Cycling from Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry, West Virgina

It’s been a while hasn’t it?  Sadly, I haven’t been doing any flying around the world, or really flying anywhere.  Though that doesn’t mean I’m sitting still!  A few months ago, I became pretty obsessed with cycling.  I started doing 20 mile rides on the weekends, got really into it, and before long 20 miles became 40 miles and then 40 miles became 60!  Fast forward a couple months and I've purchased far too much cycling gear and tricked out my bike with a rack, GPS and an auxiliary water bottle! 

I could go on and on and (and many of you have heard me go on and on) about all the trails in and around DC and my preferred cycling apps, but for this special return of Enroute with Enzo, I wanted to blog about my longest and most exciting ride to date, a 140 mile round trip from Washington, DC to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia!

The trip to Harpers Ferry from DC can be done a couple ways.  The most popular way is probably via the Chesapeake and Ohio (C and O) Canal Towpath which runs along the Potomac River and gets you all the way there without much need for navigation.  Though, its gravel and can get pretty muddy when it rains, so I plotted my own alternate route mostly via the Washington and Old Dominion (W and OD) trail. 

Here’s a snapshot of the route.

Though, lets start at the beginning, shall we?  Here’s me and my cycling buddy Adam, just starting our journey on the Key Bridge leaving Georgetown.

After crossing the Key Bridge into Virginia, there is this cute little bike counter in Rosslyn.  Almost a quarter million cyclists have passed this point so far this year!

Leaving Rosslyn, we are now well on our way along the Custis trail.  

The Custis trail is just under 5 miles and connects Rosslyn to the start of the W and OD trail.  Its mostly along I-66 and its quite hilly, mostly uphill in this direction!  Here we are after one of our first big climbs!

Here’s a nifty little elevation chart of our route. By the end of the Custis trail, we’re at about mile marker 10 of the trip.

One of the neat things about Custis is that you are riding right above the highway, and you cross it maybe half a dozen times on bridges only used by pedestrians and cyclists.  I always thought this spot was neat where you’re right next to one of the giant interstate signs.

After the Custis trail and starting the W and OD trail, the route breaks away from the highway and becomes more scenic.

Before long, we were in Vienna, Virginia, mile 15 or so, and they have a bright red rail car right along the route.  There are a few rail cars along the trail since the W and OD was a rail line for about 100 years before becoming the bike and hiking trail it is today!  By this point, I needed a break and who doesn't love a bright red train car?

Back on the road, we continue along the W and OD and cross under quite a few bridges and over several highways.  The trail takes us past Reston, Sterling, Ashburn, and Dulles Airport.

Approaching and going through Leesburg, VA from mile 35 to 42 was a little tough as its a consistent climb taking us to our highest elevation of the trip at about 600 feet.

We eventually made it to the end of the W and OD and arrived in Purcellville at about mile 48.

After a break, we pressed on, with the rest of our route being on country roads that we’d never ridden on before.  I didn’t quite know what to expect in terms of traffic and scenery but have to say I was pretty pleased! 

There were a few climbs which at this point of the ride were a bit annoying, but overall, it was a beautiful section of the ride!

At about mile 60 we felt the need for a photo shoot, cause I mean obvi right?

At mile 65 we crossed back over the Potomac leaving Virginia and entering Maryland through a small town called Brunswick.  

The bridge crossing was along Route 287, the Berlin Turnpike.  There was no bike lane or trail along the bridge and there was a fair bit of traffic, so sorry, no photo, didn't want to die!

Leaving Brunswick, we had just over 5 miles to go, along the C and O Towpath that I mentioned earlier.  It's a gravel trail that runs along the Potomac River.

At Mile 70, we were almost there, but had one more obstacle!  To get from the C and O to Harpers Ferry, we had to cross the Potomac one final time, but to do so you have to carry your bike up two flights of stairs!  We knew this, but still, seeing those metal stairs after biking 70 miles is a real stick in the spokes!

After the climb you cross the bridge that is shared only by peds, bikes and trains!  We crossed right as an Amtrak train was coming through.  Super neat!

After hopping off the bridge, we’d made it!  This is a look back at the bridge we’d just crossed.  We were lucky with such great weather all day and were also pretty geeked that we just propelled ourselves into West Virginia.

By now, we were ready for a rest.  Our plan was to stay the night in Harpers Ferry and do the 70 miles all over again the next day back to DC.  Though not before having dinner and ice cream as the sun set on Harpers Ferry.

On the way home, we took pretty much the same route.   Parts of the final 20 miles were bit tough, but luckily the climb up Custis on the way there was now all downhill so that was a fun way to end it.

If you’d have told me back in March that by the end of the summer that I’d be biking 140 miles to West Virginia and back, I’d have told you that you were nuts!  Though I’m so glad I did it.  Probably one of the most satisfying things I’ve done all year and now I can’t wait to plan my next cycling adventure!  Until next time!

