Our original plan was to keep things small for Memorial Day. We went to a pig roast hosted by one of Zach's coworkers on Saturday. So on Monday we were just going to have Kevin's mom over and grill some steaks.
But then we decided to invite some other people. We went to buy food for everyone. We bought too much food, and that led us to inviting even more people. Before we knew it we had a party on our hands. Actually, I'm a little impressed that we managed to have as many people as we did, given that the whole thing essentially came together the day before. No one else had made plans, either.
Ultimately, we had a nearly perfect amount of food. The chicken and steak all got eaten. There were only a few ribs and a single serving of pasta salad left over. Some roasted veggies are still in the fridge, but the cheese and chips and blueberry pie were decimated.
I'm glad we ended up pulling a party together at the last minute. It's nice to see people. Some of the people who came are people we really only see on holidays. And one of Kevin's high school friends was in town briefly, so it was nice to catch up with him, too.
Mostly I'm impressed with how easily everything came together. We nearly had the right amount of food. We had far too much alcohol, but that's not exactly a problem. Everything was delicious and everyone had fun. I'm really getting the hang of this hosting thing. (Yeah, Kevin actually did most of it, but still)
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Mt Vernon Trail
Yesterday Zach and Sarah joined us for a ride on the Mt. Vernon trail, which is easily my favorite trail yet. It runs 17 miles from Roosevelt Island to Mt. Vernon. Most of that is along the river, which makes for a beautiful ride with a nice breeze. Except for the short section by the sewage treatment plant, but you can almost hold your breath the whole way past that.
The ride was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy. We went out to Mt Vernon and back again, for a total of 35 miles. The trail is mostly flat, which is a big reason I found the ride easier than the last 30+ mile ride I did. It also helps that this was my second 30+ mile ride. I'm getting in better shape all the time, and it's nice to see my own improvement on rides like this.
I did have a little trouble with passing etiquette on the Mt. Vernon trail. It's both slightly narrower and much windier than the W&OD. Because of this people are more wary when it comes to passing. I'm used to the fairly aggressive passing that happens on the W&OD, which most people treat as though it has 3 full lanes, with the middle reserved for passing. I've even seen it treated as a four-lane path once or twice. But that sort of thing isn't acceptable on the Mt. Vernon trail, which really does only have 2 lanes. I got one or two angry looks for passing when other people thought I shouldn't (I felt like I had enough room, though).
I'm looking forward to doing this trail again. It's a 3+ hour ride, which isn't always easy to fit into the schedule. And as the weather heats up I may not want to go for such a long ride. But this one, and how good I felt afterwards, has me confident that it won't be long before I can tackle the W&OD in its entirety.
The ride was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy. We went out to Mt Vernon and back again, for a total of 35 miles. The trail is mostly flat, which is a big reason I found the ride easier than the last 30+ mile ride I did. It also helps that this was my second 30+ mile ride. I'm getting in better shape all the time, and it's nice to see my own improvement on rides like this.
I did have a little trouble with passing etiquette on the Mt. Vernon trail. It's both slightly narrower and much windier than the W&OD. Because of this people are more wary when it comes to passing. I'm used to the fairly aggressive passing that happens on the W&OD, which most people treat as though it has 3 full lanes, with the middle reserved for passing. I've even seen it treated as a four-lane path once or twice. But that sort of thing isn't acceptable on the Mt. Vernon trail, which really does only have 2 lanes. I got one or two angry looks for passing when other people thought I shouldn't (I felt like I had enough room, though).
I'm looking forward to doing this trail again. It's a 3+ hour ride, which isn't always easy to fit into the schedule. And as the weather heats up I may not want to go for such a long ride. But this one, and how good I felt afterwards, has me confident that it won't be long before I can tackle the W&OD in its entirety.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Wine Tasting With Mom
Connor had a few days off between Spring and Summer terms, so our mom came out to Virginia for a visit. The two of them spent the days doing touristy things while I was at work. But on Saturday we all trooped out to Loudon County to go to some wine tastings.
We started at Narmada, because it's one of the best wineries in Virginia. It's owned by an Indian couple, and they sell Indian food along with the wine. They offered three different tastings, and between the five of us (Kevin and Alison were there, too) we did all three. Mom and I did the reserve tasting, which had some of the richer wines on it. We missed out on the dessert wine, but that's okay because everything we tasted was delicious. Then we got a bottle to share and had a light lunch in their tasting room.
