Originally Posted by
mark d
i leave tomorrow. spent the first week off my ship stripping my bike down to bare frame and overhauled every component. got her ready and started shake down cruises about five days ago. i have my panniers loaded with my trip gear. i have been using the fairfax cross county trail system. made a mistake yesterday and tried to ride to great falls. trail got so bad i had to push the bike for miles through the forest. oh well.
from where i am staying it is 10-15 miles to the beginning of the co canal in georgetown. i will be on the road system until alexandria va. then i will be on the mount vernon trail till georgetown (almost) then i will ride backwards on the canal until i get to the beginning. then off to swains lock for a nice easy day one....i hope
as always open to any suggestions
thks
Sounds fun, enjoy! Once tried to follow one of those trails which was bikeable at first then got narrower & narrower & weedy (incl poison ivy)...a creek had a narrow plank to cross--I was carrying the bike but kind of got stuck since the end of the plank was too high to jump off with a heavier bike--trail had been deserted but with sheer luck a couple happened to hike along right then & helped lift the bike down.
Old Town Alexandria is pretty scenic--has a cobblestone block at the base of Prince St & the Torpedo Factory art gallery with restaurants & public bathrooms. Lotta noobs ride the Mt Vernon trail--you know, folks that wobble & swerve right as they approach you.