Have you ever rented a bicycle from a self-service system? I just did it for the first time! It will be great when we can rent a bike this way using Steemit!

I was in Washington, DC earlier this month, locked away in meetings, listening and talking, hobnobbing, brainstorming, and prioritizing, oh my! Fortunately, I stayed an extra day to go sight-seeing.

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How Does the Bike Service Work?

Bicycles are a great way to get around Washington, DC, especially along the Potomac River and among all the museums and monuments by the White House and Capitol. Sometimes I travel with my folding bicycle, but not on this trip. So I was glad that the Capital Bike Shares program is up and running.

Sure, they look funny - but the self-serve rental bikes scattered all around Washington, DC are a great way for a tourist like me to get around! The seats are easy to adjust, so they work for people with long legs or short.

A quick swipe of a credit card produces a code for releasing whichever bike you choose. Ride around and leave the bike at any other kiosk. After a basic membership fee -- $8 fee for a 24-hour period or $17 for 3 days -- any ride under 30 minutes is free. After that, it's $2 for any time under an hour. Beyond that, the price goes up quite a bit, but it's still cheaper than the daily rate for a standard rental from a bike shop.

For lots of short rides, the single $8 fee would be the total cost.

Bike rental kiosks are scattered all over the city. So it's practical to bop from one spot to another, easily within 30 minutes.

It's quick to check the bikes in -- just shove them into the rack and wait for the signal that the bike return has been recorded. The bike racks are close to all the major tourist destinations.

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Where Did I Go?

It was fun riding along the Potomac River and from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, to the US Capitol and Union Station. I was able to stop in at more museums to see just the exhibits I wanted to, because it was a lot faster than walking from place to place.

It's fun to watch all the boating on the big Potomac River -- from little kayaks to big speedboats. The bike trails along the river run for miles!

My destinations: The National Gallery of Art (top) and the National Botanical Garden (bottom). That's the Capitol in the distance, beyond the Garden's Conservatory.

And I was finally able to really appreciate the large trees planted around the memorials, museums, and Capitol grounds. On foot, it takes so much longer to check out the special trees. This time, I could get to so many trees! I'll show more about that in an upcoming post.

I rode from one end of the National Mall to the other, from the Capitol Building (top) to the Washington Monument (bottom) and beyond. The whole area is like a big Arboretum, with many significant trees. A bike is the way to cover ground to see them - and get some breeze in hot, humid weather!

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What Do You Think?

I hope you get a chance to enjoy some tourist sight-seeing soon, no matter where you go. If you see a self-serve bike rental system, I hope you give it a try and let us all know about it! Won't it be great when we can use Steemit to rent bikes this way?

• Have you ever rented a bicycle from a self-service machine?
• Have you used a bike to get around Washington, DC?
• Would you try riding these clumsy-looking BikeShare bikes?
• What kind of sight-seeing do you like to do?

If you want to see a great wild salad that I foraged for lunch on my day of sight-seeing, take a look here - Another Free Hotel Salad - Wild Style!.

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** Haphazard Homestead **

** foraging, gardening, nature, simple living close to the land **

All content is 100% Haphazard Homestead - photos and all!