There are a few wineries on the DC side of Narmada. We went to them for Sarah's bachelorette party years ago, but I wasn't really impressed with either of them. So we drove past Narmada to see what was that way. Cell phone reception was spotty, but wineries are pretty decent about posting signs along the road. We found Gadino Cellars. They're fairly new, and they had some excellent wines. They also just introduced a whiskey-infused port that was so delicious we all bought a bottle of it.
Then it was on to Little Washington winery, another one I'd never heard of before. I fell a little bit in love. They offer wine not just from their own vineyard, but from small wineries around the world. They employ a sommelier to travel the world and find and buy wines and send them back. They offer these to taste, sell them at their winery, and make them a part of their "Dirt Road Wine Club", which I'm considering joining. $50 gets you 2 bottles of wine either monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly, curated from all over the world. It's a great idea, though it sucks that someone needs either be around to sign for the package or be willing to drive out to the winery to pick it up.
At any rate, I want to go back to Little Washington and take more people there. It helps that it's right next to Narmada, making it part of an excellent little afternoon trip. I just wish they weren't quite so far away.
We started at Narmada, because it's one of the best wineries in Virginia. It's owned by an Indian couple, and they sell Indian food along with the wine. They offered three different tastings, and between the five of us (Kevin and Alison were there, too) we did all three. Mom and I did the reserve tasting, which had some of the richer wines on it. We missed out on the dessert wine, but that's okay because everything we tasted was delicious. Then we got a bottle to share and had a light lunch in their tasting room.
There are a few wineries on the DC side of Narmada. We went to them for Sarah's bachelorette party years ago, but I wasn't really impressed with either of them. So we drove past Narmada to see what was that way. Cell phone reception was spotty, but wineries are pretty decent about posting signs along the road. We found Gadino Cellars. They're fairly new, and they had some excellent wines. They also just introduced a whiskey-infused port that was so delicious we all bought a bottle of it.
Then it was on to Little Washington winery, another one I'd never heard of before. I fell a little bit in love. They offer wine not just from their own vineyard, but from small wineries around the world. They employ a sommelier to travel the world and find and buy wines and send them back. They offer these to taste, sell them at their winery, and make them a part of their "Dirt Road Wine Club", which I'm considering joining. $50 gets you 2 bottles of wine either monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly, curated from all over the world. It's a great idea, though it sucks that someone needs either be around to sign for the package or be willing to drive out to the winery to pick it up.
At any rate, I want to go back to Little Washington and take more people there. It helps that it's right next to Narmada, making it part of an excellent little afternoon trip. I just wish they weren't quite so far away.
Monday, May 18, 2015
Bike to Work Day
Friday was the Official Bike to Work Day, which I got to participate in for the first time ever. I was worried about the crowds initially, and I almost decided not to do it. Crowds and I don't get along so well. But I know the route pretty well, and Kevin assured me it wouldn't be too bad. Sure enough, it wasn't significantly more crowded than a typical day. Things got a bit backed up at intersections and pit stops, especially the Gallows light, which takes four minutes to cycle through, but other than that it wasn't bad.
Well, that's not entire true. One of the pit stops was a bit of a disaster in the morning. They'd blocked off one of the small roads that the trail crosses, which I initially thought was nice. It removed a stop sign at the bottom of the hill that's usually more annoying than anything else. But as I got closer I saw the traffic cones they had set up. They had made a weird, zig-zagging course across the road that was only wide enough for one bike at a time. We had to take turns crossing from either side. If that wasn't bad enough they rang cowbells and blew kazoos at us while we were traversing the cones. They were probably trying to cheer us on, but it felt more like mocking.
Thankfully the other pit stop I passed held off on the cow bells and just offered water and snacks instead.
The ride home was better because Falls Church pit stop had removed the cones from the road. They still had the cow bells, but I was able to speed through the intersection. However, people seemed unusually angry in the afternoon. A lady leaned out of her car window to yell at a biker crossing the street. Another guy yelled at a guy for having a blinking headlight on his bike and then either stopped or turned around to pursue him, because he fell off the trail after that. Kevin says people get angry like that a lot. I guess I just saw more of it because there were more people around.
The whole thing was mostly fun, especially since the weather was perfect. I didn't get a t-shirt, because I would never wear a t-shirt, but I got to bike to work and pass a lot of people who don't normally bike to work. And now I'll keep biking until it gets too hot and/or humid to do so. Here's hoping summer holds off for a while yet.
