I'm looking forward to riding

I’m looking forward to riding some of the great Rails-to-Trails bike trails (abandoned railroad lines converted into long, narrow parks) in the greater DC area this summer. One of the best known is the Washington & Old Dominion trail, which connects Shirlington and Purcellville, Va. across 45 miles. If you ride it, be sure to visit some of the African-American historical sites along the route. I was reminded of the rails-to-trails system (which I’d first heard about in an old Banana Republic catalog, believe it or not) by this Washington Post article about an overnight trip on the Northern Central Railroad Trail, which runs from Baltimore to York Pa. Apparently, recent improvements have made the Mount Vernon trail (which was never a railroad) even more enjoyable than when I used to ride it.