Today, I rode from D.C. to College Park, to Takoma Park, to Silver Spring, to Bethesda, to D.C. on the Northwest Branch, Sligo Creek, Georgetown Branch, and Capital Crescent trails. The total was about 40 miles. Since I rarely ride my bike for recreation, it was my first time doing any of the above.

• There’s no good way to get from D.C. to College Park by bike. The Northwest Branch is fine, but I don’t want to be on it at night. Getting on Adelphi Road or University Boulevard is basically asking to be hit. I will probably try to ride to class one night a week anyway.
• College Park is an especial shithole on move-in weekend, during which drivers deem traffic signals irrelevant and Bagel Place is flooded. (But I did get my goddamn whitefish salad.)
• Holy blind curves, Northwest Branch!
• The Georgetown Branch trail needs to be paved (this will supposedly happen when the Purple Line is built), and its trailhead is fucking impossible to find.
• Today was, all told, a dumb day to spend several hours on a bike considering the weather. But I scrubbed all the dirt off in the shower and my pedicure is intact.

More next weekend, when I ride an ungodly distance to eat a bagel again.

1. in-backyards likes this
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5. tbridge said: I didn’t like the Northwest Branch trail for the exact same reason: those blind curves are an accident or worse waiting to happen. My friend Kyle rides to CP every day for work I’ll ask him how he goes.
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8. hungaryeyes said: bagels help everything always
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