Year 2 - Day 7 Bowie MD to Mount Vernon VA





We left Bowie with overcast sky but no rain. It was misting. Soon after leaving the hotel, Dan stopped. He had noted an issue with his phone mount atop his bag. Upon further investigation, one of the two screws attaching the mount had disappeared! We looked in the bag, which is where you think the screw would end up! Nothing. I mentioned that it may have fallen on the ground. We scoured the area with no success. As we were preparing to wrap up and get going again, Bob noticed something on the ground! He had found the screw. With the screw back in, we were on our way again. Dan suggested that we find some Locktight to ensure the screw did not come lose again. 



From Bowie we made our way to Greenbelt. In Greenbelt we connected with a trail and stayed on trails almost all the way into DC. We went through Berwyn Heights, College Park, Riverdale Park, Hyattsville, Bladensburg, and then connected with the Anacostia Trail. This trail conveyed us right into DC.

We crossed the Martin Luther King Jr Ave SE bridge into the city. Below are several views from the bridge observation area. 




On the top photo, just to the right of the double smokestacks, you can see the tip of the Washington Monument! 

I was completely blown away by the lack of traffic in the city. We traveled along 4th St and there were literally few cars that were traveling with us. Next thing we knew, we were at the Mall. We turned down Madison past the National Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History. I stopped to take a couple photos!





We continued down Madison to the Washington Monument. We exited the Monument area at Constitution Ave facing The Ellipse, looking directly at the White House. I wanted to go say "Hi" to Uncle Joe, but being on a tight timeline, he will just have to wait till I get back in town!


We proceeded to the Lincoln Memorial and took the obligatory photo looking up the Mall. We at least had to provide proof that we were there!




From there we crossed the Arlington Memorial Bridge. On the other side we entered the Mount Vernon Trail. This trail took us past the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and into Olde Town Alexandria. We stopped at Bugsy’s Pizza Restaurant. The meat lover's pizza we shared was outstanding as was our server! 

As we were leaving the restaurant, Dan noted a sign for a bike shop one block toward the waterfront. He was looking for some Locktight for his phone mount screw that had come loose this morning. I also picked up a new pair of brake pads for my rear wheel. 

We again picked up the Mount Vernon Trail which took us to within a couple miles of our hotel. A couple miles on the road placed us at the hotel. 

After today’s ride we have covered 478 miles and climbed 15,604 feet in elevation. 

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