Porter Street

I thoroughly enjoy jumping on my bike and taking to the open road. Obviously, the dead of winter is not the most ideal time, but I am determined to not let the cold keep me from my passions. This holiday weekend, I took two bike rides down Porter Street, a challenging, steep route that keeps my blood pumping and piques my interest.

I pretty much bike everywhere. I never used to. A year ago, when my D.C. residency had grown to a handful of days, it was hard enough for me to step onto the Metro than bother to bring my bike out onto the street. It wasn't until last spring that I truly embraced the many benefits of D.C. bike commuting. Now there's hardly a day I'm not taking my bike with me, rain or snow.

It's a four-mile round trip for me to get to work and home again, pretty reasonable if I do say so. Along the way over the many summer, autumn and winter days, I've been soaked in rain, menaced daily by D.C. drivers and doored. But that doesn't stop me. It's a daily thrill to hear the road rushing fast beneath my feet. Weaving in and out of traffic, traversing some of the most picturesque streets in the city, it's truly a blessing to have this opportunity.

But the necessary trips are not enough. Every so often, I get the urge to bike farther. I don't get to Wisconsin and Connecticut avenues that often, so I like to take a ride to Porter Street now and again. It's a great route that brings me from the residential streets of Columbia Heights to the picturesque hillside homes in Mt. Pleasant that overlook Rock Creek Park. But from this point on, things get difficult. After Klingle Street becomes Porter Street, the grade becomes so steep it's hard to catch your breath. It stays this way for what seems like an eternity and it only gets worse when you look up ahead. But if you can handle it, the trip is invigorating and exhilarating. I feel my blood pumping so hard as I move through the winter air that it feels like the coming warmth of spring might just burst from within.

Once I make it to Wisconsin, it's all fun and exploration for me. I like to stop by Social Safeway if it's early. This weekend, I stopped by for breakfast and had some pastries, a banana, and a whole quart of milk. That might seem like a lot, but it really hit the spot after a ride like that. What a way to greet the day!

My friend Amber says, when it gets warmer, she might join me to explore other parts of the city and maybe snap some photos. I took the photo above on my way to Georgetown today after I took the long way down Porter Street.

I know spring will come in time and all the frozen bike enthusiasts will thaw and flood the streets of the District, joining me. But this winter, when I feel like seeing how far my body can take me, I look forward to the lonely trek down Porter Street, facing the brisk weekend sunrise one steep hill at a time.