~11.5 mi @ ~14.2 min/mi

"Wage Hope", reads the sign in a front yard near Temple Shalom. A beautiful sentiment! Trot to rendezvous at Candy Cane City, then upstream to the Mormon Temple for remedial hillwork. J-Bird leads the way on two brisk ascents, pursued by Barry. Do this climb 100 times and you've got almost the same distance and elevation gain of the Vermont 100 that Stephanie finished just 3 weeks ago. Wow!

"From a distance I thought that was a sports bra!" A couple of us report the same misperception of a hydration vest over a bare and beary-hairy male chest. During the middle miles Eva, a lovely young lady with a lilting Caribbean accent, follows us and then passes to pull us along. It's her first venture along Rock Creek Trail so she's enjoying the woods with fresh eyes.

"Look at this lovely horse!" Stephanie and J-Bird let a friendly Appaloosa nuzzle them at Meadowbrook Stables. We join Ken and Rebecca to continue southward. At the DC line the route is closed for repairs, an opportunity to loop through a new neighborhood and critique mansion architecture. "If we knocked on the door, maybe they'd sell it to us for a song?" ... "Or more likely, ask us to mow the lawn!"

(trackfile) - ^z - 2018-09-04