit of time to figure out about this Joyce Street thing. :-/
Koffee
Not being from here, I'm not sure about the roads yet, so it would take just a wee bit of time to figure out about this Joyce Street thing. :-/
Koffee
02-13-06, 10:21 PM
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Originally Posted by PaulH
I came home taking a shortcut on the Route 50 trail. It was a blast! There was one nice downhil at the Route 27 /50 overpass that was untouched powder. There were also some tricky sections where pedestrians had created the usual frozen lunar landscape, and some deep parts to slog through. If it were a ski run, it would be classed intermediate.
Koffee: I agree with velo that you should get some studs. I'm amazed that you did as well as you did without them. You must be a very good rider -- much better than me, certainly. I chatted with another commuter today who said that there is a right turn off of Joyce near the 395 overpass that leads right to the 14th Street Bridge MUP.
Paul
Koffee: I agree with velo that you should get some studs. I'm amazed that you did as well as you did without them. You must be a very good rider -- much better than me, certainly. I chatted with another commuter today who said that there is a right turn off of Joyce near the 395 overpass that leads right to the 14th Street Bridge MUP.
Paul
Tomorrow, my brother is going to pick me up at the metro and drop me at work. So I'm at least safe for now.
Koffee
02-13-06, 10:57 PM
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ugh - I see your problem now. Spent some time looking at ADC's Bike Map and Google Earth. The combination of National Airport, Pentagon, and Arlington Cemetary means there are few approaches to the bridges other than the MUPs.
Look on the bright side Koffee. DC is a southern city - by law we only get a few snowy days a year. Many winters we don't have any appreciable snow at all. A few days on Metro can't be that bad (though as I write this I'm suffering my second cold of the year already - I blame it on Metro).
P.S. - Google Earth is a great tool to check out alternative routes. They have really sharp satellite photos of the DC area. I can easily spot my old car parked in front of my old apartment (the photos are a few years old). Hey - wait a minute - whose car is that parked in front of my girl friends house
Look on the bright side Koffee. DC is a southern city - by law we only get a few snowy days a year. Many winters we don't have any appreciable snow at all. A few days on Metro can't be that bad (though as I write this I'm suffering my second cold of the year already - I blame it on Metro).
P.S. - Google Earth is a great tool to check out alternative routes. They have really sharp satellite photos of the DC area. I can easily spot my old car parked in front of my old apartment (the photos are a few years old). Hey - wait a minute - whose car is that parked in front of my girl friends house
02-14-06, 06:11 AM
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Did the run this morning, not to bad. There are spots that would be very difficult (aka. walk) without studs, but with the studs were doable as long as caution was used. I actually found it sort of relaxing, I only passed two other people on the trail all together!!! For me at least, I prefer this over those summer mornings when the trail is packed by 6:30am
Hope everyone got in safely today!
Hope everyone got in safely today!
02-14-06, 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by koffee brown
Those a-holes!
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.
*Koffee
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.
*Koffee
Potomac Runners
02-14-06, 09:43 AM
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I'm in for helping to clear the trail. I would be more than happy to help with that, make all our lives easier!
02-14-06, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Slow Train
Hey - wait a minute - whose car is that parked in front of my girl friends house
02-14-06, 05:54 PM
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Wow! I thought I had pulled a few things in my life in being pissed off at the man, but you top anything I have done!
I've never seen snowmobiliers out on the path and I don't see how they would be allowed? (No motorized vehicles allowed rule)..
I've never heard of plowing the trails or cleaning (unless there is major hurricane debri like a couple years ago). You are going to have to wait for the melt,
I've never seen snowmobiliers out on the path and I don't see how they would be allowed? (No motorized vehicles allowed rule)..
I've never heard of plowing the trails or cleaning (unless there is major hurricane debri like a couple years ago). You are going to have to wait for the melt,
Originally Posted by koffee brown
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
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
02-14-06, 09:06 PM
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This morning, my brother drove me into work. He picked me up at the train station where I parked my bike. Then after I finished with work and all, I took the train back to my bike, then rode the rest of the way home. I'm still going to leave early tomorrow morning just in case, and I'll avoid as much of the path as possible, but hopefully, it'll be mostly cleared out.
