Coffeeneuring 2012: Recap

The Cofffeeneuring Challenge of 2012 is in the books. I have to say that the riding wasn't the hard part. Getting caffeinated on the weekends was. I've been buzzed for 6 weeks. My central nervous system feels positively Parisian.

Coffeeneuring 2012: Rise of the Cranberry Orange Muffin!

So here's the recap which will act as my submission to the Queen of Coffeeneuring for her review.

Coffeeneuring No.1 Perks. 822 North Fairfax Drive, Old Town Alexandria VA. This is located one block from the Mount Vernon Trail near the Transpotomac Canal Center just South of the power plant.
Date: Saturday, October 6

Drink: Americano with a chocolate chip cookie.
Ride: Big Nellie
Rating: Two cups out of five. Coffee was good. The cookie was better. The shop was packed.
Miles: 21

Coffeeneuring No. 2: Buzz, 901 Slaters Lane, Alexandria VA. This is about a half mile from the Mount Vernon Trail. Take the ramp to Slaters Lane and follow Slaters until you see Buzz on the right.
Date: Saturday October 7
Drink: Americano with a chocolate chip cookie
Rating: Two cups out of five. The coffee was not as strong as at Perks. This is a plus. The cookie was not as good. The shop was packed mostly with WiFi squatters. I had to eat outdoors. It was pretty cold out and the seats were metal so I wasn't thrilled.
Ride: Big Nellie
Miles: 15

Coffeeneuring No. 3: The Hollin Hall Pastry Shop, 7920 Fort Hunt Road, Mount Vernon VA. This shop is about 1/2 mile from the stone bridge on the Mount Vernon Trail. Cross the bridge to the west. Take a left on Shenandoah. A right on Fort Hunt Road. The shop is in the strip mall on your left.
Date:  Saturday October 13
Drink: Americano with an eclair
Rating: One cup for the coffee. I really don't think the high school kid behind the counter knew what she was doing. Five cups for the eclair. Dang, it was tasty!!!! Not much ambiance. Just one little table for wayward coffeeneurs.
Ride: Big Nellie
Miles: 5

Coffeeneuring No. 4: Grape and Bean, 118 South Royal Street, Old Town Alexandria VA. Royal Street runs parallel to the Mount Vernon Trail. The shop is one-half block south of King Street.
Date: Saturday October 20
Drink: French Roast
Rating: One cup out of five. The coffee was way too strong for my taste. There was nothing but bread available to eat with it so I had nothing. (I could have had lunch but it was too early,)  This was a dissappointing experience. I ride by this shop every day. This is the first time I've gone inside and the staff seemed like they couldn't be bothered with me.
Ride: Big Nellie
Miles 54 1/2

Coffeeneuring Fail: Red Truck Bakery, Warrenton VA
Date: Saturday October 27
Drink: House Roast with orange cranberry muffin
Rating: Coffee rated four cups. The muffin went to eleven!!!!!  BEST MUFFIN EVER. And the bonus was seeing Veronique, a friend from back when our kids were little.Red Truck is definitely worth another visit. And the riding around Warrenton is great too.
Ride: The Mule
Miles: 1/2 mile (+ 72 for the Pumpkin ride)

Coffeeneuring No. 5: Misha's, 102 S. Patrick Street, Old Town Alexandria VA.  This shop is located several blocks west of the Mount Vernon Trail. Take King Street until you hit Patrick Street. Misha's is a couple of doors down from the intersection.
Date: Saturday November 3
Drink: House Coffee with a chocolate chip cookie.
Rating: Three cups out of five.  The coffee was fine. The cookie was heated up which made it especially tasty. This is yet another coffee house with WiFi squatters. I sat at a big long table with a pile of newspapers strewn all over it. Misha's and the Coffeehouse it replaced is something of an institution in Old Town.
Ride: The Mule
Miles: 14

