So I have convinced Eric that biking around the monuments in Washington
DC makes more sense than riding the silly trolley again or walking again. Now
don’t get me wrong, the trolley is great if you need the misinformed history
lesson by tour guides who try (and fail miserably) to be funny. And yes it is great for those who are immobile,
like say after knee surgery. But we’ve
done the trolley (and also a private tour through the Department of Interior
thanks to Callista Gingrich). And
walking the monuments is just a daunting task.
Trust me, we have walked the monuments.
Actually we did 5 monuments (Washington, Lincoln, WWII, Vietnam War and
Korean War) by forced march in one hour…in 100 degree heat and 100%
humidity. That was courtesy of Hiram. So
we have done it both of those ways, but we haven’t biked to them. Doesn’t that sound pleasant? Let’s go for a
little bike ride, stop to see the monument, go for another little bike ride,
stop to see the monument, repeat. So that’s the plan, we are going to bike around
the city. I’m so excited. And it isn’t really that expensive. We can rent a bike for $35 all day. That is a little cheaper than the trolley and
less taxing on the feet than walking.
Here is where the title comes in; do rent a tandem bike or not? A tandem bike is only $60 for the day so we
would be saving $10. And how romantic
does that sounds? “Eric and I rode our tandem bike down the National Mall.” But alas, it probably won’t happen. Firstly, we would have to agree on a cadence.
Eric already complains when we are riding separate bikes that I never stop
pedaling. He always says “don’t you
every rest”…um, no because once I get this big ass going, it is harder to stop
and start than it is to keep going. So that is something we would have to work
out. Secondly, there is the whole turning thing, not as easy when two are
riding. And who would be captain controlling the turning?? And finally, there is only one gear.
I love switching gear often. Eric seems to get annoyed that I switch
gears all the time. So we would have to cooperate with each other and to be
honest, I see this turning ugly. Our nice vacation ends in divorce because of a tandem bike. However, I just had a
brilliant idea. We get the tandem bike, Eric
can do all the pedaling and I can take all the pictures while we are riding. Hum, maybe that isn’t a bad idea after all.
Has anybody ever rode a tandem and can offer some advice? Only 7 more days until DC.