A Sunday Ride

With yet another beautiful day on tap I decided to take a long bike ride. It's one I refer to as the Arlington Loop. With a few stops along the way it takes about two hours to wind my way along the connecting bike trails for a perimeter tour of Arlington. The ride begins at my house in Alexandria, VA with the trail that runs along Four Mile Run. Not only do I get a water view for this section, I also pass by the community gardens so I can check up on what's growing.

My first stop along the way is usually a small marsh; a home to turtles, frogs and cattails. The turtles were out in force today, so much so that a passerby proclaimed it to be a "turtle convention." The frogs were there as well. However, unlike the turtles that climb upon fallen logs and proudly crane their necks toward the sun for all to see, the frogs like to lay low, hidden in the mud with only their sporadic croaking to signal their presence.

After a stop at the marsh I continued on my way. The middle part of the ride includes a few inclines, but thankfully, what goes up, must come down and eventually I was treated to a nice, long downhill stretch that led me to my second stop; a small pond. Today I was treated to the sight of a large blue heron sitting quietly on a fallen tree limb and a mallard's beautiful water landing. There were a few more turtles as well but I scared them away as soon as I took out my camera.

I pedaled on to the Arlington neighborhood known as Rosslyn. From there I could look across the Potomac and see Georgetown University towering above. From Rosslyn the bike path curves down to Roosevelt Island and follows the Potomac to National Airport. The usual crowds gathered at the end of the runway to watch the planes make their final descent. By the time I passed the airport my legs were tired and I was concentrating on making it through the last 20 minutes or so of my ride.

My last stop was a quick one. I paused to check out some tulip-like flowers in bloom and then took the path that would lead me back to Four Mile Run and where I started two hours before.

A great ride.