Capitol Heights.

Monday 11/1

Weekly budget $70+$12 left from last week=$82.

I’m at a Motel 6 near Largo MD. After taxes and everything the room cost $84. Just a bit over my weekly budget. I don’t think it will be too hard to get back on budget though. I have a few days of food left so it will be a little awhile until I need to resupply. I’m very happy to be here and off the road. It turned into a bit of a long day.

It was chilly this morning when I got up. Low 40s. I made several cups of coffee and didn’t get riding until 9:30. From Swains Lock to Georgetown is one of my favorite sections of the C&O. The River and the canal both change a lot. They both get really rocky.

Down near Great Falls there is a passenger barge in the canal. For the last several years it has been in dry dock but it’s floating now. The first year I rode the canal in 2008, tourist could buy tickets to ride through a lock and maybe a mile up and back in the canal. It was even being towed with a mule. I hope it’s back in operation.

I got to Georgetown around noon. The first stop was Starbucks which is around a half mile from the end of the C&O. Not only did I want a iced vanilla latte I wanted to charge my phone. The battery was very low and I knew I would be needing Google maps after I left the monuments. My dynamo hub was working but I had only rode 16 miles. That was only enough to get my battery up to 27%. I got my latte but every seat was taken so I headed out. I think it was college students taking there classes. Nearly every one had a laptop.

Without useing my GPS, I made my way to the Lincoln Memorial. I only got lost a few times. Actually I wasn’t really lost its just that the roads I chose didn’t go in the direction I thought they would. Haha. At the Memorial I ate my lunch. Latte and peanut butter tortillas. A little dog kept running over and jumping on me. I love dogs so I didn’t mind. The owner kept coming over and carrying it back to where they were sitting. After the fourth time I asked if I could share some of my whole wheat tortillas with it. The owner said yes that the dog was probably hungry as they had been sitting there since 9 am. It was now almost 3 o’clock. I wish I would of asked why they sat there for six hours.

It was a beautiful day and really sunny. I have a small folding solar panel and I set that up and plugged in my phone while I ate. The panel does ok in full sun and after an hour it got my phone up to 52% I thought was probably enough juice to get me through. I ate my lunch on the steps next to the Reflecting Pool. Overhearing many peoples conversations I realized Forest Gump was here too. That’s two places I have been to now, first the lighthouse in Maine and now here.

After waiting for my phone to charge and eating I headed out. I had planned on sight seeing a lot more but it doesn’t take long before I have enough of crowds and big cities. I was glad my belly was full from my frugal tortillas because immediately after leaving there were food trucks. I love food trucks. And this was a food truck aficionados dream. There were food trucks bumper to bumper for at least a mile. I could of had food from just about any country. It was really cool to see all the different menus on the side of the trucks but I adhered to my budget and rolled by each one. Also I was ready for some peace and quiet.

Quite surprisingly the chaos was left behind very quickly. Within 20 minutes I was on the Anacostia River Trail. It was beautiful and just what I needed after the city. There was even a deer to greet me at the start.

I made it to the motel around 5. It’s not too bad. I have definitely stayed in a lot worse. There’s signs up saying that it is under construction and expect to be awakened at 8 from the construction equipment. Im up by then any way. The TV is broken and I don’t have any air conditioning but for the price in this area I think its great.