Bikeless in Virginia

Still here, still bikeless. There are so many trips like this one...in which a folding bike would be so handy.

As tomorrow's presentation draws near, the preparations have finally reached the point of taking away some panic. Instead of room service, there has been a little more time to walk around to sample other food sources.

Presenting, the Sunday morning breakfast walk...

First stop, coffee shop. While reading, munching, and sipping, these little fellers came hopping along to take advantage of crumbs left behind by a prior patron.


This guy seemed to stay up top by himself scouting things from above. He was either the supervisor of this feathered clean-up crew or he wasn't very hungry.


While sitting there in the quiet early morning, there was a persistent northeast breeze. After summer's heat it was refreshing to body and soul. It pushed its way through the dense leaves of trees. Its ebb and flow gave a kind of rushing sound like waves on a beach. I guess it is a sound that God figured even people who don't live along the coast would enjoy. It was less rhythmic, but just as continuous. Some breezes would be a simple short puff, almost not noticed, and others were strong, tossing leaves into the air, and momentarily stopping the conversation of coffee shop customers.

The next stop was the Crystal City Water Garden. I wonder what this flowering paradise will look like in a couple of months.


The rushing sound in this place was not the breeze, but the result of a long wall of water falling 12 feet into a pool.


Standing in just the right spot, it was the very moment of sunrise all over again.


Further along, the Mt. Vernon hike/bike trail was discovered. Looks worth investigating...


It's amazing how much value some communities place on something like this. Look at the investment in this kind of infrastructure. This tunnel allows hiker and cyclists to cross under a railroad. The tunnel is well lighted, well drained and the pathway is even stripped at both ends.


There are a lot of places like this in the Washington D.C. vicinity. No wonder why there are many more bike commuters here.


On the way back to the hotel, it was apparent that urban areas do not need to be inhospitable. This is, after all, a very densely populated area. However, it appears to have also benefited from some advance planning and ongoing community care.




Despite being so far from home and in a densely populated urban area, there certainly are worse places to take a stroll to breakfast on a Sunday morning.