8/14/14

Rides 8/14: Quince Jam

"There's a shortage of perfect [summer days] in this world. It would be a pity to damage [your mood by not riding your bike to work on one of those days]- The Princess Bride, kind of, with Robin Hood, Man in Tights, and Mrs. Underwood adapted for bikey purposes. 

Anyway, it was a good idea to commute by bicycle and I did. I rode through the city, mostly because I predicted that everyone and their mothers would be on the mixed-use trails. Luckily, I was able to "share" the cycletrack with some pedestrians forced from the sidewalk by building construction. People, rightfully, seem to have no problem walking in bike lanes and for the most part, aside from having to slow down and be marginally more cautious, I don't have much issue sharing it with them. Not their fault the sidewalk is closed and it's totally unreasonable to suggest that they cross the street to walk a quarter of a block. So, maybe I should get over it bothering me so much. Or, maybe not. Allegedly, the District of Columbia has "laws" that should prevent this sort of thing, but it seems a low priority. Were I to have my druthers, they'd put some cones in the parking lane next to the cycletrack and "sacrifice" a few parking spaces in the name of more room for cyclists and pedestrians. But, I ain't got no druthers. 

Guy in a straw hat driving a convertible yelling and cursing at other drivers because they ____ (?). Kinda gives all guys in straw hats a bad name. FUN FACT: I have just enough self-awareness to know that wearing a boater is not a good look for me. It doesn't mean I don't basically always want to rock a boater (Scylla?) and especially while riding a bicycle in the summertime. But alas, I still don't and it's probably for the best. ["Well, that was an illuminating digression into the writer's regrets on not wearing straw hats," says no one.] 

I saw Kristin riding up Massachusetts Avenue while I was riding down it. We said hello to each other. Was that so hard? Gear Prudence 1, Strawmen 0. 

No great way to to right from L to 15th. Maybe they should build a flyover ramp. Seems practical. 

I love the kids who skateboard in the Pennsylvanie Avenue cycletrack. No, seriously. Kids between the ages of 12 and 16 need a way to get around and I'd rather have them doing it themselves on skateboards (or bikes or hang gliders or whatever) than in the cars of their parents or, even worse, the cars of their slightly older peers. That we've built infrastructure that's putatively safe enough for them to do this is something we should be happy about and we should try to build more of it. Sure, teenagers are annoying and they're especially annoying in groups and in public, but being annoying hardly seems a reason to deny them safe self- propelled transportation options. If that were the case, would we have bike lanes? Interstates? Anywhere? Yeah, no. 

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