NORTHERN NEWS

Number 155

Aug 07

On Skyline Drive Cycletrack alongside the Potomac River

VIRGINIA TOURING

CLUB LIFE

Tuesday Ride at The Gate Meriden Memorial

C ride, Alrewas Audax, Rosliston

HON SEC’S JOTTINGS

by John Bedford

Saturday morning guide speeds. It is suggested that the leaders keep to the following ‘ideal condition’ riding speeds:

Fast 15+mph, Intermediate 13-15mph,

Improvers 11-13mph, Slow 8-11mph.

Nevertheless, leaders should always keep in mind the ability of their slower riders. This should be a useful guide for new riders.

Freewheeling Contest. This was held on 16^th June and 17 of us took part. Steve Stansfield retained his championship position as leader of the pack, closely followed by Andy Wilkie and Peter James. Only two ladies participated and Sue Jinks narrowly beat Aoife Hayden. After all that effort (!) we finished off with a coffee and natter at The Hungry Horse (now more upmarket and expensive and renamed Mitchell’s Art Centre).

Buying a new bike? A word of caution. There is no recognized standard for integrated headsets, and many manufacturers offer different versions, meaning that an integrated headset may fit one frame and not the next. Want to know more? Put ‘Integrated Headset’ into your computer search engine or see www.chrisking.com etc.

Advance Passenger Information. The Spanish Government now requires airlines flying between UK and Spain to provide certain personal information on all passengers before the flight departs. If booking by internet then this info is often collected at this stage.

Diary Dates

Aug 19^th 100 miles in 10 or 12 hours. Details ask me or Chris.

Aug 26^th BBQ at Katie’s. See last issue, or details from John

Evans.

Sept 9^th Temple Balsall Heritage Day. Leader(s) and times to

be confirmed.

NEXT COPY DATE – TUESDAY 18^th SEPTEMBER.

THE FREEWHEEL COMPETITION

by Anselm Waters

This year’s club freewheel competition was won by Steve Stansfield who beat Andy Wilkie into second place by at least 2 bike lengths. Our Northern News reporter caught up with Steve at his mansion in Little Aston and asked him about his training regime.

‘Well, I take my training very seriously & in particular diet is very important for freewheeling. What you eat & particularly what you drink in the weeks coming up to a major competition like this can make all the difference. I personally choose Guinness – the extra chilled version is best because it has a very high specific density, but any stout is acceptable. I normally drink about 3 pints a night throughout the year, but in the weeks leading up to an event like this, I increase this to six or seven pints. Its hard training like this and takes a lot out of you, but if you want to be the best you have to put in the hours on the bar stool. For food I like to eat pork pies, cold bread pudding and what I call ‘hefty’ cake, none of your namby pamby lightweight Victoria sponge here, you understand! Some contestants supplement this with baked beans and raw onions to increase propulsion, but I think this is cheating, and anyway my wife won’t let me do this for some unknown reason.

The dynamics of the course can vary enormously and as the location is kept secret until the day of the event, the recce of the course is very important. The contours of this year’s course meant that total mass was the most critical factor with frictional losses having only a minor influence”. This year’s winning distance was also Steve’s personal best at 87 yards 2 wheels and 3 spokes,

Previous winner Brian Hailing is currently mid way through a 5 year ban following the 2004 event when he was initially declared the winner but was subsequently disqualified after officials discovered that he’d stuffed bread & dripping inside his frame to increase weight & acceleration. He was found out when, on the way to his post-race massage, he slipped on the dripping which had oozed out of his bike’s bottom bracket.

In yet another scandal to rock the cycling world, the UCI are investigating Scottish freewheeler David Mullah over excessive use of Bryl Cream, which some riders use illegally to form hair into an aerodynamic shape to reduce wind resistance. A sample taken showed that he was way over the UCI limit of 250mg per 100 hairs. Mullah claims that the cream was added to his hair by the team hairstylist during the night and that he was unaware of this when he woke on the day of the competition.

Just before we went to print the Northern News has had confirmation that discussions are taking place with Christian Prudhomme, the Tour de France director over the possibility of including a Freewheel stage in the 2008 tour, with the Alpe d’Huez being a possible location. It is known that one time winner Jan ‘Cream Cakes’ Ullrich is a keen Freewheeler, and the addition of a Freewheel stage may tempt him back out of retirement. However he will have to radically improve his diet if he stands any chance of a yellow jersey in this specialized event. Jan commented, “I haf a problem viz my vaight fluctuating and I need to keep zie bratwurst & knockwurst intake up over zie summer. A wictory on zie Alpe vould make me feel on top of zie vorld again.”

