Sat Sept 26: Day 3 DC and Alexandria, VA

In which we make our butts sore by exploring the area by bike ...

We had planned to meet our old Dunwoody friends, the Greenbergs for lunch, but due to some concern about COVID and delayed testing that didn't work out.  We were sad not to see them but we will be back through here in a month or so after we put the boat up for the winter, so maybe we can see them then. 

Speaking of Covid - why doesn't every door in the US have one of these foot/open plates?!

 

We found a place to rent bikes - Bike and Roll - and took off on our nice Trek hybrid bikes.  Yes - we do have bikes on the boat.  That we did not use, for some reason.  The DC area has a huge number of bike paths and Melanie had found the Mt. Vernon river trail that allowed us to ride from Washington to the wonderfully picturesque city of Alexandria.   We had one main goal: get haircuts!   We found a Supercuts and were triumphant in our efforts.  And to top it off, there was a hardware store right next door where I could get some screws that I needed.  And to top THAT off there was a restaurant next door where Mel finally tried chicken and waffles.

 

An artery stopper for sure.

We then rode off to explore the old town:

The 'Painted Ladies' and the 'Spite House' - said to have been built to keep people from walking between the houses.  One of the narrowest houses in the US.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was overcast, but the temperatures were great and we enjoyed the ride back to DC.

 

 

The main activity seemed to be families picnicking at the park by Regan Airport.  The runways end/begin just beyond the park and people were out in force to watch.  Sadly, not too much air traffic right now.

 

Everyone was out for fresh air!

Leaves are beginning to change.

We took the long way back into DC and ended up on the outskirts of Georgetown.  This is the lovely Kennedy Center.

 We tried to ride back by the White House so Mel could get some better pix of the protest signs, but all the Evangelicals in the US were in DC for some prayer event and it was too hard to get through the crowds.  Too many people and it was also hard for me to keep Mel from engaging in spirited conversation about how being anti-abortion is not necessarily being pro-life, and how we are all  pro-life since, obviously, being pro-women's reproductive health does not = pro-death.

 

A rainy night but the Washington Monument is still a stirring beacon...