Covid Coffeeneuring

The theme of this year's coffeeneuring challenge is "one good thing." Eight months into the pandemic, it is clear that riding a bike is the one good thing that has enabled me to keep some sense of normalcy and joy. Through social isolation, canceled travel plans, and a tense, nail-biting election cycle, hopping on a bike remained a path to both mental and physical well-being.

Looking back at my blog history I see that 2020 is the 8th time I've completed the challenge - not missing a single year since I first coffeeneured in 2013. That's a record to be proud of! So here is a description of what I hope will be the only covid-plagued coffeeneuring season.

Ride #1: October 10, 2020 - 5.5 miles

Given the pandemic, I prepared my own beverage: a combination of my home-brewed kombucha and a lovely herbal tea called "tranquilitea." I rode a somewhat circuitous route to the Bon Air rose garden, where there still were plenty of beautiful blossoms.

Ride #2: October 13, 2020 - 17 miles

What better way to celebrate my 68th birthday than a 17-mile ride that included a decaf espresso and my favorite sticky bun from Best Buns. I love riding the Arlington "loop," especially when I stop 12 miles into the ride for a treat from Best Buns.

Ride #3: October 17, 2020 - 7 miles

For my weekend rides I decided to bring my own brew - avoiding coffee shops when they're likely to be more crowded. Fortunately I'm within a short ride to many lovely wooded settings and I rode to the grounds of the Long Branch Nature Center where the autumn leaves put on a nice show. In my thermos I had some of the lovely black Kenyan tea I brought back from my trip last November. It was hard to believe that a year ago I coffeeneured in Kenya. The world feels so different now.

Ride #4: October 21, 2020 - 7 miles

Being a mid-week ride I headed to the Arlington location of Northside Social, where I got an espresso and a ginger scone. When I emerged with my order - a plate in one hand and a saucer in the other - there were no free tables on the patio. As I was carefully stepping over the chain to head toward a bench, a youngish man came up and pleasantly offered me the table he was vacating. As I headed toward his table he smilingly said, "I was literally just writing about my grandma." From his demeanor he clearly didn't mean it as an insult, but - having just turned 68 - it stung a bit to think I look more like 80. But, hey, I can still get around by bike so looks aren't everything.

Ride #5: November 1, 202 - 9 miles

The morning was a bit chilly and I waited a bit too long for it to warm up some, given the strong prediction for rain. But I was itching to get out for a ride, despite knowing there was a good chance I'd get caught in the rain. I have a hilly ride I enjoy that goes past the Gulf Branch Nature Center and thought it would be nice to have both of Arlington's nature centers in my "coffeeneuring without walls" portfolio. No sooner did I get to the grounds of the nature center than the first sprinkles started. I had brewed a lovely soy chai and took a few big gulps of it before heading back toward home.

The rain came down in earnest but when you're at the farthest point from home there's nothing to do but soldier on. Fortunately I'd dressed in my Underarmour leggings and a wool sweater underneath a somewhat water-repellant jacket. Although I wouldn't have gone out if it had already been raining, getting caught in the rain really wasn't at all bad. That said, I stripped off my sodden clothes as soon as I entered home and a hot shower felt quite lovely. I also finished the nice chai, which was still warm in the thermos.

Ride #6: November 3, 2020 - 7.5 miles

This was largely an election-day jitters ride. I headed to Kung Fu Tea for a hot Thai milk tea. I sat on the bench and drank part of it and then walked around the corner to pick up a few items from Trader Joe's, where an adorable dog was waiting patiently outside for its human. I put the rest of the tea in my water bottle and headed home to anxiously await election results.

Ride #7: November 7, 2020 - 8.5 miles

With unseasonably warm November weather I headed out with a thermos of soy chai, stopping at a nice spot on the Custis Trail for some refreshment. For many months I avoided riding on the trails as they were more crowded than the streets during the early months of the pandemic. But I've started using the trails again as there appear to be fewer bikers, walkers, and runners than there were a few months ago. I stopped at Mom's Organic Market and bought some ginger tea. As I was nearing home I could hear my phone exploding with text messages. At first I wondered what was going on and then it hit me: the election must have been called. Sure enough - when I got home I pulled out the phone to see the happy news: a perfect end to a crazy coffeeneuring season.

Errandonnee 2020

When the weather is in the mid 50s to mid 60s, there are few things I’d rather be doing than riding my bike. As luck would have it, the 2020 Errandonnee challenge coincided with perfect biking weather. I raise my helmet to those who completed their rides in February, when it was still a bit cold. I rarely ride when it’s below the mid 40s, above the mid 80s, or raining. Otherwise, I pretty much live an “errandonnee lifestyle” – biking for fun and transportation. I think it’s a large part of why I still feel healthy, happy, and – yes, young – at the age of 67! So here’s an account of this year’s challenge:

Trip 1. February 27, 2020 – Personal Business – 8 miles

I started the challenge in San Francisco, at the end of a 10-day trip to CA. The SF bikeshare system is now coordinated with Lyft. Regular bikes are at docking stations and the Lyft app can  conveniently find and pay for them. Apparently it's also possible to pay with the Clipper card, which is used on BART and MUNI, but I used the Lyft app. There also are Lyft e-bikes that appear to be scattered about the city, but I didn’t figure out how to use them.