A PEACEFUL SUNDAY AFTERNOON

by Maurice Purser

Picture a peaceful Sunday afternoon in Lichfield.

A gentleman cyclist, followed by his young family on their bikes, had been riding along the ‘walkers only’ footpath along the side of Stowe Pool.

On riding down to join the cyclepath, he knocked me off my bicycle, where I had been riding along peacefully.

As I lay flat on my back with my cycle on top of me, this gent paused for one second and said to his youngsters following: “Come on, leave him there. We’ll only get a mouthful of abuse if we stop to help him up.”

They rode on. He may like to know that the only problem was a very nasty shock and a few painful bruises. I was able, with the support of one friend, to carry on. The bicycle was undamaged.

NOSTALGIA

by Brian Langdell

Northern News Dec 1952-Jan 1953

The’Alternative’ Section were still ‘eating up the miles’; a recent ride was 11’s at Fillongley, then via Nuneaton for lunch at Newton Linford and tea at Alrewas.

They were also on regular YHA weekends; the last one was to Huntington where Bob Garnett (aka Rob) thought he would give Brenda a pleasant surprise by cooking her breakfast for her. He made a nice job of it too, but unfortunately had cooked a stranger’s food. Brenda was no longer the only girl riding with the Alternatives, having been joined by Sheila and Sally.

For Bonfire night some of the club went for the weekend to Wilderhope YH and others went to Beoley (near Redditch) for the evening, riding home ‘under the moon and stars’.

Members staying at the Storey Arms YH in the Brecon Beacons took the opportunity to follow on foot the series of waterfalls from Ystradfellte down the Melte valley to where it joins the river Hepste. These waterfalls were reckoned to be the most spectacular in Wales, some were quite wide and it is possible to walk behind curtains of water. I can vouch for this but did not know “The River Melte flows into a cave which is quite safe to explore with a good lamp. The roof is low in places and where the river exits at the far end above the narrow channel is a phosphorescent rock. Shine the lamp to the far end and then put the light out and stare into the inky blackness and there it appears in the shape of a horse’s head”.

The January edition started by welcoming members with a Happy New Year and reminding them that it was Coronation Year and the CTC’s 75^th Birthday.

One club evening they had a cine show, including a Charlie Chaplin film. The comment was made that it was surprising how popular he was after all these years (about 20) – well it is 75 years now and he is still appreciated.

The Social and Alternative Sections both had write-ups about rides in November in 4” of snow! The amazing thing is neither commented on the weather being abnormal. (Another sign of climate change!) The Social ride was to have been to Rugby but only reached Fillongley and then had a walk to locate the ruins of the castle. The Alternatives had 3 riders come off just getting to the meet at Ratcliffe Place (city centre). It was decided to initially make for the Lickey Hills along the Bristol Road which was covered in ice and snow. Despite the conditions they still made Alvechurch for lunch and stayed out to tea at Catne. The ride home was like cycling a skating rink and they had to walk at times. This article was written by Sally (Atkins), a new member to the Northern. The adverse conditions did not put her off cycling and she still rides with the club today, but not so happy on ice these days.

A change for the better can be read in the article about touring South Wales, saying with careful planning it was possible to avoid most of the coal mines and steel works; features that have now virtually disappeared.

LAND’S END to JOHN O’GROATS

by Paul Nicholson

Departed Land’s End 5.00 pm Wednesday 4^th April 2007

Arrived John o’ Groats 2.30 pm Saturday 21^st April 2007

Total miles 976

Total Cycling hours (excluding rest stops) 93

Average speed (excluding rest stops) 10.5 mph

Having collected my daughter Mary from Heathrow after her flight from Sydney, the first task on reaching home was to reassemble her bicycle. After an emergency trip to John Bedford for a spare part and a short test ride, we spent the rest of the day packing our panniers.

Next day my wife drove us down to Land’s End where, after readying the bicycles, getting our record sheets stamped in the hotel and the traditional photographs under the signpost, we set off at 5 pm on the first leg of our journey. Although it was only a short distance to Penzance for our first night’s B&B there were several testing hills to serve as an introduction to what was to come.

