Cycling in DC: Appreciating the Ride
About a week ago I was biking to work, and got stuck at a stoplight. While getting annoyed at the length of the light and how late to work I was now going to be, I saw the Jefferson Memorial through the trees.
It was an amazing morning–I was alone on the trail at that moment, the weather was cool and crisp, and I had finally fixed my bike’s saddle so I was comfortable and riding smoothly. As I stood there, I realized that in my focus of getting to work and annoyance about being late, I had been ignoring the great views and amazing weather.
The next day, I saw a great view of the Washington Monument at the same intersection, which really made me realize how much my focus on “just getting to work” was ruining my experience of a really beautiful ride.
So for the past week, my focus on my work commute has been to slow down and take in the scenery. It’s been amazing. Seeing the Washington Monument over some trees in Alexandria, some beautiful segments of the Potomac River and Four Mile Run stream, some great segments of the Mount Vernon Trail with bridges, monuments, and of course, the Potomac River. These are all things I’ve been passing by every day for over a year, but never took the time to notice.
This past Saturday I took it a little further, and went on an early morning ride through some of the monuments in DC. I went early enough to avoid the tourists, and took the time to stop and take a few photos, which I included below. It was a gorgeous ride, and one I really want to repeat again soon.
And of course, the obligatory photo of my bike:
Garden and Gears 