I bought a bike shortly after moving to DC in 2001. I spent more than I should have at the time (about a month's rent) and decided to get something of quality, that would let me cruise around the city and visit Julie at her apartment. Until this year, I'd never used it for any trips longer than the occasional ride to Bethesda. After Julie and I moved in together she reluctantly agreed to buy herself a cheap bike so that we could ride around the park. She never really enjoyed the rides as much as I did and I think she participated mostly to humor me.

This summer, I somehow convinced Julie she might like riding her bike on longer excursions. Our first trip took us north through Rock Creek Park, out of the District and all the way to Rockville, MD. It was mostly uphill the entire way, but Julie was feeling adventurous and 21 miles later we arrived at the Rockville Metro stop.

Although she could barely pedal when we reached Rockville, Julie somehow wanted to continue biking the following weekend. Perhaps it wasn't as bad as she imagined all those years, or perhaps it was the fact that I let her set the pace—whatever the reason, we've gone riding every weekend since. In six trips we've logged nearly 160 miles and have some ambitious rides planned. We've discovered that the DC area has a huge amount of paved paths and great destinations.

Julie's at the point where she's even considering buying a better bike. If anyone has any suggestions, or a bike to sell, please let us know!

Here we are at Mt. Vernon, about 18 miles south of DC.

Resources

In our search for different paths and destinations, we've found some great resources and tools that have made our trips more enjoyable and easier to plan. Here's a short list that should help anyone interested in recreational riding in and around DC.

Web Sites

• Bike Washington
  The name pretty much says it all. This site has maps, descriptions, and advice about many of the local trails and paths. If you're looking for somewhere to go, this should be your first stop.
• Bikely.com
  I just found this site a few days ago. It contains uploaded GPS tracks of biker's trips that can be viewed online and downloaded into a GPS.
• Google Earth
  While Google Maps are useful for day to day driving directions, the downloadable Google Earth program is extremely helpful when planning trips. I've had a great time planning the rides and viewing our track logs from our own trips.
• WMATA
  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's site is very helpful when planning trips. We will often take our bikes onto the Metro and out of the city. We then ride back in or to another Metro stop. It's a great service as it greatly increases the area available to use to bike.

Gear

• Garmin GPS
  I've written about using my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx before to record my location while out taking photos, but I've recently discovered it is of tremendous help when biking. I have recorded each of our bike trips to keep track of our progress. I've also used it to find restaurants, Metro stops, and to follow other people's recorded tracks. I love this thing more and more every day. Be sure to get the handlebar attachment.
• Jelly Belly Sport Beans
  Think Gatorade and jelly beans. I saw these on the Jelly Belly web site and decided to try them. They come in small 1 ounce packages. We usually take a few packs along on our trips. Highly recommended!
• Topeak MTX TrunkBag EXP
  I purchased this at REI looking for an easy way to carry my camera and some food on our rides. (I have to keep Julie well fed at all times.) It's a great bag and rack/rail system with expandable left and right panniers. The panniers are perfect for when you find yourself riding by a Target and suddenly remember you need to buy socks and underwear.