Mary and I set off the next morning past St Michael’s Mount. We stopped in Truro and the efficient Tourist Office booked us a B&B ahead in Liskeard. Our landlord manufactured false teeth and our bicycles were stored for the night in his workshop. It was a little disconcerting looking at row upon row of gleaming choppers.

Leaving Liskeard, the early morning haze cleared and the day became sunny and hot which was to be the weather pattern until we reached the Scottish Highlands. This was a long hard day of steep climbs and descents as we entered Devon and started across Dartmoor, having to push our bicycles up many of the hills. The descents were so steep and winding, often with razor edged cattle grids at the bottom, that we were forced to brake hard, destroying any momentum that might have helped us up the next ascent. Eventually we descended from the moor and reached friends in Tiverton for the night but the final stretch was a real struggle.

Our route the next day was thankfully much flatter as we entered Somerset and cycled on to Glastonbury, where Mary climbed the Tor while I guarded the bicycles (and conserved my energy). We had decided to give ourselves an easier day to recover from Devon so spent the night in Wells.

Leaving Wells we faced a steady climb until we reached a plateau which took us through Radstock and down into Bath. We pushed our bicycles through the pedestrianised town centre past the Roman Baths and the Pump Room and continued over the famous Pulteney Bridge with its shops on each side. We found our way through some very narrow and steep country lanes to join the old Fosse Way and cycled on through rolling countryside to Stroud where the only accommodation we could find was at a Premier Inn. Our bicycles had to be stored in the dustbin compound and we hoped there would be no rubbish collection before we left the next morning.

The ride next morning through Cheltenham and on to Broadway was relatively easy. As Stratford was reported to be gridlocked with tourists, we took back lanes through to Henley-in-Arden for the night.

Next morning we rode on to Meriden to visit the memorial to cyclists killed in the two World Wars. Then on to The Gate pub at Nether Whitacre where we joined the “Tuesday Ride” for lunch. They were surprised to see us but gave us a great welcome and lots of encouragement. From there it was a short ride for a night at home.

Leaving home we decided to avoid complicated navigation and, more importantly, hills, by joining the A51 in Lichfield and following it all the way to Nantwich. It was not as horrific as we had feared and there were even stretches of cycle lane marked in places. We reached a farmhouse B&B just short of Middlewich for the night. After the owner had shown me his collection of vintage tractors, his wife kindly drove us to the local pub for our evening meal and then collected us afterwards.

We continued through Knutsford and crossed the Manchester Ship Canal via the toll bridge (free to cyclists) to Leigh. We then joined the A6 through Chorley to Clayton Green. After that it became a bit hilly as we followed local roads to Clayton Le Dale for the night. Much to our surprise the small cluster of houses included a very smart Indian restaurant where we dined in style.

After breakfast we set off through Clitheroe. Waddington village was very pretty with a ribbon garden following the stream down the centre of the village. After that we had a series of prolonged climbs that reminded us of Dartmoor all the way to Slaidburn. We lunched beside the road in the wilds of the Forest of Bowland and High Bentham seemed a long time coming. We continued past the beautiful bridge in Kirby Lonsdale and then had another long climb before we descended to the Cross Keys pub in Tebay for the night.

Setting off the next morning we soon faced a steep hill but then had a fairly easy undulating ride to Temple Sowerby and on to Carlisle, where we walked through the city centre. We joined the A74 which was flat but a bit nerve racking as the cycle lane had disappeared due to road widening works and we were forced to join the main dual carriageway. Reaching Gretna we were able to leave the main road and cycled on up to Lockerbie for the night.

The following morning we followed the B7076 (the former A7) parallel to the M74 all day. Stretches where one side of the former dual carriageway had been converted to cycle track made for relaxed cycling although the road surface was very poor in places. We continued to Hamilton where we decided to stop early rather than risk facing Glasgow that evening.

Leaving Hamilton the next morning we followed the A724 to the centre of Glasgow. We walked through the pedestrianised centre and then picked up the A814 to Dumbarton which turned out to be dual carriageway with overpasses and was not very cyclist friendly. At Milton we were relieved to pick up the scenic cycle track to Loch Lomond. After Arden the old road alongside the loch had been converted to a separate cycle track which we followed to Tarbet. Here the road surface deteriorated and was very rough to Ardlui - apparently the EU grant had run out. We stayed the night at Crianlarich Youth Hostel. Although the day had started warm and sunny, it grew colder and we had a couple of light showers near the end.