Top 10 Experiences of my Trip with New Video!

After being back for a few days, the most common question people have asked me is, "Gosh Enzo, are you really that basic?"  Though for this post, we'll focus on the 2nd most common question, "What was your favorite thing you did on your trip?"  So, in typical Enzo fashion, here's an answer that's quite a bit longer than you care to hear!  I'm also going to cheat and add 4 honorable mentions.  Why? Because it's my blog and I'll do what I want.  I'm also adding some never before seen video footage!  But first, in no particular order, the honorable mentions are:

The views of Sydney Harbor:

The sunset in Rio:

Steak and wine in Buenos Aires:

Bonus footage from Buenos Aires:

The Wellington cable car (so close to making the top 10!):

Without further ado, here's the top 10:

10. Meeting Chirpy in Kuranda, Australia:

TBT to Chirpy <3:

9. The view from Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa:

8. The magnitude of Iguazu Falls in Brazil and Argentina:

Iguazu Video!

7. Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, Australia:

6. The scenery of Southern New Zealand (Queenstown pictured below):

Bonus footage of Milford Sound, New Zealand:

5. Seeing a roaring lion up close near Kruger National Park, South Africa:

4. International first class flying (Singapore Suites double bed in the sky):

3. Driving the Great Ocean Road in Southern Australia (Bells Beach):

2. Helicopter landing on Fox Glacier, New Zealand:

1. The thrill of bungee jumping off a bridge in Queenstown, New Zealand:

TBT to me screaming like a lunatic:

Someone also asked me what I'd do differently or what my least favorite experience was.  So I thought I'd add some of those.  I wouldn't say these were completely negative experiences, but I wouldn't give them 5 TripAdvisor stars and would encourage others to think twice before committing significant time or money to any of these 5 places/experiences:

1. The town of Port Fairy, Australia
- It was farther from the Great Ocean Road that I'd thought and it was a pretty sleepy town.

2. The TranzAlipine in New Zealand
- The scenery was just ok for the price of the trip.

3. Darling Harbor in Sydney, Australia
- A pretty touristy place.

4. Miracle City at the Sydney Opera House in Australia
- The show was pretty hokey and not that great for what it cost.

5. The train ride to Boulders Beach in Capetown, South Africa
- It took forever and wasn't all that scenic or comfortable.  Boulders Beach itself though was worth it, I'd just take an Uber.

Well,  I think that's a wrap!  For those who followed along, I hope it was entertaining!  As I noted in my prior relfections post, I really enjoyed writing it.  Until next time, this is Enroute with Enzo signing off.  Flight attendants set doors to arrival, crosscheck and all call.  Ladies and gentleman, please use caution when opening the overhead bins as items may have shifted in flight!  Thanks again for flying with us and we hope you have a pleasant stay here in Washington or wherever your travels may take you.

Reflecting on my trip

The first thing that comes to mind when I look back on the trip was how fast it went by.  While I intended to keep this blog to primarily share updates and photos with family, friends, and co-workers, as the trip went on I found it was a really good way to memorialize and take note of what I was experiencing.  I'm really glad I had a place to pause and reflect just a bit.  Who knew I'd like keeping a journal?  During the long plane rides, particularly the most recent leg on the way back to DC, I had some other thoughts that I wanted to put down.

First off, I barely scratched the surface of just 5 amazing countries in a relatively short period of time.  So I realize my observations can't be considered "global" by any stretch of the word and I'm not trying to generalize.  These are just the observations that I had based on the places I chose to visit.  In many of these places English is the primary or secondary language and none of the cities I visited were all that remote. Though, visiting this small slice of the globe, there were a few things that were often top of mind for me.

1.  People don't immediately make negative assumptions about Americans (I assumed that might be the case given recent events.)  I made it a point to try and talk with and meet as many local people as I could.  I had prepared myself to have to talk about the election, gun violence or other stuff I'd assume people think about the United States.  Though I found that very rarely did any of that come up.  Not that I forged deep relationships, but I'd say in each country I visited I had at least a few substantive conversations.  People were more interested in my trip, in my specific experiences, what I thought of their country/city, and in answering the questions I had about where they were from, what they did, etc.  Particularly in Brazil and New Zealand, just about everyone I met couldn't have been more easy to talk to and willing to offer help, suggestions, or just chat.

2.  American news.  During my trip, there were three news stories that I clearly remember hearing about in local media.  The Vegas shooting, the attack in New York and the shooting in Texas.  I realize my ears were probably more open to hearing about US based news, but I can't think of anything else that came up nearly as often as these violent events back home.  So while people constantly told me to be careful abroad and keep my eyes out for pickpockets in Rio and street crime in Cape Town, I couldn't help but compare that to things to really be afraid of back home.  It's sad and frustrating and infuriating.

