Hikes 9-11: Rock Creek Park

Yesterday was our school's graduation at Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall.  A couple of us decided to bike down there instead of taking the bus from school or metro.  As my first hiking endeavor, I'm cheating a little bit cuz I biked instead of hiked and Rock Creek Park is so big, it's actually three different hikes in the book, but I have to maximize my hiking efficiency this summer!  :)

The book splits Rock Creek Park into three sections - wild northern section, rocky central section, and arboreous southern section.  The bike route we took was from about 16th St in Silver Spring, paralleling Beach Drive, getting off at Virginia Ave in DC, which takes you through parts of all three sections.  There's all sorts of stops you can make on the way (we were in a rush cuz we had to get to graduation), including the National Zoo and a historical cemetery.

It was a sort of drizzly day, so I give myself props for braving non-ideal weather conditions, but I had really good biking companions (thanks Charlie and John!) and it was tons of fun!  The biking was quite easy - not too many uphill pushes, very few sharp turns, and some fun scenery (nice bridges).  The creek is very picturesque, but the road traffic on Beach Dr can be a bit distracting.  I do have to say the drivers on the road were very polite and respectful of us bikers when we did have to be on the main drag.  There are lots of signs up that say "Caution: Bikers on Beach Drive."  The other side of Rock Creek near Oregon Ave would feel more "woodsy," I think, but it's pretty awesome that we have this big chunk of national park (est 1890!) right in the middle of Washington DC.