Arlington History Ride

The BikeArlington community has people who organize some fun rides. Last Saturday Bob (a.k.a. Bobco) organized an Arlington History ride. I only participated in the first part of it . It was clear the ride was going to run far longer than the planned four hours, it was really hot, and I didn't want to be too wiped for going to the theater that night, so when it got near my house I drooped out and rode home. Of course, if I had stayed with the ride I wouldn't have gone home for that snack of ciabatta bread and I wouldn't have cut my finger open, requiring stitches ...

Some of the places we stopped on the part of the ride I did included:

• Shirlington (a portmanteau formed from Arlington and Henry Garrett Shirley, former Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Highways)  
• The site of Arlington Mill (built in 1836 by George Washington Parke Custis)
• Carlin Hall in the Glencarlyn neighborhood (built in 1892)
• The actual springs in the Carlin Springs neighborhood (there was at one time a resort there)
• Mary Carlin House (oldest house in Arlington)
• Bluemont Junction (former rail junction)
• One boundary stone and one corner stone marking the original DC boundaries (now Arlington)
• Minor's Hill, the highest point in Arlington (and, of course, a Civil War outpost)

Further details on the stops and the remainder of the ride are available at Bob's forum post here.

Also, there were a couple of killer hills on the ride. Some people walked them. I did not :)

Our leader filling us in on the  history of Bluemont Junction

At the oldest house in Arlington

Participants listen with rapt attention to Bob's opening shpiel