Well, that's not entire true. One of the pit stops was a bit of a disaster in the morning. They'd blocked off one of the small roads that the trail crosses, which I initially thought was nice. It removed a stop sign at the bottom of the hill that's usually more annoying than anything else. But as I got closer I saw the traffic cones they had set up. They had made a weird, zig-zagging course across the road that was only wide enough for one bike at a time. We had to take turns crossing from either side. If that wasn't bad enough they rang cowbells and blew kazoos at us while we were traversing the cones. They were probably trying to cheer us on, but it felt more like mocking.
Thankfully the other pit stop I passed held off on the cow bells and just offered water and snacks instead.
The ride home was better because Falls Church pit stop had removed the cones from the road. They still had the cow bells, but I was able to speed through the intersection. However, people seemed unusually angry in the afternoon. A lady leaned out of her car window to yell at a biker crossing the street. Another guy yelled at a guy for having a blinking headlight on his bike and then either stopped or turned around to pursue him, because he fell off the trail after that. Kevin says people get angry like that a lot. I guess I just saw more of it because there were more people around.
The whole thing was mostly fun, especially since the weather was perfect. I didn't get a t-shirt, because I would never wear a t-shirt, but I got to bike to work and pass a lot of people who don't normally bike to work. And now I'll keep biking until it gets too hot and/or humid to do so. Here's hoping summer holds off for a while yet.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Arlington Loop
On Sunday I decided I wanted to bike the Arlington Loop. Kevin had talked about it before, and I always see the map on my way to work. It seemed like a fun ride. And while I knew it was longer than anything I'd done before, I was sure I was ready.
It turns out that 30 miles is significantly longer than 20 miles. Especially when it ends up being closer to 33 miles. But I did do it. I slowed down towards the end, and I had a hard time moving for the rest of the day. But I biked the entire loop.
The Arlington Loop itself is about 17 miles around the town of Arlington. It combines bits of the Custis Trail, the Mt Vernon Trail, Four Mile Run, and the end of the W&OD. I actually do about a mile of it on my commute to work, which is part of why I was interested in it. Of course that also means that the loop itself is about a 9 mile ride from my house. And, like every bike trail near our home, it's all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back.
I'm really glad I did it, though. The Custis Trail has a lot of ups and downs, but we did that on the front half so I had plenty of energy. It was like a roller coaster, and I built of some good speed on the downhill sections. Then there's a nice long stretch along the Potomac River. This part was a little crowded and a little close to the road, but biking by the river was still fun. And as we came around Gravelly Point, a plane came in for a landing right above us. It was really cool.
The ride home was rough, especially as we passed the 20 mile mark and still had most of the uphill section left. But once we got to the part of the trail I use for my commute things got a little easier. Mostly because I know that trail well enough to be able to mentally break it down into smaller sections. I know how long the flatter sections last, how much further to the big hill. And I ultimately made it home.
I was exhausted after the ride, and spent the afternoon sitting on the couch instead of the chores and errands I had planned. But I'm glad I did it. If nothing else, now I know I can do it. I'm getting stronger and faster (I actually did the section between home and work faster than ever, though work to home took significantly longer). It's great to know that I can survive such a long ride, and that even when I get tired I can keep going. I definitely have more endurance than I ever have before.
It turns out that 30 miles is significantly longer than 20 miles. Especially when it ends up being closer to 33 miles. But I did do it. I slowed down towards the end, and I had a hard time moving for the rest of the day. But I biked the entire loop.
The Arlington Loop itself is about 17 miles around the town of Arlington. It combines bits of the Custis Trail, the Mt Vernon Trail, Four Mile Run, and the end of the W&OD. I actually do about a mile of it on my commute to work, which is part of why I was interested in it. Of course that also means that the loop itself is about a 9 mile ride from my house. And, like every bike trail near our home, it's all downhill on the way out and all uphill on the way back.
I'm really glad I did it, though. The Custis Trail has a lot of ups and downs, but we did that on the front half so I had plenty of energy. It was like a roller coaster, and I built of some good speed on the downhill sections. Then there's a nice long stretch along the Potomac River. This part was a little crowded and a little close to the road, but biking by the river was still fun. And as we came around Gravelly Point, a plane came in for a landing right above us. It was really cool.
The ride home was rough, especially as we passed the 20 mile mark and still had most of the uphill section left. But once we got to the part of the trail I use for my commute things got a little easier. Mostly because I know that trail well enough to be able to mentally break it down into smaller sections. I know how long the flatter sections last, how much further to the big hill. And I ultimately made it home.