Coffeeneuring No. 6: Perk Up, 829 South Washington, Old Town Alexandria VA.  From the intersection of the Mount Vernon Trail and South Washington Street at the Woodrow Wilson Bridge take South Washington two blocks. The shop is one door down from Green Street,
Date: Sunday November 4
Drink: House blend. Three cups out of five. This shop is pretty small so the WiFi squatters once again filled up most of the seats.  I sat outside on a cool fall afternoon.  They serve some pastries and such but nothing floated my boat.
Ride: Little Nellie
Miles: 11

Coffeeneuring No. 7: Saint Elmo's Coffee Pub, 2300 Mount Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, Alexandria VA. Mount Vernon Avenue runs parallel to the Mount Vernon Trail on the west side of US 1.  Braddock Road, Monroe Street or the bike path on the south side of Four Mile Run all intersect Mount Vernon Avenue.
Date: Saturday November 10
Drink: Americano with an orange cranberry muffin
Rating: Five out of five cups.  This coffee was exactly as I like it and the muffin was moist and crumbly and near perfect (look out Red Truck!).  Saint Elmo's is a real, honest to god neighborhood coffee shop. Every neighborhood should have one. A great place to finish the challenge. There are all kinds of restaurants up and down Mount Vernon Avenue. And just a couple of doors from Saint Elmo's is The Dairy Godmother where you can get a truly awesome root beer float.
Ride: Little Nellie
Miles: 18.

And, last but not least, a tip of the helmet to MG, the Gypsybug, Gersemalina, and wise Queen Coffeenista for coming up with this idea. It got me out of the house on several days when I would have been riding my recliner instead of my bike.

Cheers.

Coffeeneuring Number 7: Saint Elmo to the Rescue

Today is my father's 95th birthday. I hope he and my Mom are enjoying themselves. Do they have Canadian Club in heaven?

After a week of unseasonably cold weather and five bike commutes we were greeted with some pretty decent riding weather. With 150 miles in my legs since Monday I felt my legs needed a break.  So whatever riding I did today would have to be short and sweet.

Gersamalina a.k.a. Gypsybug a.k.a MG, the Queen of Coffeeneuring, disallowed my coffee trip to Red Truck Bakery a couple of weeks ago on the grounds (no pun intended) that the ride to and from the coffee drinking lasted only one half mile. The minimum for qualifying is 2 miles. And event rides don't count (so this rules out the 72 miles I did after drinking my coffee).

So I had one more coffeeneuring ride to do to finish the Coffeeneuring Challenge of 2012.  I decided to ride to the waterfront in Old Town Alexandria and partake of coffee in the food court near the Torpedo Factory. In  the process I rode past a Firehook Bakery and a Starbucks. I wanted to do the Challenge without going to a coffee or bakery chain so I have assiduously avoided these places as well as a Drunkin Donuts about a mile from my house.

When I arrived at the promenade behind the Torpedo Factor I was stunned at how little bike parking there is. Alexandria is supposed to be a Bicycle Friendly City but once again it showed that it has a long way to go to earn this honor.  I managed to lock my bike to one of two bike racks near the food court. They each had a bike locked to them and the each of the racks would barely fit one more bike.

Closed x 4! Fail!

Once Little Nellie was hitched up, I walked to the food court. Each door to the building had a white sheet of paper on it. Closed.

Fail.

Having already used up three nearby non-chain coffee shops I decided to head to the Del Ray neighborhood, home of Saint Elmo's Coffee Pub. Saint Elmo's is a bit of a Del Ray institution and it deserves its reputation as a fun place to hang out.  In front of the shop is a bike corral where customers can lock up their bikes on the street. Alexandria, you need to do a whole lot more of this!

Muffn with coffee. Mighty fine.

Inside I ordered a medium Americano and an Cranberry Orange muffin.  Both were excellent. The muffin was not quite as good as Red Truck's, but the coffee was the best of all my coffeeneuring stops.

Little Nellie in the bike corral at St. Elmo's

I took my time riding home. After riding Little Nellie exclusively for about 165 miles my body has dialed into riding her. It's hard to explain but spinning properly requires getting your hips and ankles and knees working together just so. The ride home, despite two decent hills on Fort Hunt Road, was effortless.

