~8.1 miles @ ~13.7 min/mi

"If you let others help you, then they will be able to ask you for help when they need it most!" Dr Kerry and I argue over who gets the honor of paying for coffee and a pseudo-"French Toast" mini-pastry at the bagel bakery. Preparation is glacial, which explains "23+" minutes for mile #7.

"NO SNACKS!" say signs at Meadowbrook Stables, where we pause to pet horses. Mr Chatty channels his inner tour guide and offers a running commentary on the history of Chevy Chase and various luminaries who live there. A deer lurks in the gloom by Rock Creek as we begin; a few miles downstream another pair stand close by the trail. Fog hangs low over meadows. A last-quarter moon gleams above Mormon Temple spires. The Howard Hughes Medical Institute beside Connecticut Avenue is protected by a high fence.

"Can Cait come out and play?" Alas, not this morning — she has homework to finish! We knock on her front door and greet her and her mom (hi, Maureen!) after we finish the loop.

(trackfile) - ^z - 2017-10-14