Early rain had cleared by the time we set off the following morning but there were a number of showers throughout the day. Steady climbing brought us to Bridge of Orchy and then we had a steeper climb to Rannoch Moor summit. There we were met by a strong, cold headwind, so instead of the expected long freewheel down to Glencoe we had to pedal hard in order to make any progress at all. Eventually we turned north alongside Loch Linnhe and, with the wind thankfully behind us, reached Fort William for the night.

It was cloudy but dry as we left Fort William. We stopped to look at the Commando Memorial just beyond Spean Bridge and then continued to Fort Augustus for lunch at The Bothie. Here we had to wait a long time for a table for two to become vacant, even though there were several free tables for three or four. Strange local custom. However as it had started to rain we did not mind the wait. Showers and light rain continued as we rode alongside Loch Ness so it was too misty to spot the monster. In view of the weather we decided to stop at Drumnadrochit for the night.

The next day was overcast with a biting northerly wind. Walking up the steep hill from Milton we caught up with another father doing the End to End with his daughter (though she was far ahead - ‘better gears’ he said) and while chatting to him another End to Ender steamed past. It was hard riding against the wind and we were thankful for warm gloves on the freezing downhill run to Bonar Bridge. We booked into a B&B in Lairg which turned out to be vegan - well, life should be full of new experiences.

After breakfast we discovered Mary’s rear tyre had gone flat overnight, our only puncture of the trip. We cycled through desolate moorland to the isolated Crask Inn for a coffee stop. After a lunchtime drink at the very comfortable hotel in Altnaharra (it was like being in the sitting room of a stately home), we continued on to Bettyhill. This was a lovely run, generally downhill, following the river Naver. From Bettyhill we faced a hard up and down ride along the coast into a strong cold headwind to the Melvich Hotel.

Our final morning was overcast and turned to light rain with poor visibility. Leaving Melvich, and after ascending a steep hill, our route was fairly flat with the wind at last helping us. We made good time past the Dounreay reactor and continued to East Mey for lunch. We waited for a shower of rain to pass before we started on the final stretch of our journey to John o’ Groats, arriving to find my wife already there. Her car was decorated with balloons and streamers, with champagne and cake waiting for us in the boot. After refreshing ourselves and posing for the requisite photographs, we headed into the hotel to complete our record sheets and have another celebratory drink. While we were there, the father and daughter combination we had met earlier arrived. They were glad to share our celebration as they had no one to meet them. Then we loaded the bicycles into the back of the car and sat back to relax and enjoy the journey home.

LAND’S END to JOHN O’GROATS

The start Dartmoor

Crossing the Manchester Ship Canal Kirby Lonsdale Bridge

CTC TRIENNIAL VETERANS’ RIDE

by Jean Bolton

100 miles in 12 hours

On Sunday 1^st July 2007, I cycled the Vets’ 100 organised by Chester & North Wales DA. This was my 12^th Triennial 100 covering 36 years, only missing one event whilst my husband was ill.

I was 42 when I first took part because originally the event was for ladies over 40 and gents over 50. Then the age was altered to 45 for everyone, but again it was changed to 50 for everyone because some of the fit 45 year olds were treating the rides as training and it was becoming rather like a road race.

The 100s I rode in began at various points; Solihull, Meriden, Penkridge, Chester, Birmingham and Leicester. I now choose to ride from Chester because the route is fairly flat, which I suppose is cheating somewhat, although there are not the lovely swoops downhill which other routes have. The Chester route takes us through lovely Cheshire lanes and into Wales and over the River Dee which of course was very swollen with all the rain we have had.

I realize for a non-cyclist of 78 years the idea of cycling 100 miles would be very formidable, but for the regular club cyclist this is not the case. When I was 42 I remember the ride being quite tough but then I was a working wife and mother with lots of demands on my time and not much time for cycling. Being older it is necessary to prepare oneself for such a ride and build the mileage up gradually. One fellow on Sunday admitted to me he had not done much riding this year and was finding it tough. I thought this rather foolish as he had panniers on, unnecessary for a day’s ride, giving him extra weight to carry and wind resistance.

The pattern of the ride is very civilized. There is an elevenses stop with tea, coffee, fruit and an assortment of biscuits, then a stop for salad and trifle for lunch, which is pre-booked. At 75 miles we stop for afternoon tea of sandwiches, quiche, sausage rolls and cakes. Then at about 90 miles there is a lay-by stop for cool drinks. Back at HQ more tea and cakes. If you think you might lose weight doing this ride you haven’t a hope with all the food we are plied with.