Summary

Where: St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, Mount Vernon Avenue, Del Ray, Alexandria VA
What: Americano and orange cranberry muffin
Distance: 18 miles

So, there you have it. I have met the Coffeeneuring Challenge of 2012.





Huzzah!!!

Veni, Velo, Voto

Damn it was cold this morning. Time to break out the heavy artillery.  The holey sweater came out of mothballs for the first time since last winter. 

The holey sweater lives!!!

Dang! Frost!!

I donned four layers on my torso, a balaclava, some mountain bike shorts and wind pants, and wool socks. I headed down the street on Little Nellie to the voting place.  It was about 6:55 a.m. and the line to vote was quite long. It wasn't as long as 2008. In 2008, every African American who could get out of bed was in line before dawn. There were huge smiles and looks of incredulity on many of them as they stood in line to make history. It was moving.

I wish I brought something to read

Little Nellie waited patiently for me to vote

Unfortunately, the line this year wasn't.  It took 50 minutes to vote. Some moms with kids in tow realized that no amount of Pop Tarts could keep their little ones calm long enough to vote so they left. I really felt for some of the elderly folks who stood for so long. Why can't we do what Oregon does and vote by mail?  Just sayin'.

Look Ma. I got a sticker!

Even with the hassle, I'm glad I voted. It felt good to hit that big red VOTE button.

I hope you voted.

Eagles and Ninjas

The first day back on standard time was a shock to my system. For some reason I didn't sleep at all last night. I woke up and went out to get the newspaper in the driveway.  I am convinced that sleeping leaves an envelope of warmth around your body that is specifically designed to allow you to get the newspaper comfortably in any weather, even if you are still in your jammies. (Not that I wear jammies.  I would never admit to wearing jammies.)

The envelope of warm wears off after you read the sports section.  I dressed what I thought was appropriately for 42 degree weather. (In New England this is known as tanning weather. Here in the mid-Atlantic it is considered arctic.) I missed by about 5 degrees.  Of course, a sensible person would have gone back in the house and put on more clothing. That would be someone other than me.  Putting more clothing on would be like asking for directions. It just isn't done. Better to be miserable for an hour than delayed for five minutes.

The headwind didn't help a whole lot, I suppose.  I saw the hoppy guy (a runner who seems to have a stiff knee) and Nancy Duley, an early morning rider who always seems to be going home instead of to work. Nancy probably told her boss she's veloworking. All bosses should allow veloworking.  It's great for morale.

At the Belle Haven nest, I spotted the bald eagle. On recent mornings, he has been perched in the branches well above the nest. This morning he was in the nest itself with a stick in his beak, winterizing for raptors.

The stretch of the ride in from the airport to Rosslyn was harsh. Little Nellie and I slogged along into an unprotected headwind. My toes were not happy.  My hands were okay though. I was wearing mittens.  They work much better than winter bicycling gloves. They are also useful if a snow storm hits while riding your bike, but only if its good packing snow.

The ride home was much more enjoyable.  About a block from my office, I encountered the Bike Arlington bike light giveaway.  A volunteer added little blinkie lights to the front and rear of Little Nellie. I was also given two reflective straps that I put on my wrists so that I could give hand signals and be seen.  I was a rolling Christmas tree.  In addition to the two blinkies and the two wrist straps Little Nellie and I had:

• pedal reflectors
• reflective ankle straps
• a reflective tab on the back of each shoe
• reflective white sidewalls on the tires
• a front bicycle reflector
• a red blinkie on the seat post
• a red reflective ankle strap on the seat post
• a big white reflective spot on the front of the handlebar bag, the back of the saddle bag, and the front and back of each rear pannier. 
• a reflective strap on the back of my helmet holding another red blinkie light
• a Light and Motion Stella headlight on the front of my helmet
• a yellow reflective Bike Arlington vest

Simply put, only a blind person could miss me.

