~24.1 miles @ ~14.8 min/mi

"We've run by the homes of Gayatri and Ken and John — how about visiting the White House next?" suggests Dr Stephanie, who knows how to turn a neighborhood trot into true adventure! So instead of heading east to meet Barry in Rock Creek Park we continue on the Capital Crescent Trail. (Barry is ok with that; text messages confirm that he's ahead of us and on his way home.) Five big deer lurk in Kensington, along with one shy rabbit. We inspect portajohns on the Bethesda Trolley Trail; they pass.

"It's Santa!" shouts a spectator as we navigate through Bethesda. Cheerful Patti Rich and Julie Trapp greet us; Tim, newbie to the area, introduces himself. The CCT is dense with cyclists hunched low over handlebars. (Are the accents in "décolleté" grave or aigu?)

"Watch out for friendly snakes — don't run over them!" I beg a young biker whose father is warning him about poisonous species. "Sally" (aka Stephanie's bane, an inflamed ankle tendon) starts to complain after a dozen miles. We slow our pace and pause for photos at downtown DC sights. Labor Day weekend tourists block sidewalks. The Zero Milestone is fenced off — is it threat, or threatened?

"May we stop at a taco truck?" I beg, eyeing the ice cream offerings. But Dr Fonda says no, alas, so memories of soft pink pillows too magical to touch and cute French bulldogs must suffice. Northbound on 16th Street we pause at the Samuel Hahnemann Monument, dedicated to the inventor of homeopathy. A few miles later we come to our senses and summon a Lyft. Stephanie's GPS reads 20+ miles, and including the jog to her home mine says 24. Shared splendid trail talk makes for a delightful day!

(trackfile) - ^z - 2017-10-03