Altogether it was great day out and I am pleased to say I brought home the trophy for the oldest lady rider, which is a secret ambition I have had. The certificate this year was a disappointment. Just thin paper. The first ones I had were like parchment with the wings and wheel on. I suppose it is economy because there are so many fit cyclist pensioners about it would cost such a lot to print the certificate.

Food for thought, has there previously been a generation who were fortunate to remain so fit and able in their golden years? Must be the Glucosamin. So keep taking the tablets.

XPLORING SANDWELL VALLEY

by John Bedford

Sunday 10^th June

The first stop was on Barr Beacon, ostensibly to see the view – but the early morning mist was still hanging around as we talked about the proposed Visitor Centre and new local cycleways. Barr Beacon could become a major (?) tourist attraction – oneday!

The next stop was Barr Hall – but we couldn’t see this either, due to the thick summer foliage. Not doing so well so far.

Fortunately Karen’s Café was open on the Sutton Road. Then it was along Skip Lane, a missed turn, and then down Park Road and across the Birmingham Road to access the Rushall Canal. Past a few locks, downhill, to join the Sustrans Route 5. Initially along the canal towpath the surface was rough, but once we entered Sandwell Valley there was more tarmac. We stopped at Forge Mill Lake to look at the birds, then past old pit buildings (now the HQ of a Sailing Club), past Swan Pool, a slight pull up to cross over the M5, arriving at Sandwell Park Farm just in time for lunch. At weekends there is a charge of £1 (OAP’s) to look round the gardens, farm and exhibition – well worth it. By now the sun was out so most of us picnicked in the walled garden – laid out very much as it would have been in the 1800’s when the Hall was still standing. Before retiring to the café for a cuppa we had a magnificent sight – feathers displayed out wide and some neat footwork by the resident randy peacock. I wonder what was going through his mind?

The next stop was to see the remains of the nearby Priory and the Sand-well, actually a spring which supplied water for the monks. The Priory had been quite a large complex and we were surprised to learn that generally there had been only 4 monks in residence at any one time, and sometimes only one – not a thriving establishment.

Our route took us between the Handsworth and the Hill Top Golf Courses, down a hidden track, to reach the River Tame again. The route to Perry Hall Playing Fields was mainly grassy – not the best for cycling.

We then negotiated the area round Perry Barr Stadium, cheating by using the footpath. Past the queues of cars waiting to dump their hedge trimmings and other rubbish at the Holford Road tip, along Brookvale Road, to join the North Birmingham Cycleway.

Once again the cycleway was covered in glass though we didn’t sustain any punctures. This prompted me to send an email to the Birmingham Mail, suggesting that Birmingham Council should maintain cycleways, otherwise they wouldn’t be used by cyclists.

Quite an unusual C Ride, but it gave us the opportunity to visit places new to most of us on the ride.

VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS

by John Bedford

Or so the publicity says. Virginia is also for cyclists, most of the time! The recent flight to Washington Dulles Airport was uneventful, but the road out of the Airport was pretty horrendous as it was undergoing a major revamp. Next day wasn’t so hot either as we had our only rain of the tour. We found a nice pub for lunch, complete with red British telephone box outside. We also rode our first ‘Virginia Byway’ – a quiet road with virtually no traffic – signified by a sign showing the bright red Cardinal bird, of whom we saw many.

Next day we left Front Royal and almost immediately started climbing up Skyline Drive in the Blue Ridge Mountains, into the Shenandoah National Park. The Drive was constructed in the depression of the1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a means of finding employment for some of the young men. But what a ride. Once we had steadily climbed about 3000 feet we had an undulating ride along the ridge, with extensive views both sides. There is a distinct lack of accommodation so we had 44 miles to cover before arriving at our pre-booked destination, Skyland Lodge. This was also the highest point, at 3680 feet, on Skyline Drive.

One of the highlights of the tour was to see, and photograph, a black bear foraging for food amongst the trees near the road.

The going had been hard and so, on our third day, we decided to modify the route. Instead of the planned undulating 33 miles we opted to stay at Big Meadow Lodge just 11 miles down the road. We leisurely walked the Lumberlost Trail (1½ miles) and arrived at Big Meadow by 1 o’clock. There was an excellent Visitor Centre and café so we whiled away another hour or more. Both Skyland and Big Meadow Lodges put on musical entertainment in the evening. At Skyland we were too tired after the climb, and at Big Meadow the two gents were very uninspiring so we left them to it.