I set off on the Mount Vernon Trail. It was dark. I was a-blinkin'. My headlight was on. A jogger approached with no reflective material or lights on. I missed him. People like this are called ninjas. A mile or so later I missed another. Then another. Then another. I crossed over Four Mile Run just south of the airport. A couple of bicyclists had pulled over to the side of the trail at the far end of the bridge.

A short time later Shawn, one of the two cyclists, rode by me and told me that the other cyclist had hit a ninja.

In Minnesota this is called thinning the herd.

I hope I don't hit a ninja this winter. If you are walking or running on a trail or street after dark, don't be a ninja.

When I arrived home, Mrs. Rootchopper was getting out of her car. She told me it could be in the twenties in the morning.

I may have to wear my jammies to work.

If you perk it, they will come

Having spent an appalling amount of money yesterday on the four-wheel place holder in front of my house, I was now free blow my Sunday any way I wanted. I have to admit I failed miserably in the excitement department. 

The basic idea behind coffeeneuring is that you ride your bike a minimum of one mile to a coffee shop and partake of your favorite beverage therein.  Coffeeneurs are encouraged to visit the independent kind you see in Friends or Frasier instead of the cookie cutter chain shops. I have two problems with that. First, there are no independent coffee shops within a five mile radius of my house. You see, unlike most coffeeneurs, I live is soulless suburbia not hip urbia. (There is, in fact, a gourmet shop exactly one mile from my house. I don't think they qualify as a coffee shop, but I will have to investigate next weekend because they make a pretty darn good roast beef sammich.)  Second, the coffeeshops on TV always have places to sit.  Most of the coffeeshops I have been to are packed with WiFi freeloaders.

Today's coffeeneuring ride was to Old Town Alexandria because that's the only direction I can go to find an urbia.  I thought I had used up all the coffeeshops in Old Town itself and might have to ride to Del Ray (another Alexandria neighborhood) or Crystal City which is the saddest excuse for a planned community on the planet. Everything there is named Crystal This or Crystal That. There are even two Crystal Marriot Hotels. It's all a pain in the Crystal ass so I try to avoid it.

Perk Up, Little Nellie

I rode up South Washington Street and within a block came upon Perk Up, an independent coffeeshop. This shop is located at South Washington and Green. I thought this was a Starbucks so I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. I walked in and sure enough every seat was taken, mostly by people with their noses buried in tablets and laptops. I waited for Jennifer Anniston to walk in but she must have been busy looking awesome somewhere else so I ordered a small coffee and sat outside in the sun. It was 50 degrees out so it wasn't terribly uncomfortable.

Once done with my brew I headed back home, making a stop at the local variety store. The Hollin Hall Variety Store is an old fashioned Five and Ten store. It has all the little crap that no sensible store would want to stock. Postcards, crafts, oddball cleaning stuff, and shoe laces, which is what I needed.

Another mile and I was back home, completing my cofffeeneuring adventure at 11 miles. 

Anybody for some fish?

Oh, and on the way, I saw this guy.  (Or gal, it's hard to tell.) He was probably fishoneuring. I'll talk a pass on that concept.

Cars and Coffee

Ryan, a participant in Friday Coffee Club, asked me if I was interested in doing a ride today. I turned him down because I have a back log of stuff to do around the homestead.  I was moderately successful in accomplishing them today.

I dropped the Millennium Falcon, my son's car, off Friday night to get new front tires.  Teenage boys go through tires and breaks like buttah.  The garage called at 8:15 and said the tires were on but the front brakes (pads and rotors) needed to be replaced.  They said it would be done by around 10:30. Apparently, they are on Central Standard Time because the car wasn't ready until 12:30.  While waiting for the car, I received my October credit card statement. I spent $45 on gasoline for the entire month. Not bad.  Unfortunately, all the car repairs today totaled over $700.  Ugh. That's probably my entire bike-related spending for a year.

I walked over to get the car. The wind was a blowin' and the 50 degree air temperature felt like 40.  After getting the car, I took it to get inspected. My usual inspector will pass a wheel barrow full of loose car parts but he wasn't there today. Please pass me so I can get on with my day.

