Ride In 7/11: Blue Shirts

15th SE to C NE to 6th NE to F NE. The first three streets have bike lanes, the last one is a signed bicycle route and it's wide enough (I think) for a bike lane, but it currently lacks one. I took F Street because a sign told me that was the way to the Metropolitan Branch Trail and who am I to argue with a sign? By sign, I mean street sign and not some sort of divine message. Those only happen in the bike lane to Damascus.

I have forgotten for the past two nights to log my rides for the 2milechallenge, thereby theoretically robbing WABA of two dollars of the $10,000 they might earn from CLIF (the makers of Clif bars, not a big red dog with whom I'm on familiar terms).While this "robbery" isn't the same as breaking into the WABA offices and stealing a couple of Clif bars (which I also didn't do), I still wanted to rectify it by making sure to record my trips today and I actually stopped mid-trip to try to download an app that promised to do as much. That way, instead of forgetting to log afterwards, I could just forget to start the app when I leave work. The app didn't download. In any case, it looks like WABA is on pace to crush the 10,000 mark, but this whole boring story of ineptitude is meant to serve as a reminder for you to log your rides. It's not over until it's over.

The entrance to the Met Branch Trail is at M Street. I turned from 2nd NE to L Street. I was wrong by one letter. Rong even.

The contraflow one-block bike lane on R Street was full of leaves. Wasn't fall like 10 months ago? I'm guessing that the recent (yesterday?) storms might have had something to do with it. I'd hate to think that the leaves have been there since October. People are using the lane, right?

Does R Street have the only bike lane that runs from the railroad tracks to the park? That's under 3 miles and I think it's the longest continuous east to west bike lane in the District. Typing that out makes me both amazed and sad. We have such a long way to go when it comes to our bike facilities.

I've been fighting the overwhelming desire to kick cars that drift into the bike lane next to me. I don't know why I've been having these urges lately. It's very odd and aggressive and unlike me (I'm odd, but docile). Must be all those Steven Seagal movies on Netflix. Under Siege. Indeed.

Rode along Massachusetts. Didn't see anything funny happen. Wish that I had. Would've distracted me from how humid and gross it was. It was very humid and gross.