Leader: Ron Altemus
Members: Darrell Meyer, TRL, Gene Villiva, David Van Ameyden
Route: Mount Vernon Trail to the 14th Street Bridge to cross into the District, SW Ohio Drive around the Tidal Basin onto Raoul Wallenberg Pl and then Jefferson Dr to reach the Botanic Garden. Return basically followed the same routing, except using Madison Dr for travel on the Mall. 22 miles 414' elevation change.
Weather: pleasant as temps ranged from mid/upper 40s to mid 50s with mostly sunny skies and breezes out of the south
AMS: low 11s(?)
Mechanicals/Mishaps: none
Report: A "destination ride" in that we were cycling to view the holiday exhibits at the Botanic Garden, both outside and inside. We encountered a large number of users on the MV trail given that it was a weekend, but vehicular traffic on the Mall was sparse. Within the past two weeks, protected bike lanes on SW Ohio Drive were completed and they made coming off of the bridge and onto Raoul Wallenberg Pl very easy (and safe).
The Botanic Garden outside display featured model locomotives and boxcars chugging over trestles and past models of pollinators such as giant bees, butterflies and flowers, and scenes that include a lemur pollinating a flower. Inside, the conservatory is full of models of the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Library of Congress and other Washington landmarks made from plant material, as well as almost 2,000 colorful poinsettias.
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A portion of the outside display
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David and Gene taking photos
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U.S. Botanic Garden model
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Library of Congress model
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