Ride In 4/12

I went in to work a little later than usual today and missed much of the bad rain and/or embassy bomb scare that I'm sure would have mucked up the DC portion of my commute. Instead, when I left there was only a light drizzle that quickly fizzled. This blog is becoming the worst Dr. Seuss book ever.
I saw a black SUV stopped at the intersection of Wilson and Quincy with a perfect trifecta of anti-Obama bumper stickers. From right to left:

• I was anti-Obama before it was cool
• I'll keep my freedom, guns, and money. You can have the "change"!
• Don't Tread on Me

I'm glad that Obama's freedom-grubbing ways haven't impacted the abilities of common folks to display bumper stickers that passively-aggressively mock him. Also, shouldn't bicyclists appropriate the whole "Don't Tread on Me" thing? Here's my idea:

Don't make George Washington cry. 

Almost went down hard thanks to slick payment on the Custis. The curb cuts are not smooth payment, but rather more like a macadam pavement, made with little bits of stone and, I presume, dinosaur bones, mixed in with concrete. As I approached Scott Street, I angled my bike slightly to the right without really changing my body orientation or shifting my weight. This, combined with the change in surface material, caused my rear tire to skid and my front tire unexpectedly jerk to the right. I managed to everything straighten back up, and this all happened in half a second, but it's pretty harrowing when you don't feel your wheels under you. The weather was suspiciously familiar to the time when I busted my chin on grates in Rosslyn. I'm really glad I didn't fall.
I followed another rider across the Key Bridge. He was wearing a pair on thin chinos. I wonder how many pairs of pants he ruins in a year thanks to his commitment to bike commuting.When we got to the light at the end of the bridge, he turned around and asked me if I saw the guy in red. I said no. He asked if I rode the trail. I said yes. He asked if I saw the guy in the red outfit biking. Like an Adidas track suit. I said no again. He was incredulous, but failed to reveal to me what was so special about the guy in the red outfit. When he said Adidas tracksuit, I saw a cross between Santa Claus and Reverend Run in my mind. If that's what the guy looked like, then I'm really sorry to have missed it. The biker walked his single speed up the sidewalk on 35th and I rode up the cobblestones. So much for trying to ride more carefully after almost falling. I always justify doing stupid things like this by assuring myself that I have a cyclocross bike and it's made for this sort of nonsense. I wonder if "having a cyclocross bike" is specifically covered by my health insurance. 
Otherwise a quiet ride to work. Why does DC parking enforcement need a full-size pickup truck in its fleet? That doesn't seem economical.