Entr’Acte

No riding today. I planned for a rest day in DC, but the bike is in the shop anyways.

I’ve been to DC enough times that I’ve basically seen all the museums, and I didn’t want to do too much walking in this heat, so I did a couple practical things and spent a lot of time sitting in bars and restaurants.

On the practical side, I stopped into an REI to make some changes to my rig. These next legs of the journey are much more camping-focused, and go through a lot of public land in forests and mountains, so I got a water filter (and treatment tablets). I also got a bear canister for peace of mind, since I am going through black bear country, even if it’s annoyingly heavy. Most immediately, though, I got a new pannier for the bike. This is a replacement for the smaller one, which I’ve been keeping my clothes, electronics, and essentials in. It does all fit, with some difficulty, and I deliberately didn’t get a bigger one before leaving so that I wouldn’t overpack. Now, though, it’s difficult for me to add more so I’m safe to add breathing room. The really killer feature, though, is that I can also use this one as a backpack. The old one had a shoulder strap but was deeply, deeply uncomfortable to carry anywhere, so this was a revelation. The new one is an Ortlieb, so I did pay for this luxury, but I’m hoping it’ll last.

I am subtracting my frying pan from my supplies. It’s designed for camping, but not ultralight camping, and I don’t think I can justify the weight, however sad that makes me. I will also need to find replacements for my water bottles, and my sunglasses (which got run over in Annapolis).

Otherwise, though, I was mostly in tourist mode for the day. It was another very hot day, so I didn’t walk around too much.

Route Map

None for today

Gallery