First off, just got word from a friend that design and construction of the Metropolitan Branch Trail is back on! Though this news may not shake the foundations of D.C., it’s a big fat deal in our neck of the woods:

Note: This map was taken and adapted from WashingtonsBestAddress.com. Kinda says it all about how D.C. feels about Brookland and company, doesn’t it?

The current commute options involve routes with shoulderless stretches on major arterials that people around here mistake for freeways. Once you’ve made your way to the south or west of the big, blank NE section you see on the map, things improve dramatically. But our part of D.C. is, if not quite cut off, surrounded by routes that increase the pucker factor when riding with the kids.

So having a North/South connection to bike-friendlier routes will be delightful. They’re also going to connect the Metropolitan Branch Trail with the Northwest Branch Trail in West Hyattsville, as well as connecting it to the Capitol Crescent Trail up in Silver Springs (and that’s gonna be a real nice loop, by gawd). Great news!

And then there’s this: my wife said something really, really sweet to me last night.

She prefaced by mentioning how for her whole life, she’s always liked beater bikes, and never cared much about performance or tune. And how, when it comes to tools and things I use frequently, the reasons I research and obsess and will spend more for one over another have always eluded her (but she knows that about me and loves me anyway).

But she’s been riding my Long Haul Trucker quite a bit lately, and she told me last night that it is the nicest bike she’s ever ridden. She mentioned that, at first, it felt kinda twitchy to her, and she didn’t like the position. But since then, she’s really gotten to like it, and she’s never ridden a bike that felt that good.

Needless to say, I’m still turned on. “By your Girly or your Surly?” you quip cleverly. I can only reply, “Yes.”

Friday, May 16th is Bike To Work Day for thousands of Washingtonians. Well, sort of. It’s actually Bike To Freedom Plaza, And Then Head To Work Day. Unless you work somewhere very close to 14th NW and Pennsylvania Ave, in which case it’s Why The Hell Are All Of These People Following Me To Work Day.

I ride every day I can, but there’s not many days where I decide to take Michigan Ave to North Capitol, since most of the locals mistake it for a freeway. The times I go by the White House are pretty rare, and I’ve not ridden in at 7:15 a.m. (jeebidus that’s early) at all. So I’m going to join a parade of cyclists tomorrow morning on Old Number 18, the Hyattsville Express, leaving from Magruder Park.

Join us, it’s gonna be fun! Well, it’ll be fun once I get coffee. Before that, it’ll be like everything else in the world: cold, and with lots of corners and sharp edges. Go here to get info on Bike To Work Day from WABA, here to find your convoy. Then, on Friday, go here with your convoy, and I’ll see you at Freedom Plaza. I’ll be the one with the bike, my one is red.