The Cycling Dude Goes to VA. and DC: Introduction

Finally the secret can be revealed!

While I enlisted my Cat, Nikita, to hold down the fort...

I was on vacation in VA., and Washington DC, from the 8th thru the 17th of March.

I hope you found his cycling related reporting interesting, informative, and entertaining. ;-D

I spent the 8th thru the 11th with an Uncle as we travelled 300 minles driving around seeing the sights, and visiting an Aunt and Cousins, some of whom I had not seen in 37 years.

I then took Amtrak into DC, for the 1st time in my life, and holed up in a Hostel while exploring the city thru the evening of the 17th.

I took over 250 photos, many of them cycling related.

I tried to set up a meeting with Gwadzilla, but while we chatted on the phone, and by e-mail, and ended up at the meeting spot during the appointed hour, we didn't meet. ;-D

All was not lost, however! I had a brief, surprise, encounter with a guy calling himself The Practical Cyclist on the Metro!

I took a picture of his bike, and gave him my card, but didn't have a chance to learn more, and a google search when I got home hasn't turned up a likely candidate yet. ;-D

The above photo was taken on Monday morning, after I went thru the Capitol Tour, and is just down the street from the Capitol Building.

I first encountered this poor bike the previous Friday morning and have no clue how long it has been there, why, or if it began its stay in that condition.

Some might say the juxtaposition of images serves as a commentary on the state of our national government in this election year, some might say it's just a cool picture of the Capitol Building that happens to have a bicycle in it.

I report...you decide. ;-D

I'll leave you with this image of a really cool souvenir I picked up in VA.

Now I have to find some wine bottles to put in it. ;-D

Once I organize my photos, and my 80 pages of notes, I'll have quite a story to share of my travels, and the cycling related things I saw and read about.