Wildfire Smoke

I heard it was coming, and this morning it arrived.  Wildfire smoke from Canada has drifted down to the DC area. It was very hazy this morning, but cleared up a little bit by noon.
 

Red Line closure impact

The Red Line has been closed for a little over a week now and will remain closed through September 6. (More information here.) I think there has been enough time to work out any kinks in the process and everything should be running smoothly, but is it?

I went to the North Bethesda (formerly White Flint) metro station this morning during rush hour to find out. As you might imagine, when a Read Line train comes in from the north, and everyone gets off, there are a lot of people.  To continue south most people cross under MD-355 using the tunnel, but some folks use the crosswalk.  With all those people showing up at once, there is a long line to board buses. 

Buses lining up

The good news is that there are a lot of buses ready to take them away.  It looks like they load three at a time (I think the fourth bus is the local bus that stops at every metro station along the way, not nearly as many people take that). As the buses fill up they move away, but new buses don't immediately pull up, I think they wait until all three are done loading.

A lot of buses

There are a lot of buses waiting, here is the other side of Old Geoorgetown Road at Pike and Rose, there is a line of buses in the right lane that goes to the next traffic light. I think there are 8 or 9 waiting, plus some waiting on the near side of the light, plus the ones loading.

 

Leaving the station

As people walk out of the station, there is someone directing them to the shuttle buses, and a lot of signs too.

The whole process seems to be going reasonably well. It shows how many people take the Red Line each day.  It does take longer, probably a lot longer. Not only do the express buses take time (about 26 minutes) to get from North Bethesda to Friendship Heights, you also have to get off the train, exit the station, cross the street, load onto the bus (which can take a while if it is busy), then reverse the process at the end. 

Northbound stop

Not many people were going north on the shuttles to rejoin the Red Line towards Shady Grove here. In fact, most of the shuttle buses that went by were out of service as the sped north to get back in line and go south.

Bethesda Metro Station closed though September 6

 

From July 6 through September 6, the Red Line is closed between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights. That means Grosvenor-Strathmore, Medical Center, and Bethesda stations are closed. This is so that some track work can be done and so that the a mezzanine at the new south entrance to Bethesda Station can be built.

 Here in Bethesda, the escalators at the bus bays down to the station are blocked off and there are many signs directing you.  There was also a friendly person who gave me a flyer and told me where everything was.

Temporary shuttle stop

There are express buses that run from North Bethesda directly to Friendship Heights and local buses that stop at all the stations.  The shuttle stop southbound (pictured) is at Wisconsin Avenue and Montgomery Lane, where the metro elevator is located and near the old post office building. The northbound stop is at Wisconsin Avenue and East-West Highway, directly across from the station entrance and next to the building with a tunnel to the metro in it. 

Northbound shuttle stop

Here's a Red Line shuttle metrobus stopped at the temporary shuttle stop across from the metro station.  The two people on the left are there to help you find your way.  Not many people got on this bus but a number of people got off, this was on Sunday morning (today)

This was also this morning. The two yellow buses are express shuttles, the sign above the window would alternate between "Red Line" and "Express". on the left you can see a Metrobus that is being used as the Red Line Local shuttle.  This is Southbound on Wisconsin Avenue at Old Georgetown Road.

I took this photo on Friday before 9 am.  This is the temporary bus lane that runs southbound on Wisconsin Avenue.  The bus lane is only active Monday-Saturday, on Sundays anyone can use it. 

 

Washington Monument, late afternoon

 

I was at the Washington Monument a few days ago just before sunset and got this shot of it framed by the trees.  Lots of people playing on the lawn too.

Seneca Creek Greenway Trail

 Yesterday I went for a hike on Seneca Creek Greenway Trail in Germantown, MD. There is a parking area on the northbound side of MD-355 just after crossing Seneca Creek. From there you can take the trail to Watkins Mill Road.  The trail has a few hills on it, but isn't two strenuous.

As I was alking back I noticed this small stream that empties into Seneca Creek. The sun shown on the rock, the water, and some small plants, but there were also lots of shadows.

 

Spiderwebs in the sun

 

This morning I went for a walk on Cabin John Trail between River Road and Bradley Blvd and came across these dew-covered spiderwebs glistening in the sun.  On the way back, the sun had moved and the spiderwebs were entirely unremarkable.

 

UFC Freedom 250 is Sunday

 

On Sunday there will be a UFC (mixed martial arts) event at the White House, the UFC Freedom 250. The arena is currently being constructed, it is large and largely blocks the view of the White House.

 This is from the Washington Monument grounds looking across Constitution Avenue towards the elipse and the White House.  The white stand you see, as well as the black stage behind it (you can only see the canopy of it) is on the ellipse. Behind it you can see a blue and black checkerboard pattern, that is a huge digital screen.  Then, behind that is the arched "claw" of the arena with white stars on a blue background.  You can't really see it in this picture, but the actual White House is directly behind that.

UFC Freedom 250 arena

 It is a bit easier to see things when you are at the top of the Washington Monument looking down.  Now you can see the area with the claw canopy and a bit more of the White House.  In front of the area are three digital screens with checkerboard patters, VL is the Vertical Left one, VR is the Virtual Reality one (just kidding, I'm sure it means Vertical Right), then in the center is ST with a total LED resolution of 3848x1248.

 

 

 

 

Refilling the reflecting pool

 

I heard that they had started refilling the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and on Friday I decided to check it out.

The water is slowly filling the pool, starting from the center, which is the deepest part. There were some people powerwashing to bottom and there were a number of trucks and trailers parked in the pool but out of the water.  There was a group of people in an ATV that seemed to like driving through the water and did it multiple times.  Even at this stage, the pool is reflecting the trees around it (and the Washington Monument if you are directly in line).

Paris Baguette in Bethesda

Paris Baguette, located at 4925 Fairmont Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle part of Bethesda offers coffee and baked goods as well as sandwiches. I went last week and had a croissant with ham and cheese in it. 

One really nice thing about Paris Baguette is they have a large area of self service croissants and other bakery items that you can choose from. After selecting what you want, just bring it to the register to pay.

Sandwiches and cakes are also available, you have to ask at the counter.  One thing I didn't see much of were baguettes, I only saw a single basket of them. 

Outside Paris Baguette. It is located in the Sophia Bethesda building across the pedestrian walkway from Ellis Bethesda.

Painting the Reflecting Pool blue

 

Painting the Reflecting Pool blue

 

I decided to go down to the Lincoln Memorial today and see how the project to paint the reflecting pool blue is going.  It looks like they are over half done.  It is a very dark blue, almost black, much darker than I expected.