Washington DC Ft Dupont Trail Ride - May 7th 2

Fort Dupont Park Ride, Washington, DC While on travel. I took a taxi from my hotel to pick up and borrow a bike then another out and back to the tral. It turned to be quite an adventure.
Log:
1600 - Changed into spiffy biking outfit and called for a cab/van
1630 - Taxi van was a no show. They reported I called earlier and cancelled
1631 - Huh?
1640 - Hailed a Taxi to borrow bike
1700 - Picked up bike and left for Ft Dupont Park
1701 - Forgot to leave behind change of clothes, shoes, floor pump back at the bike pickup.
1705 - Traffic
1800 - Arrived at trail, unloaded bike. Overpaid cabby
1801 - Started raining
1805 - Grateful I brought floor pump and presta adapter as tires are too low to ride
1806 - Lost presta adapter in mud, in the rain
1815 - Found adapter, aired up tires 1820 - Hid footpump, change of clothes in the bushes. Pocketed presta adapter for safe keeping
1821 - Rode in rain. Got muddy. Great fun.
1840 - End of fun
1934 - Realized it was getting dark in the park and the park IS LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF PROJECTS!
1945 - Realized my phone battery is dying
1935 - Called taxi
1945 - Called taxi
1955 - Called taxi. They report that getting a taxi to go into "my area" is tough when it gets dark.
2000 - Group in red suv circle parking lot twice surveying it's prey
2015 - Taxi picks me and bike up. Sing praises to cabby
2040 - Arrive at wrong destination.
2045 - Started this log
2100 - Arrived back. Had beer.

Mapping Again

I'm tired of getting lost, so I'm starting to map again ...

Download Maps

Trails I mapped in 2005 ... Download Maps

Outrunning Hurricane Ike

Not to sound insensitive to the thousands of those families effected by the hurricane but Charley, Alan and I planned today's morning ride so we could get one in before the big storm hit the Austin area. Selfish, I know. When even rode the more fun trail before taking on the longer in case the rain came early. But the storm never came. We did get to see the 15 MPH wind blow down a large limb .

So it looks like we'll get to ride tomorrow too!

Ow. I didn't even know what a bursa was before this happened. After a fall, an infection set in and caused the
Popeye effect shown here.

Broken teeth. Found mountainbike.com/video. It has this good article on Truing a bike tire ...
http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid770191396/bclid1338937308/bctid1339078529

Emma Long - 08/17/2008

I really have fun at Emma Long when I'm not walking up the ledges or gasping for breathe at my favorite section -- the wooden bench at the half way mark. Saturday was no exception...unless you count the last 5 seconds of the ride. I took very last technical section of the course, a 2 ft drop I _thought_ I had taken before. I took it too fast, planted the front tire firmly behind an unforgiven root...and watched as my outer body experience began.

This was my first endo riding with clippless shoes. I've always been concerned that I wouldn't be able to escape the bike fast enough even with my confidence in surviving endos. Because of my few years of Aikido I actually felt pretty comfortable falling. During my endos 3 key events usually happen:
1. Oh crap!
2. I attempt to actually launch higher than terminal velocity normally so I can catch more time
3. I relax and roll, ready to meet my next attacker ;-)

I've proven that Aikido rolls actually help excape broken bones more times that I'd like to admit during riding (err, falls).

The bike however...
* several broken teeth on the main chain ring
* the bolts holding the frame were loose to the touch
* dented brake disk
* broken pedal
* dry chain
* a "balkl bearing" problem

Okay most of these issues were due to lack of maintanence on my part for the 2 yrs that I've owned the bike. But I still argue it would have been much worse without Aikido.

Regards,
Charley