~6.6 miles @ ~11 min/mi

Kind Barry Smith picks me up and we cruse the Beltway to Carderock where we arrive at 7:40pm, about 10 minutes after the main MCRRC Thursday evening group has departed. Weather is sultry; bicyclists cruise the towpath and fishermen eye the waters. We run upstream, cross a bridge, climb the steep steps, and take a crushed-stone road. The kayak class below decorates the canal with primary colors. We descend to towpath and continue outbound to near a scenic overlook, pause for photos, then turn back as light showers are followed by rumbles of thunder, heavier rains, and finally torrents. The deluge washes salty sweat into my eyes and almost blinds me for a minute.

A kayak instructor tells everybody to get off the water, and students begin madly paddling to their launch area. A lightning flash startles us, with the crack-boom less than 2 seconds later. Back at the car Barry changes and I wring the water out of my shirt. Barry drops me off at the house DW Paulette and I bought earlier today. It's similar to our home for the past 30 years but about 4 miles north, a block away from Wheaton Regional Park. I call it "New Place" after Shakespeare's home in Stratford-on-Avon.

Runkeeper logs the trek as just under 11 min/mi with ~100 foot climb to the high gravel side road segment; the Garmin GPS track agrees.

^z - 2013-05-28