It's Easy With VRE and My Bike

My submission to the VRE 20th annversary video contest.



8 August I was notified my video won first place in the contest. Got a free monthly VRE ticket for my efforts.

Travel By Bike. Live More.

A Paddle With Teeth

Paddling the Potomac River, at low tide, from Westmoreland State Park and searching for shark's teeth below the Horsehead Cliffs has been on my To-Do list for quite some time. The idea combines so many activities I enjoy; being outdoors, paddling, going to an unknown and new location and beach combing. Oh, and a picnic with family afterwards fits in pretty nicely too.

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Westmoreland State Park is about an hour drive, out Route 3 east from Fredericksburg. There is a $3/car entrance fee and no fee to launch the kayaks from the beach. We got an early start from home and were on the water by 10 am.

We had two tandem kayaks and one single sit-upon. Sam and Molly teamed up on the first leg, Valerie and I were in our Wilderness Systems Pamlico 135T (below) and Gretchen paddled the single.

It was an easy one mile, downwind paddle from the put-in beach to Horsehead Cliffs. Fun surfing the 1-2 foot chop.

We arrived at the cliffs, as planned, at low tide to take advantage of the exposed beach to search for shark's teeth.

The day was hot but there was plenty of breeze off the water.

We enjoyed an apple snack watching several Bald Eagles before we tackled the upwind, into the chop return paddle.

The final fruits of our beach combing efforts, four teeth.

Radio Hams - 1939

Mounted Bell

Yes, It's A Pink Bell

I could not find a bike bell to fit my larger 31.8mm handle bars. I rummaged through my bike tool box and found an extra seat post reflector mount that fit perfectly. Next I used my small Exacto saw and cut off the mounting loop on Valerie’s old bell. I was lucky; it used a 4m square nut and all I had to do was stop at the hardware store for a longer bolt.

FBI Special Agent Oath of Office



"I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

Near Miss With Fairfax Connector Bus

So maybe it wasn't that close, but the driver still ran a red light and immediately merged right in front of me to get to a bus pull off lane. I had just ridden under the red light and heard him off the my left and behind accelerating hard through the light. His actions cut me off, caused to me brake hard and swerve out of the bike lane into the travel lane to get around him.

Here's one from Washington DC that is even scarier. Makes me want to helmet mount my digital camera and let it run all the time. You just never know when a driver with end up having a brain fart and take you out on purpose like this retired DC cop.

The surprising part of this morning's episode was that Fairfax county sent a replay email within an hour after I made an official complaint.
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A D.C. vehicle owner who was wanted in connection with a videotaped collision involving a cyclist in August turned himself in Friday after learning this week there was a bench warrant for his arrest.

The case against John W. Diehl, a retired Metropolitan Police Department officer, has stalled for several months as authorities were apparently unable to serve him a judicial summons ordering him to show up for court.

Mr. Diehl, of Northeast, turned himself in this week after he was contacted by a reporter with The Washington Times — on the phone number listed in court records for the case — and informed of the warrant.

“I called and they came and picked me up and we went down to the courthouse and they served me some papers,” Mr. Diehl, 56, said Friday.

The case stems from a crash that highlighted tension between drivers and cyclists who share city roads after a video of the collision was posted online. Cyclist Evan Wilder, of Mount Rainier, filmed the Aug. 31 crash from his helmet-mounted video camera.

The video shows a driver yelling out of his truck’s passenger-side window at the cyclist as he rides down Rhode Island Avenue Northeast. The driver appears to swerve toward Mr. Wilder, who tumbles to the road.

My Commute In Photos

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Woodlawn Road, Fort Belvoir.
7 miles from the VRE station to the gym every morning. 5 miles of it is on the post.

Woodlawn Rd is closed and runs next to the Golf course.

Newly paved Gunston Road.

Bike lanes run down both sides of Gunston Road.

Gunston Road and 12th Street. Waiting for the light.

15 MPH section of Gunston Road. At the end is a radar speed sign. I love tripping the radar at 19 mph.

Approaching the 300 compound where I work.

The 300 compound gym where I shower every morning.