I was exhausted after the ride, and spent the afternoon sitting on the couch instead of the chores and errands I had planned. But I'm glad I did it. If nothing else, now I know I can do it. I'm getting stronger and faster (I actually did the section between home and work faster than ever, though work to home took significantly longer). It's great to know that I can survive such a long ride, and that even when I get tired I can keep going. I definitely have more endurance than I ever have before.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Accotink Trail
One of Kevin's favorite local bike trails is the Accotink trail. There's a 4 mile loop around Lake Accotink, which is about 8 miles south of our house. The ride ends up being about 20 miles total. Kevin was waiting patiently to take me on this ride, and on Saturday I decided I was ready.
I ended up not being quite as ready as I had though. Kevin warned me that the trail is more packed dirt and gravel than asphalt. I looked up my bike's specs to make sure it would be alright. There were several reviews on the site where I'd bought it from people successfully taking it on the Accotink trail, so I knew the bike at least would be fine. And there's a short gravel path near my house, so I assumed I knew what I was getting in to.
Unfortunately the trail was much bumpier than I was prepared for. There was a section of really old asphalt during that caused enough bouncing around for my boobs to hurt. It's probably not entirely fair to call the trail poorly maintained, since it is maintained to the expected standards. But I got used to my nice asphalt trails, and the bumpy, jittery trail was a lot for me to handle.
That said, the trail itself was gorgeous. There's a small section that runs along the highway, but the rest is in the woods. Although it follows a stream down to a lake, the entire thing is surprisingly flat. It's just barely downhill on the way to the lake and just barely uphill on the way home. There were some hills around the lake, but only one of them really caused me problems. I had to get off my bike and walk it up the hill. Then I opted to walk it back down the other side instead of attempt the steep and narrow trail down.
I'm glad I did this ride. I just won't be doing it again any time soon. Though I could cut out the part that really gave me trouble. And now that I know what to expect in terms of bumpy trails it might be better in the future. Even the shoddy asphalt was easier to ride over on the way home than on the way out. Maybe once I get more advanced I can become more familiar with the trail. Knowing what to expect makes it easier. But in the meantime I'll be sticking to my well-maintained asphalt trails. There's certainly no shortage of them.
I ended up not being quite as ready as I had though. Kevin warned me that the trail is more packed dirt and gravel than asphalt. I looked up my bike's specs to make sure it would be alright. There were several reviews on the site where I'd bought it from people successfully taking it on the Accotink trail, so I knew the bike at least would be fine. And there's a short gravel path near my house, so I assumed I knew what I was getting in to.
Unfortunately the trail was much bumpier than I was prepared for. There was a section of really old asphalt during that caused enough bouncing around for my boobs to hurt. It's probably not entirely fair to call the trail poorly maintained, since it is maintained to the expected standards. But I got used to my nice asphalt trails, and the bumpy, jittery trail was a lot for me to handle.
That said, the trail itself was gorgeous. There's a small section that runs along the highway, but the rest is in the woods. Although it follows a stream down to a lake, the entire thing is surprisingly flat. It's just barely downhill on the way to the lake and just barely uphill on the way home. There were some hills around the lake, but only one of them really caused me problems. I had to get off my bike and walk it up the hill. Then I opted to walk it back down the other side instead of attempt the steep and narrow trail down.
I'm glad I did this ride. I just won't be doing it again any time soon. Though I could cut out the part that really gave me trouble. And now that I know what to expect in terms of bumpy trails it might be better in the future. Even the shoddy asphalt was easier to ride over on the way home than on the way out. Maybe once I get more advanced I can become more familiar with the trail. Knowing what to expect makes it easier. But in the meantime I'll be sticking to my well-maintained asphalt trails. There's certainly no shortage of them.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Pros and Cons of Biking to Work
I should perhaps open by saying that I love biking to work. I'm so glad I'm finally fit enough to do this. It is, by and large, a wonderful experience that is improving my life. But, as with everything, there are annoyances. And it's my blog, so I can vent if I want to.
1) My commute is into the sun. East in the morning, west in the evening. It's less of a problem in the evening, because the sun isn't as low when I'm headed home. In the morning, the sun is at exactly the right angle to cause some serious distress. Even wearing sunglasses, I'm often blinded at least once. The flickering caused by tree shadows is distracting. Each morning I've had to come to a complete stop at least once because I couldn't see where I was supposed to go. I was thinking this would get better as sunrise gets earlier, but we're fast approaching the longest day of the year. As soon as this problem goes away it will come back.
2) Capris are the ugliest, least comfortable garment ever designed. But damn they're functional. Yoga pants come with the constant hazard of getting caught in the gears. Shorts ride up and my thighs chafe on the seat. So capris make the most sense. I don't have to like it though.
