Quadathalon!

Today we held our own sort of vagabond "quadathalon":  we hiked, biked, dined and toured.  We realized that our time in the D.C. area is coming to an end, and we threw together several ventures we wanted to be sure to complete before we leave.

HIKE

The first part of our adventure was a hike.  Up early, we drove down to Piscataway Park, a beautiful nature preserve managed by the National Park Service along the Potomac River directly across from Mount Vernon.  The motive behind the park was to preserve the natural condition of the view across the Potomac from Mount Vernon.

From the Visitor Center, we first walked down to the fishing pier, where a number of people were fishing.  From the pier, you can see directly across to George Washington's historic plantation:

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There are about 5 miles of hiking trails, of low difficulty, although there are some fallen trees to deal with.

But the rewards are great.  We spotted several osprey catching fish, and even saw a bald eagle!

The park has a colonial farm and a working eco-farm.  In one section of our hike, we passed a burial ground for the Piscataway Indian Tribe, including a memorial to a chief who died in the 1970's. There were several boardwalks across marshy areas, and we encountered a woman fishing from one of the boardwalks.  Further along the river, we also spotted what we believed was an osprey nest with chicks, perched atop a convenient sign:

BIKE

The second part of our adventure was to bicycle across the Potomac on the Woodrow Wilson (I-95) Bridge.  We drove from Piscataway Park to the National Harbor, parked the truck, pulled our bikes off the back, and pedaled about 4 miles to Alexandria, across the river.  The ride was quite interesting, because it included a ride across a pedestrian/bicycle bridge over I-95.  The bridge was beautifully landscaped, with narrative signs explaining history and geographical highlights surrounding the bridge:

The ride across the Potomac itself was exhilarating, with blue sky, fresh water and views of Alexandria and Washington D.C. around us:

DINE

Across the bridge, we pedelled through Old City in Alexandria to one of our favorite restaurants, Virtue Feed & Grain, an establishment that our friend David from our SERC hike recommended, and where his daughter Gabbie works.  Kathy had what she describes as, "a velvety, custardy Quiche Lorraine that just melted in your mouth, unlike any quiche I've had - ever!"  David had a chowder of smoked haddock and shellfish.  Of course we sampled their great selection of microbrews on tap.

After lunch, we pedaled back across the Potomac to National Harbor.

TOUR

The fourth part of our adventure was a tour of Fort Washington National Park, which sits south of National Harbor on the Maryland side of the Potomac River.  Originally built as a smaller fort directly on the river to guard approaches to Washington, D.C. on the Potomac, the fort was eventually rebuilt after having been rendered ineffective in the War of 1812.  The resulting fort is very similar in style and construction to other federal forts of the era such as Fort McHenry, Fort Sumter and Fort Jefferson.  Here are two views -- one of the officers' quarters and main gate and drawbridge -- the other the view of the Potomac River from the fort:

Several people were fishing down by the lighthouse, as the sun moved lower into the late afternoon sky.

Having finished our adventures we drove home, only to find our campground filled with many more RV's, here for Easter Vacation or Spring Break.  As we type this, the night is filled with the light and color of many campfires, the barks of dogs and the laughter of children having their own camping adventures.