Memorial Day Weekend in DC

When you are known as "the traveler," people expect you to be traveling all the time, especially during major holidays. However, I insist on staying at home and enjoying Washington D.C. area as much as I can during those times. To appreciate other places, first, you have to appreciate what you have! As much as I'd like to live in the West, for the time being I happen to like DC, especially in the spring and the fall (for those of you not familiar with DC climate, we have hot and humid summers, and cold, damp, and dreadful winters - especially for the past couple of years!). This year our spring seems to be holding out around even after May 21st. So, when everybody is sitting in their cars on 95, or waiting in security lines at the airports, I am out to discover DC; and since we are so concerned about both gas prices and environmental impact, I choose to head out on my bike, which in the end costs me nothing but about 1000 calories, definitely a good thing after the beer tasting experiences I've had in the last couple of days!

Since I am not a big fan of road biking, and I am very familiar with how irritated drivers get on a Friday before a long weekend, I stay away from major roads. Instead, I head down Swains Lock (in Potomac area) and pick up the trail there, heading East towards downtown. In mid afternoon, with cool and dry temperatures, the day turns out to be the perfect day for biking. An added bonus: with most people heading out of town, the trails are not as crowded as they normally are. I simply pedal along the canal, in no rush, but to observe the pretty scenery. I see families, friends, couple strolling along, couple other people biking or running, but mostly people enjoying a nice day outdoors. I also meet couple of duck families, teaching their ducklings how to swim in a row, or stay away from the path. When some of my smiles are countered with protective hisses, I find myself pedaling a little faster, and thankfully I don't encounter any attacks... Even though all I expected was a nice day by the canal, it turns out that my trip also involves encounters with squirrels, couple horses, and most importantly a big bird my know-it-all friend calls "Great Blue Heron" [I am no expert when it comes to birds, insects, and flowers, but thankfully, I carry a camera with me at all times, so I can ask my-know-it-all friend -a name I gave to him after my peculiar and interesting questions and always getting an answer with a smile-. This must be one of the disadvantages of moving to a new country after high school, you don't get anybody who'll take the time to explain you which bird is which and which flower is what... oh well, that's a totally different blog!]

In addition, my tires find their way to Georgetown, and somehow I end up on the other side of the trail than the one I usually take, and find myself right by the narrow end of the canal in Georgetown. Apparently, the canal looks prettier when you're on your bike and have been pedaling on it for more than ten miles. Stopping along the rail, I admire the facades of historic buildings, and the colorful flowers that hang happily on the window boxes. The trail is almost empty, and I think I even caught a couple of smiles and waves from the flowers because I happen to raise my eyes and notice them which makes me smile. I wave back silently, and they smile back...

Eventually, I end up at the park by the water and continue to admire the beauty of our city, as well as the pretty spring day. The sun shimmers on the river, Kennedy Center stands proudly by the water, and a plane takes off in the distance tempting me to go further, as far as the National Airport, and possibly Alexandria. But I know this is the first ride of the season for me, and if I make it any further, I'll have trouble finding my way back home before the sunset. So, I slowly head back, enjoying and admiring the scenery one more time...

Now, about eight hours later, I realize one more time how wise that decision was, since I can feel how sore my legs are even when I'm sitting on the couch. I'm sure I'll appreciate it even more when I climb the stairs to go to the bedroom, and especially tomorrow when I get out of bed. All I need now is a hot tub, which will have to wait until another trip. Yet, I can still smile thinking about the green world I've passed through, the ducklings learning to swim in line, the smiley flowers on the window boxes in Georgetown, and the beautiful city we happen to live in. Only if we appreciated it a little more...