3) The beginning of the ride home is always awful. My legs are tight from the morning ride. I've had to put my sweaty gear back on, because it makes no sense to pack fresh gear when I'm just going to sweat through it again then immediately take a shower. I always loosen up and adjust eventually. It's happening more quickly each time. But that first half mile is rough.
4) I'm completely dependent on the weather. Sure, I could bike in the rain. That sounds awful and uncomfortable though. Besides which I'd probably need to buy all sorts of additional gear to protect myself and my bike. Instead I just take the metro when there's rain in the forecast. I've gotten tripped up a couple of times, mostly when I wanted to bike, decided not to, and then it didn't rain at all. It'd be nice to be freer to set my own schedule around this.
5) This should change soon, but at the moment I'm mad. Far from losing weight, I've actually gained weight since I started biking to work. I now weigh more than I ever have, and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's just a transition period? Building muscle in my legs? Hopefully this will change soon. If I can stick with it and keep from getting discouraged.
Aside from these things, the commute is pretty great. I love how efficient it is. I'm able to get two hours of exercise in, and I get home less than an hour later than when I commute by train. It gives me longer evenings and more energy. I'm more awake in the morning at work and less stressed when I get home.
The trail is fantastic. Aside from being pretty and not too crowded and smelling nice, it's a perfect course. Both directions begin uphill and finish downhill (mostly), though there's a lot more downhill on the way to work. Not quite halfway through there's an enormous hill that's hell to get up but so much fun to fly down. It's its own reward. There are also stop lights at about the 3 and 7 mile marks that make perfect water stops.
Mostly I'm just hoping that the weather doesn't get too hot too fast. Yesterday it was 83 when I was biking home, and I don't think I can handle biking in temperatures much above 90. But maybe that will change as I get better. Or maybe we'll have a summer as mild as last years. I can hope.
1) My commute is into the sun. East in the morning, west in the evening. It's less of a problem in the evening, because the sun isn't as low when I'm headed home. In the morning, the sun is at exactly the right angle to cause some serious distress. Even wearing sunglasses, I'm often blinded at least once. The flickering caused by tree shadows is distracting. Each morning I've had to come to a complete stop at least once because I couldn't see where I was supposed to go. I was thinking this would get better as sunrise gets earlier, but we're fast approaching the longest day of the year. As soon as this problem goes away it will come back.
2) Capris are the ugliest, least comfortable garment ever designed. But damn they're functional. Yoga pants come with the constant hazard of getting caught in the gears. Shorts ride up and my thighs chafe on the seat. So capris make the most sense. I don't have to like it though.
3) The beginning of the ride home is always awful. My legs are tight from the morning ride. I've had to put my sweaty gear back on, because it makes no sense to pack fresh gear when I'm just going to sweat through it again then immediately take a shower. I always loosen up and adjust eventually. It's happening more quickly each time. But that first half mile is rough.
4) I'm completely dependent on the weather. Sure, I could bike in the rain. That sounds awful and uncomfortable though. Besides which I'd probably need to buy all sorts of additional gear to protect myself and my bike. Instead I just take the metro when there's rain in the forecast. I've gotten tripped up a couple of times, mostly when I wanted to bike, decided not to, and then it didn't rain at all. It'd be nice to be freer to set my own schedule around this.
5) This should change soon, but at the moment I'm mad. Far from losing weight, I've actually gained weight since I started biking to work. I now weigh more than I ever have, and I can't figure out why. Maybe it's just a transition period? Building muscle in my legs? Hopefully this will change soon. If I can stick with it and keep from getting discouraged.
Aside from these things, the commute is pretty great. I love how efficient it is. I'm able to get two hours of exercise in, and I get home less than an hour later than when I commute by train. It gives me longer evenings and more energy. I'm more awake in the morning at work and less stressed when I get home.
The trail is fantastic. Aside from being pretty and not too crowded and smelling nice, it's a perfect course. Both directions begin uphill and finish downhill (mostly), though there's a lot more downhill on the way to work. Not quite halfway through there's an enormous hill that's hell to get up but so much fun to fly down. It's its own reward. There are also stop lights at about the 3 and 7 mile marks that make perfect water stops.
Mostly I'm just hoping that the weather doesn't get too hot too fast. Yesterday it was 83 when I was biking home, and I don't think I can handle biking in temperatures much above 90. But maybe that will change as I get better. Or maybe we'll have a summer as mild as last years. I can hope.
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