ice skating at fort dupont...yesterday or maybe it was the day prior the family went ice skating
the specifics are a blur as these days have been so chock full of gatherings, get togethers, and other assorted holiday events
the family made its first trip to the ice skating rink at Fort Dupont/Fort Circle
dean was not feeling up for skating
while grant could not contain his excitement
even with dean's being a tad under the weather we still maintained our plans to go skating
as it was as important to scope out the facilities as it was to try and skate
dean was promised some hot chocolate for his behaving while others skated
fort dupont is just over the bridge past rfk
not much more than a cross town drive
when we arrived we were ecstatic about the facilities
the skater to square foot of rink ratio was better than could be found at any rink in the area
the dual rinks at cabin john in montgomery county tend to be bumper to bumper people
nothing short of chaos
while the free skate at Fort Dupont was not vacant it was definitely not the cattle call that can be experienced at the sculpture garden on the mall
there was a mishmash of skill levels
a number of people with hockey gear were leaving as we arrived
a man did what appeared to be professional level figure skating moves in the center of the rink
perhaps an instructor waiting for his students to arrive
a young boy no older than 8 or nine skated in full hockey gear with skills that made me think of a young wayne gretsky
there were plenty of skaters clutching the walls
but there was more than enough wall space for our beginner family
it was awesome!
while also being enough strong skaters to show us newbies how things are to be done
for indoor skates... Fort Dupont will be our future destination
there may be a few outdoor skating efforts
the smaller rink works for the kids and their wall walking efforts
and well... if the weather is right
we may skate on the C&O Canal... a skate adventure that has not happened for me or others in a number of years
I managed to get in roughly twenty-five minutes of slipping about the ice as the boys sipped their hot chocolate
Fort Dupont Ice Rink
Ice Skating on the C&O Canal
(301) 767-3707
NPS:C&O
eric and beth heiden were not only excellent speed skaters, but also very competitive road cyclists
Wiki Beth Heiden
Wiki Eric Heiden
ESPN story on Eric Heiden a Reluctant Hero
7-11?