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Bike Trails in Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Virginia
This is the time of year for bicycles to be taken out of bike storage and to ride through the many amazing bike trails Baltimore, Washington D.C. and Virginia have to offer. Featured below are the best of those bike trails many cyclists enjoy throughout the spring and summer months.
Mount Vernon Trail
One of the most scenic bicycle trails in Washington, D.C. is the Mount Vernon Trail. The outdoor views are breathtaking. This trail stretches along the Potomac River, and passes by George Washington’s Estate and Theodore Roosevelt Island. From start to finish, the Mount Vernon Trail measures 36 miles.
Great Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage includes stretches of bicycle trails near Washington D.C. as well as bicycle trails near Baltimore. It begins in Cumberland, Maryland and reaches all the way to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This 159-mile bike trail is mostly flat, despite crisscrossing through the Appalachian Mountains. Parts of this bike path peddle past creeks, rivers and other waterways offering pleasant views along the passage.
Baltimore & Annapolis (B&A) Bicycle Trail
This bicycle trail in Baltimore connects from Charm City to Annapolis and is part of the East Coast Greenway system. It includes 15.5 miles of biking trails that navigate through both urban and suburban terrain. The B&A features an eight-foot-wide asphalt path that has been added to a former railroad system that once carried passengers between the two cities in the early 1900s.
Gwynns Falls Trail
This bike trail in Baltimore connects over 30 west and southwest neighborhoods throughout the city. The city trek extends for 15 miles and is part of the Baltimore National Heritage Area. This unique urban greenway includes one of the largest parks in the eastern United States and is a wonderful place to ride your bicycle Baltimore.
Chesapeake & Ohio Towpath
The Chesapeake & Ohio Towpath is one of the largest bike trails in the entire country. Even longer than the Allegheny Passage, this trail extends for 184 miles. The towpath can be accessed by bike trails in Washington, D.C. and bike trails in Baltimore. This packed dirt surface travels along the north bank of the Potomac River and ends in Cumberland, Maryland.
Fort Washington Park
Along with the Mount Vernon Trail, Fort Washington Park is one of the bike trails in Washington, D.C. that are rich in history. This scenic trail stretches past a 200-year-old stone fort that was once built to protect the capital of the United States. The trail also peddles through historical artillery demonstration sites and other reenactment sites which are taking place in view of the route.
Store Your Bicycles with ezStorage
ezStorage is a self-storage company with locations throughout the Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Virginia areas. We are ready to meet any of your bike storage, household or business storage needs! Visit your nearest location today or contact us for more information.
Serious cyclists have more than one bicycle. From mountain bikes to touring bicycles—and everything else in between—this stable of bikes puts storage space at a premium around the house. Whether it’s riding season or not, storing your bicycle to preserve its condition and performance is of the utmost importance. To help with your bicycle storage, we’re offering easy bike storage tips that cycling enthusiasts can use to keep their bikes in the best condition possible.
Clean Your Bike Before Storage
Always clean your bicycles before placing them in storage. Take a few minutes to wipe and polish the frame, reflectors, handle bars and seat. Use a brush to remove any mud and grit from the wheels, joints, brakes, gears or chain. This could also be an appropriate time to lubricate your bicycle thoroughly with a manufacturer-approved oil. Remove any cracked or worn tires, too, and check for fraying in the gear or brake wires. Once you’ve cleaned and checked your bike, now it’s ready for bicycle storage.
Keep Your Garage Organized
Bikes, cars, snow blowers, shovels and tools could become a damaging combination of items in your garage. It only takes a simple bump from your car door to knock a nearby bicycle over, causing damage to any number of items in your garage. If you must store your bike in the garage, consider hanging it from the ceiling with manufacturer-approved bike hooks. But if this can be avoided, we recommend keeping your bicycles out of the way of everyday items, and storing them in a shed or, if the riding seasons is over, a self-storage unit.
Store Bikes Out of the Elements
Bicycles are designed to handle some rain and even a little snow, but regular exposure to the elements can create defects in your bicycle. By leaving your bikes stored outside with chains, or leaning against your house, precipitation could cause rust on your bike or even potentially crack your tires. If you have no other storage option around the house, a self-storage unit for your bicycle would be best. The money you invest in a self-storage unit will help keep bike repairs and replacements at a minimum, and preserve the life of your bicycles.
Storing Bicycles in a Self-Storage Unit
Storing your bicycles in a self-storage unit will keep the chains and tires out of the elements, preventing rust or cracking. It will also help keep your garage organized. At ezStorage, our self-storage units also offer convenient access to your unit. This means that you will most likely have the ability to grab your bike for that early morning ride as well as that trek after work. We have many sizes of self-storage units that will help you store several bikes in one unit. You could even pull out one bike at a time, leaving the others in storage until you need them.
If you’re passionate about cycling, and you want to make sure your bicycles are stored properly, ezStorage has the self-storage unit to fit your needs. For more information, contact our self-storage experts who are available to support all your storage needs.
As the Boomer population continues to retire, many seniors are looking to downsize their homes. This requires giving belongings away to friends and family, donating to charities, or storing items in a self-storage unit. Below are tips for helping seniors move while saving time and money for downsizing seniors.
Inventory Household Items
Downsizing is the process of reducing the size of your home. This also requires reducing the number of items that are stored in your home. The first step to effectively downsize is to take an inventory of your household belongings. These items will then be placed into four categories:
- Items to move into your new home
- Items to give away to friends and family
- Items to donate to a charity
- Items to store in a self-storage unit
Giving Items Away to Friends and Family
After determining which items will be moved into your new home, the next group of belongings for downsizing seniors are those that will be given away to friends and family. These household items typically include family heirlooms, or those items with sentimental value. This could also include furniture that will no longer fit into your new home. Large dressers, dining room tables, or couches could be given away to family members who have space and needs for them. If you’re willing to part with them, other items that remind you of a time you spent with someone special, may also be given away before downsizing into your new home.
Donating Items to Charity
This aspect of downsizing for seniors is an opportunity to help others while also improving your own living situation. In a smaller home, typically there is less closet or storage space. A condominium, for example, may also not have a basement. Taking an inventory of your closets, basements and attics would usually help find quality items to donate to a charity. Clothing, hats or winter jackets that you no longer wear, for example, would be gladly accepted by a donation center. Toys that grandchildren used to play with that occupy space in your basement are another example of household items that could be donated while seniors are downsizing.
Storing Items in a Self-Storage Unit
A self-storage unit is an effective downsizing service for seniors. Seasonal decorations are an example of items that are ideally kept in a self-storage unit when downsizing. You will only need your Halloween or Christmas decorations for a limited time. These are items that seniors could store in a self-storage unit and retrieve when needed. If you have patio or lawn furniture that doesn’t have place just yet in your new home, these items could also be stored in self-storage by downsizing seniors. Self-storage is a great option for seniors or anyone else looking to downsize and it gives you the option of deferring how you will downsize those special items you took a lifetime to acquire and may not yet want to part with.
Our self-storage professionals will be happy to answer any questions about the downsizing services that we can assist with. This could include storage unit size, features and climate control, to arranging a unit for more easy access. Stop by an ezStorage facility near you today for more information on how we can help with your transition.
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