3.  Everyone loves Madonna, Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and even somewhat obscure U.S. 80s and 90s music.   Again, I realize I wasn't in Antarctica or the Middle East, but every single bar, club and even restaurant I went to for the most part played primarily American music.  You'd hear it in Rio, Cape Town, Buenos Aires and really everywhere just walking down the street on a Friday night. It was pretty amazing how much people loved Britney Spears and knew all the words to her songs and plenty of other American tunes.

4.  Food and wine.  While you can pretty much get anything from anywhere in the world in the US, I was a little surprised by how much better steak and wine was in Buenos Aires and how parts of New Zealand and Australian cuisine were more innovative and unique than things you'd easily find back home.  Particularly in South America, I found you could often find quality ingredients or high end cuisine for so much cheaper than what you'd pay for something similar at home.

5.  I'll keep this one short as its sappy, but there were so many moments where I felt awestruck with what I was seeing or the experience I was having.  I was very often reminded how lucky I was to be able to do something like this. 

6.  There were certainly a lot of cultural differences I observed like how late people eat in BA, how relaxed and easygoing most New Zealanders were, and how most places in South America and South Africa don't have nearly as much regard for lines and personal space as we do. Though, by and large, I often found myself thinking, the world really is a small place and people are so very much alike in so many ways. Whether its an obsession with Instagram, Snapchat and selfies, listening to pop music, or enjoying a meal while telling silly jokes or relaying a good story.

7.  I was initially a little worried about how much time I'd have on my own during the first half of the trip.  Having dinners alone, going on tours by myself, that sort of thing.  While I was very happy to have buddies join me about halfway through, I'd say that I very much enjoyed the "me time."  I was free to experience whatever I wanted for as long or as short as I wanted and really think about where I was and what I was doing.  When I got bored, it wasn't too hard to find someone to chat with.  I think a key take away for me is to find more time to just do whatever you really want to do and not worry so much about always having people around you.  Another take away, and this is something I've felt even before this trip, but it was reinforced by this experience, which is, talk to whoever you want and do whatever you want (while of course maintaining common sense and keeping your general safety in mind.)  In most cases it works out just fine and you learn things or get to experience things you'd normally not experience if you were more cautious or kept to yourself.  If the experience isn't great, or the person you're talking to is a nut, its usually not that difficult to just move along.

Ha, alright, I think I'll end my reflections there as I'm starting to get sappy.  Though for my 5-7 :) readers out there, if you find any of my rantings remotely interesting, I'd love to chat more about it.

My next and probably culminating post will be a recap of the top 10 specific sites/experiences of the trip.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Buenos Aires was a great place to celebrate the end of an amazing trip.  It was a beautiful and lively city though I think what I'll remember most about BA is the steak, the wine, and that people don't have dinner until 11pm and bars and clubs don't get busy until 1am.  Seriously!  We thought we were doing well having dinner at 10:30pm and then a family with young kids would show up as we were leaving.  It was certainly something different!  Aside from all the food and drink, there were some sights to see as well.

One of our first stops was the Recoleta Cemetery.  Among the massive grave sites was the resting place of Eva Peron.

It was a beautiful cemetery and some of the grave sites were larger than New York City studio apartments.

Afterwards I stopped by a cafe to catch up with my old friends Brian and Brian. They loved my t-shirt.

Another day we spent some time checking out Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosado (Executive Mansion and office of the President) and the nearby Puente de Mujer (Women's bridge.)  We were lucky to have a stunningly sunny day!

Plaza de Mayo

Buildings adjacent to the Plaza.

Casa Rosada

Puente de Mujer

We also checked out the nearby Teatro Colon, the main opera house in the city and the Washington Monument look a like, Obelisk of Buenos Aires.

Another afternoon we checked out the neighborhood of La Boca.  It was fairly touristy and is known for colorful houses and buildings and tango dancers performing in cafes and on the street.

On Sunday we checked out the massive outdoor market in San Telmo.  It probably stretched for 20 blocks and they sold all sorts of everything.

Though coming back to where I started, some of the most enjoyable parts of the trip were the food and the wine.  We probably tried half a dozen different Malbecs during our stay and they were all excellent and so cheap.  Though I have to credit Deney who was the trip's certified Malbec selector.  At most places there were dozens of local choices to choose from.

I don't have any foodie photos, but as anyone who's been to Buenos Aires can attest, the steaks really are out of this world.  Nothing like I've had at home.

After dinner we always did our best to keep up with the locals as you really couldn't go anywhere and expect anyone to be there until 1am.  We were also in town over Halloween weekend and you could not miss it even 4 days later on November 4th.  They loved their costumes and Halloween decor!   So did I to be honest.

As I sit at the mediocre AA lounge in the Buenos Aires airport finishing up this post I'm already reminded of home.  Sadly, because its a mediocre US style lounge. :)  I am looking forward to coming home, though I'm enjoying as much Malbec as I can before I leave.  Cheers to you Buenos Aires, you were wonderful.