My building is the former Ft. Belvoir Railroad engine repair facility.

Building 334 - Note the RR tracks leading into the overhead doors.

On my way out of the 300 compound.

One of the road side hazzards I face on my bike commute.

Woodlawn Road, closed, where I have seen a flock of 4 Wild Turkeys.

Telegraph Road at the Beulah Gate.

The neighborhood heading to the VRE station at Franconia/Springfield.

Most days I ride in the vestibule for 2-3 stops until the car opens up and I can bungee my bike to the handicapped seats.

The ramp at Leeland Station.

Riding through the Leeland Station parking lot on the way home.

Alas, Poor Yorick!

He's been a good friend the last 3 months. Riding shotgun in my trunk bag. He's bounced out one to many times. Down for the count. Gotta find a new commuting partner now. RIP Yorick!!

Here's a picture of Yorick in his prime, my riding partner, waiting for his next fill-up of 7/11 Dark Mountain Roast coffee.

3 Track Morning

What is a 3 track morning you ask?

VRE requires me to ride in the northern most car, in the southern handicap seating area. They have installed loops between the folding seats to hook a bungee cord to hold the bike.

VRE is at the mercy and whim of the track owners, CSX. As we all know, freight rules and passengers drool.

We are forever running late because of track speed limits imposed by CSX, or waiting for a freight train to pull past.

VRE runs on the 2 track. The one on the right in the photo, with a platform that is 6 cars long. There is a short, 2 car long platform on the left or 3 track.

So, again you ask, "what is a 3 track morning?".

Monday and Wednesday morning we approached Springfield below speed. I got a bad feeling as I noticed a track out the right side of the car. It was supposed to be the platform.

The Conductor then announces that we were arriving on 3 track and only the two middle car doors, out of 6, would open. All passengers from the front and back 2 cars had to meet in the middle.

So it's off to the races. As the train comes to a complete stop, I have to turn my bike in the other direction, pull my two panniers (luckily Ortleib's are quick release) and push my bike down the middle aisle, through 2 cars. I found it easier to hold my 2 bags over the seat with my right hand and lift and hold my front wheel off the ground with my left.

Can't help but bump into people's elbows and shoulders as I roll my way back to the exit. "Excuse me. Sorry. Pardon me. " I say. I hit the next car and the aisle is packed. "Where do expect me to go?", this disgruntled guy says to me.

I squeezed past and made it to the exit, just as the door was closing. The friendly Conductor, Brian reopened the door and apologized like it was his fault.
To complete the dance, I have to ride 2 elevators to get back over to the 2 track platform.

This my friend is a 3 track morning!!

And it happened to me twice this week.

But.... The weather this week was amazing, 50s in the morning, dry and mid 70s on the way home has norn. That made up for two, 3 track mornings.

Besides, I am not on I-95.

Marlborough Point Ride

Even a 100 mile a week, solitude, multimode, VRE train and bicycle commuter needs a ride with a friend. John was concerned with my Trek 1000 road bike (he rides a 20 year old Trek 300) and the miles I get in, but today (Memorial Day) wasn't about speed or miles covered. It was about a morning ride with a friend. And getting in some riding together in preparation of our next adventure, an overnight bike trip on the High Bridge Trail in Farmville, VA. And stopping at Revolutions Cycle in North Stafford to pick up my front wheel which was being trued. And, there was just a little bit of me hoping John would walk out with a new Trek or Raleigh, especially after he said, "let's buy a bike for me today".

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It's been a while since I've ridden the Brooke Road, Marlborough Point ride and the Point road was newly paved and very smooth. We parked at the Brooke Road VRE station and headed out. John commented on the amount of shade, saying "my kind of ride, Jay".

We took a water break at Aquia Landing and talked to a few fishermen. One had caught a nice size Largemouth Bass and a REALLY ugly Snakehead. They kept both and planned on eating the Snakehead.

I don't travel without my Garmin Oregon 450 GPS. The numbers: total distance, 16 miles; 1:38 total travel time; 1:22 moving time, moving ave. speed 12 mph, overall ave. 10 mph; maximum speed 27 mph. Link to Ride With GPS map.