[SkateDC] After-Skate Report, Sunday Georgetown & Embassy Row Freezing Wind Skate

[Bill English]

Skaters,

Except for losing Jeffrey, today's skate went according to plan and we actually ended up happy to be out in the cold wind with our skates. The skate route included a roll through Georgtown Park Shopping Mall, which helped to thaw us out after a few miles of punching through a gusty headwind. Jeffrey didn't come into the mall with the rest of us and we did not find him afterwards. I guess Jeffrey did a solo fitness skate instead and I hope that went well also.

Eight skaters proved that they are not just "fair weather friends"- Patricia (first time with us), Mo, Steve, Fabio, Kent G., George, Jeffrey, and me.

Honestly, if I had not been the leader today I would not have skated. If the cold and the wind were not bad enough, I saw lots of salt on the roads while driving from home to the White House. But after we got past the worst of the headwinds in the first few miles, it did not seem so cold and all the skaters seemed to be in excellent spirits. I was glad to be there and we never ran into any problems with the salt. I think the wind must have blown most of the salt away.

Thanks to George for finding the wheel that fell off my skate (I did not even notice since it was a middle wheel). Thanks to Fabio for skating back up the hill in an unsuccessful attempt to find my runaway axle. Thanks to all the fast people for not getting too far ahead of me. Thanks to Patricia for taking photos. Finally thanks to Kent for making a spectacular catch to save Patricia's camera when the wind blew it off of a post. That was funny because the camera was pivoting like a weathervane and we all kept yelling to Patricia to save it. Patricia wasn't responding so Kent swooped in for the save in the nick of time.

Today's photos will end up on Facebook soon. Will tell you how to see them once they get posted.

Patricia has used Meetup.com to organize a monthly skate around BWI airport. I tried it last month and it is a great route. Information about that is already posted to the calendar at skatedc.org. The next BWI skate is this Saturday at 2:00 pm.

Bill




________________________________
From: Bill English <english60 at yahoo.com>
To: WAR Listserv <skatedc at skatedc.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 6, 2008 8:03:49 PM
Subject: [SkateDC] Map & Cue Sheet for Sunday Skate

Skaters,

I have planned a little eight mile skate including the hills of the Embassy Row area. I had intended to try a long skate to College Park but it may be too cold & windy for that. Accuweather.com says it will be partly sunny, about 39 degrees, with a 25 mph wind out of the northwest. Don't forget your gloves. I prefer thin wool gloves that fit under my wrist guards.

Patricia said she will be coming out Sunday for her very first WAR skate. Please drag yourselves out of your comfy homes to give a warm welcome to Patricia. Patricia organizes the monthly Meetup.com skates around BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport. Tom Huff and I skated with her and she had no difficulty staying ahead of us. Patricia also came out to meet some of us at the Howl At The Moon event we had in Baltimore last month.

We will meet Sunday at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, just north of the White House. People will start arriving at about 11:00, and we will roll away at 11:15. We should be finished by 1:00. There is plenty of free parking along Pennsylvania Ave just west of the White House. McPherson Square is the nearest Metro Train station, and Metro Center and the Farragut stations are also very close.

This is the URL for the map:

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2428919

Please let me know if you have a better way of getting through the Embassy area. I am not remembering that neighborhood very clearly today.

Thanks,

Bill

Cue Sheet:

East Pennsylvania Ave.

Right 15th St

Visit the Ellipse to see the National Christmas Tree

Sidewalk West to C St

Right Virginia Ave

Straight through park trail & bridge to Washington Harbor

Right 31st St

Left K St

Right Wisconsin

Left just after canal on sidewalk into Georgetown Park Mall, warm up a bit.

exit mall at Potomac St, turn Right

Right M St

Left 31st St

Right Dumbarton Ave

Left 27th St

Right Q St

Left 23rd St

Sheridan Circle

Northwest on Massachusetts Ave

Right 30th St

Left Normanstone Dr

Right 30th St

Sharp Right Woodland Dr

Left Fork 29th St

Slight Right Calvert St

Right Connecticut Ave

Left Wyoming Ave

Right 19th St

Left Corcoran St

Right 17th St

Straight Connecticut Ave

Straight Jackson Pl

Left Pennsylvania Ave

Finish at the White House


      
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