An Urban Boychick Takes on the Outdoors

 Since first becoming a bike commuter in 2015 I have frequented the BikeArlington "Coffee Club" groups - cyclists who meet in the morning for coffee on their way to work (or these days, just meet then ride home again, plenty of people no longer commute to an office every day). Since the pandemic I have attended less frequently, as without a commute I can't always motivate myself to get out the door at 6:30 AM. Anyway, on Monday holidays the coffee club gathering starts later, moves from its normal location to Lazy Mikes in Falls Church, and is known as "Monday Pancakes". None of which is quite germane to this story, except to say that SteveO planned an MLK-themed bike ride for the day. The ride would start at Lazy Mike's at the end of Monday Pancakes, but there were other places specified where one could meet up with the group along the route, as follows: Ride details: Depart Lazy Mike's : 9:50 am (intermediate pickup points, estimated times): Bluemont c...

For the last few years I've bought access to Bull Run Marina, which is a public facility but with essentially members-only access. You pay an annual fee to get the key to the locked entry gate. I go there only in the winter, which makes the annual fee ($65 for a parking pass plus $25 for the key) a little bit of an extravagance, but it's still a lot cheaper than golf or skiing, and it provides me with a very protected place to safely kayak in the winter. Plus, the parking pass is valid at a number of other regional parks, so I generally get my money's worth out of it. I headed there today, an unseasonably warm (high of 60 degrees!) early January day. I would have kayaked yesterday, New Year's Day, but I had a gig in the evening and didn't want my fingers all tight from having paddled. I expected the place to be empty, but there were quite a few cars there, plus people passing through on the hiking trail which crosses the facility. I headed up the creek and immediate...