There were many different decorations on the bikes.

I picked up my bike downtown around 5^th and Market after visiting a dispensary in the SOMA neighborhood. I rode up toward Duboce Park where I knew I could begin the famous SF “wiggle” – a route designed to avoid the city’s tremendous hills. It only goes for about a mile, but it’s a fun little jaunt ending up at the panhandle of Golden Gate Park. 

The Wiggle is clearly marked on the road with green bike lanes.

I docked my bike, walked around a bit, stopped for a delicious vegan burger and then visited the Haight-Ashbury Post Office to mail my earlier purchase from what seemed like a fitting location. (Read between the lines.) I then climbed up into Buena Vista Park and walked through the park, eventually finding another Lyft bike to ride back downtown. I dropped it off on the Embarcadero, after which I still had to climb many hills on foot to arrive back at my lodging on Telegraph Hill.

The burgers are made with soy and mushroom - very yummy!

Beautiful views from Buena Vista Park - appropriately named!

Trip 2. March 2, 2020 – Social – 10 miles

I biked downtown to Absolute Noodle for lunch with friends, taking a slightly different route than usual to avoid Memorial Bridge construction. Suffice it to say, H St NW is not a bike friendly street and I don’t plan to repeat that mistake. But the “drunken noodles” were delicious, as was the company.

Trip 3. March 2, 2020 – Arts & Entertainment – 2 miles

Having taken my bike home on the Metro, I rode from EFC to the Westover Library to pick up a book I had on hold. Let’s say I hope the book will be entertaining! I regret that Arlington county opted to preserve parking along that stretch of Washington Boulevard instead of adding bike lane the entire way both directions. That section of road is very trafficky with people coming off Route 66. Oh well…

Trips 4-6. March 2, 2020 – Store visits (2) and Personal Care – 5 miles total

After stopping home to let the dog out I rode to the Target in Falls Church to make a return, then to Aldi to pick up a few vegetables, as my fridge was bare after returning from CA. Then I stopped halfway home for a PT appointment – rehabbing an old shoulder injury. Each location had bike parking. Although my total miles for the day came to 17, it felt like nothing, having broken the trips up into several chunks.

Trip 7. March 3, 2020 – Social – .25 mile

This was a walking trip, accompanied by my old dog, Charlie. Although the distance was short for me, he’s nearly 18 years old and it was a long walk for him. We took in the daffodils blooming and went to deliver a thank you gift to my neighbor who took care of Charlie while I was in CA.

Trips 8-11. March 4, 2020 – Non-store, Personal Care, You Carried What?, and Wild Card – 9 miles

On my way to do a full grocery shop I stopped at the bank (that’s non-store, right?) where I waited for the bank employee to wipe down every surface on her desk in the ongoing hysteria to avoid Corona virus. Then I went upstairs to the gym where I wiped down the surfaces of the hand-cranked bike that I use to help rehab my shoulder. I’m calling that personal care. I’m finally up to level 4 on the bike and have new admiration for people who use hand-cranked bikes. I have only seen one person in the US on such a contraption, but I noticed quite a few when I visited India: used by people who couldn’t bike with their legs.

Hand-cranked bike at the gym.

Then I made my way to Trader Joe’s and am using the trip as a “you carried what” entry to illustrate just how much one can carry in a bike trailer. Sometimes you fall in love and that feeling doesn’t last. Fortunately my love affair with my Burley Travoy bike trailer has endured and I can haul groceries – even a big bag of dog food – effortlessly.

Trailer fully loaded.

Carried all this!

My last stop was to the Finder’s Keepers consignment store on Washington Boulevard, which I’m classifying as a wild card. I had taken a few items to consign and – yay – something sold so I stopped in to pick up my cash.

Trips 12-13. March 5, 2020 – Personal Business – 8 miles

It was a little chilly in the morning so I layered up to bike into DC for a doctor's appointment and to make a return to the DC library (season 8 of GoT which I finally watched the old-fashioned way on DVDs). By the time I got to the library I needed to peel off a layer. I hadn’t been to the West End library for a while, but its new bright green exterior is hard to miss. At the doctor’s office I had to follow a maze to get to the elevator as the lobby is under construction. By the time I got out the day was no longer chilly.

Bright green makes it easy to find the library.

finding the elevator was a bit more difficult.

Trip 14. March 8, 2020 – Work – 5 miles

This is a bonus ride, but I wanted to log a ride in every category this year. With the time change to daylight saving and the 36 degree temperature at 8:30 I needed this motivation to get on the bike and ride to the yoga studio. But Sundays are my only work days and I knew it would be warm by the time I finished teaching at noon. On my way there a car did a new-to-me boneheaded move. Along Lee Highway I cut through a parking lot and, as I was about to exit through a curb cut a car started driving into the parking lot through the sidewalk's curb cut. No, it didn't wait for me. In any case, as expected, the day was perfect for riding for my trip home.

So: grand total of 47 miles over 14 trips within 12 days using all 9 categories. Looking back at my blog, this appears to be my 7th Errandonnee - beginning in 2013, having missed only 2018. Many thanks to Mary G for inventing this fun activity!