A Hot Day
Washington, DC • 2026-08-17
An improvement over yesterday, for sure. I took a bit of time to tinker with the bike in the morning. It’s not shifting right, and is beyond what I can fix myself, but I was capable of getting it at least rideable for today. The front shifting is really messed up, so I just stayed in the higher one the whole time (which is where I sit by default everywhere but steep climbs anyways).
The route from Annapolis to DC is mostly on roads with consistent, wide shoulders, so that wasn’t too bad. There are hills but not anything dramatic. I was a little disappointed by the towns I passed through. I really thought old town Bowie would be cuter, since it was an important rail hub in the day, but there wasn’t even a good place to stop. The main business seems to be antique stores all lined up on one street where the buildings show their age. Greenbelt seems to mainly be office parks.
I was pretty drenched in sweat the whole day long. It peaked in the low 90s, and you really feel each and every degree when the sun is beating down on you on an exposed road next to a field.
The approach to DC was along the Anacostia river, which historically is mainly a wetland area and hasn’t quite shaken the feeling of a swamp.
After getting to the hostel and getting all of my bags in, I took the bike to a shop and dropped it off.