this is what I see on my rides...

this is what I see on one of my standard post work rides
this is some of what I see
I can not take pictures of all that I see
as some of that stuff takes two hands
even two hand brakes

these are just some shots that I snapped on my post work ride
my camera was hanging from the chest strap of my backpack
dangling and swinging
too short to slam into my frame or handlebars
just long enough to annoyingly strike my legs on some of the rotations

it was a short ride
just went through georgetown and over the key bridge
onto the mount vernon bike trail where I passed roosevelt island
monday I left work early and picked up my boys from school
we drove out to roosevelt island where we did the loop with the dogs
they were taken their against their wills
although the hike was longer than we had agreed
they were pleased to have an adventure on roosevelt island

there was not much time for a ride so I took the turn off the mount vernon trail onto the 14th Street Bridge
where I dipped into East Potomac Park before passing the Jefferson Memorial
rather than turning back towards Haines Point for a last glimpse of The Awakening
I continued on the bike trail in rock creek park along side the washington shore of the potomac
passing people playing kickball and softball in the shadow of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial
past the Kennedy Center than back into Georgetown

all sorts of runner, walkers, and bikers litered the trail
the shores had sunbathers and fisherman
the waters had a few straggling boaters
rowers and their coaches along side in their boston whalers
larger boats slowing for the no wake zone

ahead was a sign
the bike path is closed

hopefully closed for repairs
hopefully closed for some widening and some rethinking

the people in power are not forward thinking
the most you can get is a bandaid on the situation

yes... the bike path needs to be repaved
but the bike path also needs to be rethought

maybe there should be sections of segregation
in areas of high traffic it would make sense for bicycle traffic to be separate from foot traffic
this would be better for all parties
currently the path is built for bicycle jousting
and drunken games of chicken
but that is not how a bike path should be designed
it is amazing that a two way multi-use path would be just wider than two handlebar widths

hopefully they have someone thinking furhter ahead than a band aid repair
although a band aid would be better than nothing

guess I will settle for a bandaid