Koffee
Koffee
02-15-06, 06:24 AM
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Originally Posted by koffee brown
I'm not coming from DC. I'm coming from Alexandria... VA. The only real way to get into DC from Alexandria/Arlington is via the Mt. Vernon trail... though it does look like there are a couple of tricks you can try. The highways that go into DC don't have accomodations for cyclists once you hit the bridges. You have to get on the trail (from what I've seen so far, so I'm not sure I can exactly state with certainty what's going on with these roads). *sigh*
Not being from here, I'm not sure about the roads yet, so it would take just a wee bit of time to figure out about this Joyce Street thing. :-/
Koffee
Not being from here, I'm not sure about the roads yet, so it would take just a wee bit of time to figure out about this Joyce Street thing. :-/
Koffee
02-15-06, 06:26 AM
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Got in just fine this morning on my 700x35-non studded tires. The wooden bridge just past Slator's Lane was a little hairy and the concrete bridge near the airport forced me to take the oncoming lane, however, the rest of the ride was largely clear with only a few small patches of black ice thrown in to keep things interesting. I followed another rider with studded tires who, I could easily have passed, but figured I'd then slow him down on the icy sections. The 14th Street bridge is now completely clear and the rest of my ride in DC was very nice. With temps above freezing, many of the patches that appear to be ice are actually just wet, but be careful (straighten up, off the brakes, stop pedalling, and level pedals).
02-15-06, 06:48 AM
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ditto. Only problem I had was the wooden bridge, and even that was no problem as long as you stayed slow and in the ruts. Now, I just need some rain to wash away the salt...... 
Originally Posted by mjw16
Got in just fine this morning on my 700x35-non studded tires. The wooden bridge just past Slator's Lane was a little hairy and the concrete bridge near the airport forced me to take the oncoming lane, however, the rest of the ride was largely clear with only a few small patches of black ice thrown in to keep things interesting. I followed another rider with studded tires who, I could easily have passed, but figured I'd then slow him down on the icy sections. The 14th Street bridge is now completely clear and the rest of my ride in DC was very nice. With temps above freezing, many of the patches that appear to be ice are actually just wet, but be careful (straighten up, off the brakes, stop pedalling, and level pedals).
02-15-06, 07:09 AM
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Well, I am still avoiding Four Mile Run and the bit by the parking lot of the airport. So I just take Eads to 18th, then hop the path from there. It wasn't too bad, but they now are diverting bike traffic to the GWH (the closed part) for a little bit. That second bridge overpass wasn't all fun either.
I don't know if I like the idea of riding against traffic on a ramp leading to a major highway. There's no sidewalk to walk/ride up if I decided to take the option of getting out to DC via the Pentagon?
Koffee
I don't know if I like the idea of riding against traffic on a ramp leading to a major highway. There's no sidewalk to walk/ride up if I decided to take the option of getting out to DC via the Pentagon?
Koffee
02-15-06, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by koffee brown
Well, I am still avoiding Four Mile Run and the bit by the parking lot of the airport. So I just take Eads to 18th, then hop the path from there. It wasn't too bad, but they now are diverting bike traffic to the GWH (the closed part) for a little bit. That second bridge overpass wasn't all fun either.
I don't know if I like the idea of riding against traffic on a ramp leading to a major highway. There's no sidewalk to walk/ride up if I decided to take the option of getting out to DC via the Pentagon?
Koffee
I don't know if I like the idea of riding against traffic on a ramp leading to a major highway. There's no sidewalk to walk/ride up if I decided to take the option of getting out to DC via the Pentagon?
Koffee
02-15-06, 09:56 AM
#45
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I spent about an hour looking at maps of the area. I don't see any good route to the 14th Street Bridge other the Mount Vernon Trail. However, the Route 50 trail was quite clear this morning. Even without studs it would have been very ridable.
Paul
Paul
02-15-06, 12:29 PM
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This is my third winter commuting every day (DC area), and I've been really disappointed by how little snow we've had this year, because part of the fun of winter riding is the challenge of riding on those unplowed paths. Nokian Extreme 294's are a necessity to do this (for me at least). So I have to admit, Koffee, that I'll be a bit disappointed (and more than a bit astonished) if your mission to get the paths cleared succeeds. I'll be particularly disappointed if they get out there before I can go cross-country skiing on the trails--there really isn't anywhere else around here to go cross-country skiing. But once the trails are all chopped up by footprints, and so are unskiable, and before the trail has refrozen overnight, then it does seem like they could easily run a snowplow down the path--though it may be that the wooden bridges aren't strong enough to support a vehicle. This wouldn't be an issue on the Custis trail, which also doesn't get plowed.
