Busy Sunday in Silver Spring

I dropped Pam off for her 8:30 am yoga class - one I often go to - and then headed the 13 miles north to sub a class at The Happy Yogi - the studio I usually teach at on Wednesday nights.  I had been up there Saturday as well, subbing for two classes.

Aside:

• Pam has a new bicycle - a road bike - and needs to get out for some training rides prior to the Senior Olympics events that start in May.  As much as I like the convenience of just riding from our house, the trails are often pretty busy and it's hard to build up a head of steam and keep it. So we've broadened our horizons, looking for more suitable places to ride.  Of course this means we have to transport our bikes to the riding location, and stuffing them into the back of the Caravan, while possible if we take the back seats out, wasn't something I routinely wanted to do.  So yesterday after I got back from yoga teaching, I went out to REI in Rockville and came back with a Saris 3 bicycle rack that secures to the back door of the Caravan.  It was fairly easy to set up (had to be, I did it).  I got the straps adjusted, and figured out the minimum amount I have to change to get it on and off the car - which only takes a couple of minutes.  I can put the rack on and secure the bikes in about 5 minutes.

I got home about 45 minutes after Pam, and we quickly ate the Sunday omelet I had cooked early in the morning.  Then I installed the carrier, loaded up the bikes, and we headed east around the Beltway to find a trail I had read about.  It follows an abandoned railroad right of way for about 8 miles, and was advertised as paved and eight feet wide.  

We found the southern end of the trail, but there was no obvious trailhead, no dedicated place to park.  We pulled off on the somewhat muddy shoulder of the road, unloaded the bikes, and set out.  We had a limited amount of time because I needed to be back to teach my 4pm yoga class.  

All in all, the expedition was a success.  We learned how to use the bike rack, and it passed with flying colors.  Pam's new bike works well - it is SO MUCH lighter than my Trek hybrid, I am going to have increasing difficulty keeping up!

The trail isn't perfect, but it's the best one we've found so far - we got in an almost 12 mile round trip - riding, most of the time, about as fast as we could sustain.  

We ran into some traffic congestion on the way back, but had allowed a little extra time, so I made it to my yoga class with no problem, after dropping Pam and the bikes off at the house.