I awoke to heavy rain and high winds over breakfast in Thornburg, with more of the same forecast for the rest of the day. There was no fun to be had out in this. Instead, I wisely elected for an extra night in my very comfortable hotel room. Sometimes decisions are easy. I passed the day in a restful way, mindful that an early start would be required if I wanted to see Washington DC now. I would ride with the sunrise. It would be cold, clear and sunny. That would be better. For now, I watched a movie and caught up on some admin.
I got up at first light, which is always an achievement for me. But the promised sun was late to arrive and outside it was freezing cold. I put on all my warm cycling gear, so far unused, and was very glad of it. I was still in shorts, but I had sleeves, a gilet, a waterproof jacket, neoprene overshoes and full gloves, and I needed them. I set off into a stiff, cold wind and realised that my ears were painfully cold. So on went a buff, covering my ears for the first couple of hours until the sun broke through properly. This was a dramatic change in the weather, sun or no sun, and it just shows how important it is to be prepared.
My first section in the early morning took me further along busy route one as far as Fredericksburg, where I headed for the historic town centre and an inviting coffee shop. I was served by a young woman who didn’t sound at all local. When I heard her say “Ay Up” I thought I would ask where she came from. The answer was Cleethorpes. I often cycle there from home. It makes a great day ride of about 100 miles and you have a train home every hour when you reach the seaside. She was surprised that someone from so nearby (I grew up even closer) was here in Fredericksburg. I suppose it was fairly unlikely that either of us would be there, let alone cross paths in the same small cafe. These encounters do occur from time to time, and today it was to my advantage, because I knew that, for once, I could expect a really good cup of tea. And that is exactly what I got, in a large china mug. With cold milk. And boiling water. It was the best I’d had in weeks.
Buoyed by this experience, and the pleasant old tree-lined, brick streets of Fredericksburg, I crossed a bridge out of town and embarked on the most pleasant couple of hours of cycling that day. The small roads were quiet and pretty, and I avoided a lot of traffic elsewhere. My route took me close to the edges of the Potomac River, although I seldom saw it. At one point, I visited Government Island, just off the rather exclusive old residential streets of Aquia Harbor. It was purchased by the federal government to source freestone locally for the building of the new capital city.
Soon afterwards, however, I was back on the shoulder of big roads all the way into the city of Alexandria, which faces Washington across the water. I liked Alexandria. It was cycle friendly and developed so that none of the buildings were too tall. There was a big new area under development, almost a whole new quarter of the city, which was being built in brick around circles and courtyards. I thought it had an almost European feeling to it.
From there I picked up a cycle path that took me all the way to the National Mall across the Potomac. Despite the sun, I still had all my warm clothes on, and all the cyclists crossing the choppy Potomac by the long bridge were blasted by a strong, icy wind. It was a relief to get to the other side and spend the last hour or so of my ride being a tourist and riding slowly past the monuments and museums of this magnificent capital city. It’s scale is immense. There was clearly great foresight shown by the town planners of the late eighteenth century. I would return tomorrow to see everything again along the mall, but I took my time and drank it all in nonetheless. I think the last time I was here – and not in a car – would be Easter 1986. It was my very first trip to America, that I paid for from my very first job (selling kitchen design appointments by telephone in the evenings) in Nottingham when I was a student. Almost an adult lifetime ago in fact.
I was staying tonight in a house turned hostel in the Capitol Hill district, behind the hugely impressive Capitol building, whose dome shone in the late afternoon sunshine. It was remarkably good value for somewhere located so close to all the action. But after my exertions today, I only made it out this chilly evening in my wool hat to an Indian restaurant a few streets away, in a trendy area off Pennsylvania Avenue. It had been a long, cold day of cycling into the wind and I was feeling it. In the morning I would get up and be a cycle tourist, leaving my bags behind here until I had no more time to spare. Until then, sleep came easily.
