Leader - Joan Oppel
Members - Esther Steward, Robin Garnett, Janet Shipko, Patricia Sanders, Catherine Ade, Gene Villiva, Steve Palincsar, Paul Hamilton, Lisa Peterson, Rick Hagen, Norm Lisy, Chris Moriarity, Linda Bankerd, Sherwood Byers, Ron Altemus, Alan Kurzweil, Carol Torgan
Route - from Washington Sailing Marina,
Weather - Cloudy, 36 at start with scattered rain drops not amounting to actual rain but reappearing periodically during the ride, 38 at end (temperature readings from my Garmin)
Mechanicals/Mishaps - None
Report - Seventeen of us left the marina in a long line, met another rider at the Jefferson Memorial (who remained with us in DC) and another who joined us for the coffee shop stop. Rain drops visited us periodically during the ride but no actual precipitation.
We visited the Tidal Basin side of the Jefferson Memorial, viewed the Martin Luther King Memorial from inside (without bikes), then the Lincoln and the WWII and on to a warm stop at a coffee shop just outside the White House. By the time we left the coffee shop several riders had left us. Thirteen hardy riders continued on to the end.
Brief stop at the White House, then down 15th St cycle track to the Pennsylvania Ave cycle track-which we didn't need today because Pennsylvania Ave was closed all the way to the Capitol for a fitness walk!
Around the Peace Monument at the Capitol, up the nice long hill on Constitution, waving at the Supreme Court, into the Capitol Plaza from First St, waving to the Library of Congress and then stopping at the Botanical Gardens.
We then returned across the Mall and most of the group chose to do the Hains Point Loop (traditional NY Day gathering of cyclists from all over the DMV). Potomac Pedalers members Catherine Kitchell and Butch Counts had a hot drink and snacks station, including hot chocolate that most of us enjoyed. We were chilled but glad to get out and know that we had ridden all year.
More pictures: Lisa Peterson (in pink jacket) and Rick Hagen had a 360 degree camera mounted on a 4 foot pole on the back of Lisa's bike, taking pictures as we rode.
