Wrong Way to Rock Creek

Yesterday, I went for the longest bike ride I’ve taken in quite some time. I’m trying to work my way back into good biking shape. At one point I was doing 100 miles a week regularly, and I’d like to get into that habit again. It’s amazing how much better you feel when you drop a few pounds and make an effort to sweat a bit on a regular basis.

I decided to ride a brand new trail that passes just a half mile north of my hovel. It’s called the Matthew Henson Trail. The pavement and the planks on the boardwalks and bridges are in great condition. My intention was to follow that to its end, and, from there, pick up the trail that parallels Rock Creek all the way to the Potomac in DC. That would be a 15 or 16 mile ride which, on a mountain bike, is a pretty respectable distance.

When I crossed Veirs Mill Road there was a detour. Somehow, I ended up near the Twinbrook Metro station in Rockville; very much out of the way. I knew the bus depot at the Metro station would have a good map, and, while I was able to get re-oriented, I realized I had ridden a few miles off my intended route. I don’t know where I got lost but I had certainly discovered the wrong way to Rock Creek.

Even when I finally found the Rock Creek trail, I managed to tilt off to side trails that twice deteriorated into narrow dirt paths. I was glad my first attempt at this trail was on my mountain bike, and not my road bike with its delicate tires.

[As I write this, I Googled “Rock Creek bike trail” and found a website called BikeWashington.org that has a map (HERE) of the portion of the trail that gave me trouble. The very first sentence on that page is, “This section is notorious for getting people lost.” If, indeed, I am an idiot, apparently I’m not the only one!]

Despite my navigational difficulties, I must say that Rock Creek Park is fantastic. (There is an excellent National Park Service map HERE). It is yet another park whose origins lay in the string of fortifications that surrounded Washington DC during the Civil War. While riding the length of the park, from top to bottom, I passed many playgrounds, soccer fields, tennis courts, and picnic areas – all of which were being put to good use. I continue to be amazed at how many people take advantage of the plentiful parks and public recreation facilities in the city. Over and over I passed family barbecues, kids flying kites and playing Frisbee, parents relaxing and reading in camp chairs, and young couples lounging on the grass or along the banks of the creek.

When I could, I enjoyed the scenery, but the ride wasn’t easy. The terrain was undulating, with each restful downhill offset by a short, steep climb. The path followed the course of the creek, so very little of it was straight. Occasionally, I would burst from under the covering trees into the clear – which was good because it gave me a chance to get my bearings, but not good because it exposed me to a 20 mph headwind that happened to be blowing up the Rock Creek valley from the Potomac. I don’t know how you react when faced with a 20 mph headwind while riding your bike. My usual reaction is to yell things that would offend most people.

By the time I reached the bottom (southern end) of the park, I had been in the saddle for 20 miles. I had two half-liter water bottles with me, and stopped at drinking fountains along the way to fill them both several times. Salt caked my cheeks from sweat that had poured from my forehead and dried. I felt great!

Suddenly, the trail joined the road, and the road curved to the left, and I was in front of the Kennedy Center riding along the Potomac River. I stopped to snap two quick photos on this hazy day.

To my right, the river and the Memorial Bridge across to Arlington...

To my left, people using public volleyball nets in the shadow of the Washington Monument (just barely visible in the distance behind the net on the left)...

From there I made a few laps around the National Mall, then went up 7th Street to G Street, where I dropped down the elevator that put me and my bike into the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station for the train ride home.

I learned that padded shorts are necessary, even on a mountain bike, if I'm going to ride long distances! (Yesterday turned out to be about 25 miles in the end). I learned I am finally fit enough to dust the cobwebs off my road bike and really put some miles behind me. And I hope I learned the right way to get to the Rock Creek trail next time.