George Washington's Mount Vernon

George Washington’s Mount Vernon

Type of Exercise : Cycling/Bike
Bike Stats:
Distance: 23.23 mi
Time: 2 hr

I got a late start today, but it was beautiful outside all day, so that made up for it! I going to tell you right now, that I think I got the coolest picture I’ve ever taken on this trip. The picture is of a George Washington Parkway bridge over Fort Hunt Road, and I was able to angle the camera so that I got a light arc across the bottom and a full rainbow over top. It looks like a “rainbow eye.”

Ok, enough bragging!

Since I’ve been riding/walking in “George Mason territory” for the last few days, I thought maybe I’d pop over to visit his neighbor, Mr. George Washington. I wound my way down the Mount Vernon Trail (MVT) to … Mount Vernon along the Potomac River.

Mount Vernon is the palatial estate of the great American founding father and first president of the United States. Here, Washington managed a plantation on his extensive land holdings. The property is massive and contains two very large gardens, a bowling green (huge front lawn), a fruit garden/nursery/orchard, slave quarters (the Washingtons were slaveholders), a slave cemetery, and two tombs. George and Martha Washington lay in repose in a tomb that regularly sees wreath laying ceremonies. The other tomb is a family tomb that was in disrepair when George Washington was originally entombed in it. He was moved to the new tomb when it was completed. The mansion also sits on gorgeous waterfront property along the Potomac River. Many tourists (when there is not a pandemic) enjoy taking riverboat cruises to Mt. Vernon from DC and Alexandria to Mt. Vernon.

By the way, there’s a somewhat popular myth perpetuated by Washington’s grandson that George Washington once threw a dollar-coin-sized piece of slate across the Potomac river. If this happened, there’s absolutely no way he could have done it across the Potomac River, and it is surmised that he, instead, accomplished the feat near his original home near the Rappahannok River in Fredericksburg, VA, where the River is only 250 feet across at certain points.

The Mount Vernon property is privately owned and operated by a non-profit, the Mount Vernon Ladies Association. They operate a museum and a library on-site as well. The museum chronicles the life of George Washington and to some degree his wife Martha and his family, as well as the plantation workers and slaves. One popular attraction in the museum is the display containing George Washington’s teeth. It’s a misnomer that Washington wore wooden teeth. They were actually constructed from hippopotamus ivory and human teeth, that were banded together in metal fasteners. They are an extremely strange sight. Washington had begun losing his teeth as early as 20 years old, and the dentures he wore throughout his life as a result were said to be painful. Yikes!

There is an admission fee to get in and explore the plantation and mansion. The general admission fee is $20. So, I’ve been to this place many times before, and there’s not much here I have not seen. Instead of paying the admission fee to get in and take a few pictures that EVERYONE who has been here has, I’m going to CHEAT. That’s right, I’m going to take some internet photos and include them in the gallery below this post (just this once) and then I’m going to give that general admission fee as a donation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as a part of the Miles for Hope event. This way, the money is put towards a more urgent cause.

Along the trail, I stopped at various points along the river to take pictures and enjoy the splendor of the riverfront. The banks are covered in lovely white flowers that emit a sweet smell (what I believe was honeysuckle). The temperature and breeze along the river was perfect, and the lighting was just right. The sun was shining and the sky was wonderfully clear. Rich what-to-do’s were out on the river yachting and having fun doing whatever it is they do. All along the shores people were fishing and picnicking, and generally having a good socially-distanced time. The trail was filled with hikers, cyclists, and some tourists. Everyone seemed cheery and most were eager to greet me back with a “Good Morning!" as I passed them on either side of the trail.

I wound my way along the trail to my exit point and huffed it up the two VERY large hills in order to get home. It’s quite a distance between George Mason and George Washington properties, so I imagine that the Georges didn’t hop on a horse to go ask the other for a cup of sugar or anything. I suppose in that circumstance, all the sugar would be bounced out of the cup before arriving back home! Haha!

I’ve done a few trips to Mount Vernon as training rides before this month, in order to whip myself back into shape, but I had not counted on the pandemic sapping my time and ability to bike longer distances. As a result, I’ve noticed just how out of shape I’ve become while waiting for the worst of things to be over before venturing out on bike adventures. No worries, because I’m training back up now!

Thanks for riding along with me and I hope you enjoyed!