In yesterday's post I lamented that because it was a religious fast day I wasn't able to use a Coffee Club as my coffeeneuring entry. Well, today I decided to do a replacement for that ride, hence the 2.1 designation. Call it a patch release of my second ride.
I was looking for some AM exercise and so I decided to head down to the "Whole Thursday Foods" coffee club, known by its acronym "WTF", which meets at the Whole Foods in Crystal City. Crystal City is pretty far out of my way, but that's OK - I was looking for a ride. Trouble is, it was dark and foggy when I left. Out on the bike path, with slightly foggy glasses and no illumination, it was really hard to see anything. I would come up on runners and walkers and not see them until I was right on top of them and I could barely see the path. Fortunately I know it pretty well. I angled my light down pedaled along slowwwly, following the center line or the edge of the path as a reference. I've never felt so much like I was biking under IFR! I bailed from the bike path at Columbia Pike and took the Pike the rest of the way over to Crystal City. Columbia Pike isn't pleasant riding - no bike lanes, lots of cars - but today I chose it over the bike trail because it was well lit!
I arrived at Whole Foods to find no other cyclists there. Since I was off yesterday for the holiday I keep getting mixed up as to what day of the week it is and I had a moment where I thought that maybe I had gotten the day wrong; however, just then Peter and Chris (not Peter Chris, the drummer from KISS) rolled into view and I relaxed. They had had to take it slowly too - but of course, their slowly is a lot faster than my slowly. I watched the Strava FlyBy replay and saw Pete come up on me like an F22 on a Cessna - I think he and I missed each other on the trail only because he was catching up just as I made the turn onto Columbia Pike.
I had thought that since the coffee club is named after Whole Foods that people got their coffee and breakfast at Whole Foods. I guess I shouldn't take the names too literally, Hump Day coffee club, for example, doesn't involve ... never mind. Anyway, while we did consume our coffee while sitting outside Whole Foods, we purchased our coffeee and food at to the new Commonwealth Joe coffee place up the block. The place is a little too hipster for me (do you want cold brew? Pour-over? Espresso-based? Drip?), but they do make a good cup of coffee! They also had some really good scones - which were much too chewy inside to be proper scones, but whatever they were, they were really tasty. It's amazing how many coffee places have mediocre pastries (I'm looking at you, Kindred), so it's good to find ones that have yummy food. Maybe they buy it at Whole Foods :)
Since I was out of my usual AM biking range I asked the group for advice on the best way to get to Ballston. I guess I should have provided my definition of "Best", which to me, trying to get to work, meant "shortest". Instead, the consensus was for me to take a route down Eads Street to the poop plant where I could pick up a bike trail. That was pleasant riding (protected bike lanes and bike trail) but was probably a couple of miles longer than the most direct route would have been. And it was still foggy, though at least it was light by this time! It was only while I was riding along Four Mile Run on the bike trail that the fog finally burned off. And along the way, Peter, who left (according to Strava), like 15 minutes after I did, passed me. Again.
Anyway, I made it to work with no issues and wound up taking several more bike rides today - to the Courthouse to do early voting and back to work, and then home. So, I plussed up my 6 miles of commuting to over 20 miles today. Not too shabby.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/743381034
I was looking for some AM exercise and so I decided to head down to the "Whole Thursday Foods" coffee club, known by its acronym "WTF", which meets at the Whole Foods in Crystal City. Crystal City is pretty far out of my way, but that's OK - I was looking for a ride. Trouble is, it was dark and foggy when I left. Out on the bike path, with slightly foggy glasses and no illumination, it was really hard to see anything. I would come up on runners and walkers and not see them until I was right on top of them and I could barely see the path. Fortunately I know it pretty well. I angled my light down pedaled along slowwwly, following the center line or the edge of the path as a reference. I've never felt so much like I was biking under IFR! I bailed from the bike path at Columbia Pike and took the Pike the rest of the way over to Crystal City. Columbia Pike isn't pleasant riding - no bike lanes, lots of cars - but today I chose it over the bike trail because it was well lit!
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| Chris takes a selfie, as always |
I arrived at Whole Foods to find no other cyclists there. Since I was off yesterday for the holiday I keep getting mixed up as to what day of the week it is and I had a moment where I thought that maybe I had gotten the day wrong; however, just then Peter and Chris (not Peter Chris, the drummer from KISS) rolled into view and I relaxed. They had had to take it slowly too - but of course, their slowly is a lot faster than my slowly. I watched the Strava FlyBy replay and saw Pete come up on me like an F22 on a Cessna - I think he and I missed each other on the trail only because he was catching up just as I made the turn onto Columbia Pike.
I had thought that since the coffee club is named after Whole Foods that people got their coffee and breakfast at Whole Foods. I guess I shouldn't take the names too literally, Hump Day coffee club, for example, doesn't involve ... never mind. Anyway, while we did consume our coffee while sitting outside Whole Foods, we purchased our coffeee and food at to the new Commonwealth Joe coffee place up the block. The place is a little too hipster for me (do you want cold brew? Pour-over? Espresso-based? Drip?), but they do make a good cup of coffee! They also had some really good scones - which were much too chewy inside to be proper scones, but whatever they were, they were really tasty. It's amazing how many coffee places have mediocre pastries (I'm looking at you, Kindred), so it's good to find ones that have yummy food. Maybe they buy it at Whole Foods :)
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| This *is* a tasty beverage |
Since I was out of my usual AM biking range I asked the group for advice on the best way to get to Ballston. I guess I should have provided my definition of "Best", which to me, trying to get to work, meant "shortest". Instead, the consensus was for me to take a route down Eads Street to the poop plant where I could pick up a bike trail. That was pleasant riding (protected bike lanes and bike trail) but was probably a couple of miles longer than the most direct route would have been. And it was still foggy, though at least it was light by this time! It was only while I was riding along Four Mile Run on the bike trail that the fog finally burned off. And along the way, Peter, who left (according to Strava), like 15 minutes after I did, passed me. Again.
Anyway, I made it to work with no issues and wound up taking several more bike rides today - to the Courthouse to do early voting and back to work, and then home. So, I plussed up my 6 miles of commuting to over 20 miles today. Not too shabby.
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/743381034
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