Bike, stroll, rock and roll the Mt. Vernon Trail

On the Mt. Vernon Trail in Alexandria, you can fish solo and ponder the meaning of ......? You choose/By Patricia Leslie

 Or fish with a friend/By Patricia Leslie

 Or ride/By Patricia Leslie

 Run/By Patricia Leslie

 Run almost naked in 50 degree weather/By Patricia Leslie

 Ponder solo/By Patricia Leslie

 Ponder with a friend/By Patricia Leslie

 Bike/By Patricia Leslie

 Rendezvous or find sculpture in wood/By Patricia Leslie

 Fish with a group/By Patricia Leslie

 Contemplate a science project/By Patricia Leslie

 Find Mother Nature/By Patricia Leslie

 Study Mother's effects/By Patricia Leslie

 

It's heave ho on the Mt. Vernon Trail/By Patricia Leslie

 Admire the sinewy trunk that remains/By Patricia Leslie

 All the way up to the tippy-top and wonder when it will fall/By Patricia Leslie

 Find beauty everywhere and admire the craftsmanship of bridge designers. The 18.5 mile trail will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2023/By Patricia Leslie

 See the gorgeous Potomac River sights/By Patricia Leslie

 Bike with friends/By Patricia Leslie
 

Walk instead of ride the challenging last mile before Mt Vernon, George's home/By Patricia Leslie

But if you get a running start and think you can ..../By Patricia Leslie

 You can!/By Patricia Leslie

 It's a demanding finish/By Patricia Leslie

 Easier to walk/By Patricia Leslie

 Than ride/By Patricia Leslie

 Or strategize on the best way to top it/By Patricia Leslie

Whatever you do, enjoying the outdoors and escaping inner space are delightful on the Mt. Vernon Trail. Thank you, National Park Service!/By Patricia Leslie

patricialesli@gmail.com

Bike the Mt. Vernon Trail

You can bike the Mt. Vernon Trail but you're better off riding your own bike than renting one of these available for rent at the Washington Sailing Marina since, of the bikes pictured above, only one was suitable for riding. All the others had flat tires, the attendant said.   Photo by Patricia Leslie

The "quality" bikes (says the Washington Sailing Marina's website) are so bad (they remain outdoors during the elements) the hand grips stick to your hands but an attendant fixed that with paper towels which he taped to the handle bar.  Nice! Actually, they worked for the whole ride. Whatdya expect for $11/hour? Like everything else, you get what you pay for:  Here, not much.  Christine had to ride a man's bike without a kickstand, and it may not have had brakes either.  At least, it had wheels which went around/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail heading toward Alexandria. A straight shot/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail heading toward Alexandria. Up ahead, a big curve down a hill/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail heading toward Alexandria, a good place to take your dog out for a Sunday stroll in the park/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail in Alexandria. Look out for drivers opening car doors into you and your bicycle!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A park alongside the Potomac River in Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A park alongside the Potomac River in Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

In a park alongside the Potomac River in Alexandria, you can read under an umbrella/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail in Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail in Alexandria, look!  In the sky! It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's a plane!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria there's plenty of room to ride, walk, and run/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria/Photo by Patricia Leslie

It may seem like you're in a swamp along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria and that's because you are!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Along the Mt. Vernon Trail near Alexandria, dogs are welcome and a'scampering they will go!/Photo by Patricia Leslie

A gorgeous scene overlooking the Washington Sailing Marina from the Mt. Vernon Trail/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Time for a brew at the Washington Sailing Marina/Photo by Patricia Leslie

Time to sit and relax at the Washington Sailing Marina and watch the planes come and go, in and out of National Airport/Photo by Patricia Leslie

patricialesli@gmail.com

Biking on a sunny afternoon

Along the George Washington Parkway Trail/Patricia Leslie

The Bike Ride

How do you like to ride on a bike,
Under a sky so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a girl can do!

Ride my bike and move over the trail
And I can see so wide,
River and trees and airplanes and all
As I go cycling by

Till I look down on the pavement dull
Down down down I fall
Up on the bike I go riding again
Oh, look! There's the National Mall

With apologies to Robert Louis Stevenson

A traffic jam along the George Washington Parkway/Mt.Vernon Trail in 2011/Patricia Leslie

From the George Washington Parkway Trail with the Washington Monument in the distance and is that the Jefferson Memorial?/Patricia Leslie

A rare sighting in Vienna along the W&OD Trail:  A member of the trail patrol/Patricia Leslie

Dogs are always welcome along the W&OD Trail/Patricia Leslie

Crossing Gallows Road along the W&OD Trail/Patricia Leslie