The Falcon passed. Yesss,,,,

Next stop was the bank,

The car has had some gunk on the windshield for a couple of days. That turned out to be egg.  Some very small birds egg had broken on the windshield. I spent a few minutes cleaning it off.

At this point I should have mowed the lawn. I decided instead to ride The Mule to the local bike shop to get my left toe clip (that could be the title of a Daniel Day Lewis cycling movie) fixed. They were up to the task. (Bolt through hole. Attach nut. Turn.)

Now that The Mule was back in proper working order, I rode around the shopping center looking for coffee.  The only coffee was at Drunken Donuts (Their slogan is "America runs on Dunkin' " which says nothing about biking) so I rode into Old Town Alexandria and had an Americano at Misha's coffeeshop. Misha's, and the cleverly named Coffeehouse before it, have been serving coffee on the corner of King and Patrick for well over a decade. The coffee was fine and the chocolate chip cookie hit the spot. Misha's is pretty big inside but the place is swarming with WiFi refugees. I sat on the Group W bench in the back room.

The Mule shares bike parking with another steed at Micha's

Coffee, cookie and bike paraphernalia at Misha's

With my veins coursing with caffeine, I hit the road again. I now had a gusty, lusty, and dusty tail wind. The ride home was, excuse the expression, a breeze. About a mile from home, The Mule told me to pull over.  He had something to tell me. Here's what he said:

Ain't no decimals, baby.

Today's 14-mile coffeeneuring adventure was either my fifth or my sixth depending on whether the wise and beauteous Queen of Coffeeneuring gives me credit for last week's rule-bending ride.

One thing that I learned from today's misadventures is that I have a cold and have had one for over a week. There is no pump to my pedalling. So I am applying medicinal Merlot as I type this.
 
Tomorrow should hold enough daylight for me to affect repairs to Big Nellie's seat, mow my lawn, and bag another coffeeneuring trip.  Then I will grab a Snuggie and dream of warmer climes and perpetual downhills on smooth pavement. 

Trance Ride

I get into a trance when I bike commute. I’ve ridden to and from work so many times now that it’s automatic.  This morning , after a mile, following the white dot made by my headlight, I looked up and wondered “How did I get here?”  And I wasn’t even thinking of that Talking Heads song.

Back into my trance and soon I was on the Mount Vernon Trail. I glanced at the morning sky. It looked just like yesterday, a beautiful pre-dawn light show. I passed through Belle Haven Park and came out of my trance to glance up at the Belle Haven nest. For the third time in a week, a bald eagle was perched on a branch above the nest.

I pedaled past a blind man waiting for a bus in front of the Hunting Towers apartments. Do I call out my pass or not? I decided not and moved as far away from him as possible. Maybe the next time I’ll say “Good morning. Bike passing in front of you.” That seems long winded though.

I rode down to the underside of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Now that the MVT is reconstructed down to the river, I no longer cut under the bridge to take South Royal Street. I don’t miss the dance of the SUVs where the MVT cuts into the drop off line at Saint Mary’s School. So many of the parents seem oblivious to the bikes weaving among their cars, as if the bikes aren’t there every day. The knuckleheads who escort the kids from the cars need to stop the cars before the trail intersects the street. That way the kids, who are pretty oblivious due to their kidness, don’t step in front of a bike. When bikes hit people, bad things happen. When I was in grade school, a kid hit a little old lady walking home from church. The lady died. I think the kid was messed up in the head after that.

I stopped at King and Union Streets to marvel at the fact that the road was dry. This intersection routinely floods after storms.  The shop doorways all had sandbags in front of them. They know the water will eventually arrive.

Back on the MVT I re-enter my trance. I look up. “Hi, Rootchopper.” It’s Nancy Duley, a Mount Vernon area bike rider and self-professed recovering economist passing by. Like so many economists, she always seems to be heading in the wrong direction. Assume a compass...

Old Town Sandbags

I go back into my trance. I can’t seem to make any speed this morning. It doesn’t matter. The early morning light puts the monuments in half silhouette. Meet the Monuments. Good album. Do monuments wear Cuban boots?  The trance is strong with this one.