The downhill from Skyline Drive was exhilarating. At Ruckersville we stopped to buy some stamps and got talking to two local cyclists. They suggested we took the 743 backroad to Charlottesville, rather than the main road. Fortunately they also warned us of the bridge that was closed, but that cyclists could just about get through, We arrived at Charlottesville about 4-30, just in time for the evening rush hour traffic, so we stayed at the Quality Inn on the outskirts. I had originally hoped to spend the evening looking around the historic ‘downtown’, but now were too far out. Nevertheless, we had a quick look around next morning as we passed through the town centre.

We headed to Monticello, on a hill as the name implies, and home of Thomas Jefferson, the third American President. This architectural masterpiece is the only house in the USA on the United Nations’ prestigious World Heritage List of international treasures. It is here Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. The house tour was most interesting. Hwy 20 to Scottsville was a designated ‘Byway’ but there was some heavy traffic and the hard shoulder was very variable.

www.smoothhound had thrown up three B&B’s at Scottsville and the first one we came to happened to be Chesters. This was an historic house built in 1847 with seven acres of garden. The builder was Joseph Wright, a retired landscape gardener from Chester, hence the name. The house played a part in the last month of the American Civil War. The house was really opulent, which is more than be said for the location of our evening meal at Pee Wee Pits! Scottsville was in the process of having all services, such as electricity, put underground so everywhere was extremely dusty. It was nice to escape to the old canal basin and learn more about the local tobacco trade.

A Byway took us towards Richmond. Unfortunately I missed a turn and we experienced some horrendous traffic conditions on the city outskirts which went on for miles. We were planning to stay in a central motel but gave up about 5-30 and stopped at a non-descript Ramada, having done 63 miles.

Richmond city centre has some outstanding monuments to Jefferson, Robert E Lee, is the State Capitol, and has cobbles!! There are some very characteristic old houses. Being on the River James it was for many years a significant port, but conversion of old warehouses to ‘lofts’ is now the thing.

Leaving Richmond we unexpectedly came across an ‘event’. This year is the 400^th Anniversary of the landing of the first Brits at Jamestown and the Queen had recently been to visit. As part of the celebrations copies of the original three boats had been made and we came across these moored on the James River, complete with locals dressed in period costume.

We were now deep in Civil War country and saw battlefield sites, complete with canons, grave yards and historic buildings. Wayside signs gave all the details.

We’d now been going for over a week and in one Visitor Centre we came across the Virginia Cycling Map (New in 2006). Not a lot on it, but it did prove useful in sorting out some quieter routes at times.

Temperatures were now in the 90’s. Ashland was a pleasant town with the railway going along the main street. We followed cycle routes 76 and 1 to Fredericksburg. Plenty of accommodation here, but most of it on the outskirts of the town. We decided on the central Old Colonial Inn which was very chintzy with its antique décor of the Civil War period.! Our evening meal was at Anne’s Grill, almost next door. We enquired of two cyclists about our next day’s route and ended up chatting for ¾ hour. As we were leaving we found that they had

surreptitiously paid our bill – such kindness. They were also staying at the Old Colonial so we chatted over breakfast, and took photos before we left.

A couple of days later we came to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, the first American President. A planned route of 35 miles gave us time to look round his mansion as well as a boat ride on the Potomac River. Here we saw a number of Ospreys nesting, as well as Thumbelina, the world’s smallest horse at 17 ½ inches tall.

The Mount Vernon cycletrack took us into the town of Alexandria, with its delightful old buildings. The Travelodge was not particularly sumptuous, but it was only ½ mile from the Metro. So next day it was into Washington to see the White House, Capitol Building and other monuments. Both evenings were spent exploring old Alexandria and eating out. On our last evening we finished off with the most majestic banana-split we’ve ever encountered.

The last day we covered 35 miles, or so, on the Four Mile Run trail and the W & OD (Railway) Trail. Once again access to the airport was pretty frightening, but we’d safely covered 550 miles in this interesting area of America.

The Cardinal Bird Smallest Horse Banana Split

We get through! Chester’s B&B

Mount Vernon The White House

TOURING VIRGINIA with JOHN & BERYL