I rode in to work for the second time this week. I had meetings out in Chantilly on Thursday and rode the 18 miles yesterday out and back. So together I rode 118.6 miles this week!!! So far June has been good for riding. We plan to do some riding this weekend as well, I know Keow wants to get out on the C&O canal path, but more on that later.
Section 2 of my ride is the first part where I feel that I am away from home. This section rolls 4.1 miles from the Fairfax Circle to the W&OD trail and runs along the signed Fairfax City Connector trail, which is more a designed bike route connecting several disjointed paths, and not a dedicated bike commuter route.
Crossing over Fairfax/Arlington Blvd (US 50) I head into the tall trees of the Towers Park, a dark sylvan adjacent to the Circle Towers Condominium complex. The trail quickly rises about 50 feet and dumps me out about 100 yards from a crosswalk on Lee Highway going in the wrong direction. If I can cross at the light I will quickly jump across the 4 laned road otherwise I must stride my bike along the broken sidewalk and wait at a busy bus stop to cross. On the other side of Lee Highway I descend into the East Blake Lane Park, a large wooded quadrangle that 4 town home communities back up to. Despite its proximity to major roads, it is usually very quiet through here. One morning I came within an arms lenght from an adult white tail doe. The trail gradually rises through the EBLP and outlets to a defunct parking lot for the Vienna/Fairfax/GMU Metro station. The metro station is my first out. If I breakdown or don't want to continue I can lock up my bike here, deposit 5 bucks for a train ticket and ride into the city.
The "connector trail" then continues on sidewalks over I-66 and past both the north and south parking garages for the metro station before it passes through Vaden street and into Nottoway park. Dog walkers are usually out in Nottaway as I zip through and make the sharp right onto Tapawingo and head up the hill into Vienna. This second major hill rises 80 feet and tops out at the Vienna watertower. Tapawingo rises up and down over the last 1.5 miles. As I cross over Park street, the houses get larger and the cars more plentiful. I round the "Knuckle" before which I was heading mosly to the north east, and after I travel primarily southeasterly. I turn right onto Glyndon and then Left onto Adahi. The W&OD trail and the start of section 3 is just up ahead.
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