Glyndon, MD to Silver Spring, MD

In the morning of July 4th, I woke up later than I would have liked, but resolved to get going quickly. As I was packing up my stuff, I happened to stare at my bike for a moment. With a sinking feeling I realized that as well as twisting my rear derailleur, my crash had consequences for the bicycle frame as a whole. My frame buckled in two places, though, I couldn't tell for a while if it was unstable or not. I have since determined that it's safe enough to ride, but I was mighty careful going over all the bumps for a while.

With this frustrating, additional worry, I set off for Dave and Katie's apartment in Silver Spring, MD. From looking at the different maps, I decided to take a shortcut when I got to New Hampshire Avenue, many miles north of D.C. Instead of heading a bit further west, I would come straight south on New Hampshire Ave., and then cut west to Silver Spring. Dave gave me directions quickly with my cell phone battery running very low, and I set off on one of the least fun parts of my journey so far.

For a while, New Hampshire Ave. that far north is no big deal, just a road. After a while it turns into more of a monster, with several lanes on each side and many stop lights and turning traffic. Still, it wasn't so bad and I found a way to amuse myself while simultaneously marking my passage: I was counting backwards from 18000 by mailboxes. I've never seen anything like the numbering they have on the roads in the states south of Pennsylvania: such high numbers! I think I got down to about 13000 before I turned off of New Hampshire Avenue.

What I turned onto, was even worse: Route 29, if busy, is not a bike friendly road. Thankfully, it didn't seem to be overly busy just after lunch on a weekday. But sometimes, a whole passel of cars would whiz by, on a road that has little shoulder and what is there is messy and uneven. Oi. Luckily, I didn't have to put up with that for two many miles, and then I was in the middle of Silver Spring, near enough for Dave to guide me in with one final set of directions and what must have been the last of the cell phone's battery.

A block or two from their actual apartment building, Dave met me with a wave and a thumbs-up sign, and I acknowledged him with a weak wave and a big smile. It was SO nice to get to see Dave and Katie (and Macaroni, their cat)! They have a new apartment since the last time I saw them, and it's very nice. Dave can walk to work now, and they have a nice park nearby.

To celebrate Independence Day, after dinner we had blueberry pie and then watched some nice fireworks while the rain just barely held off. Blueberry pie, it was determined is the best to celebrate the 4th of July with, because blueberries are in season then, while apples and other yummy American fruits are not.

Total Stage VIII Distance: 46 miles

Stage Time On Bike: 3 hours, 47 minutes

Total Stage time: 5 hours

Total Trip Distance: 601 miles

Net Elevation Change: -???

On to Day Off 1

On to Stage XI

Back to Stage IX

Back to Bike Travels

Check out the libraries I've used--I love libraries!