Bygone Bicyclist

A very short day indeed. We slept in, and stopped at a farmers market and got some fruit – the blackberries were *huge* and delicious. Lastly, we went about two miles off track to hit up a post office to ship a package for Callie, since she didn’t need all the stuff she originally brought for the north route.

The event was on a lake, and it was amazing. I wish I had brought my camera, as the sunset was amazing.

Washington, DC: A late start day, against my will, although sleeping in was welcome. The ride today was very nice and slow. I rode with Dan and Callie most of the way. Callie and I stopped for a milkshake, which was amazing. We didn’t run into as many hills as yesterday, and the scenery was kind of washed up – save the buildings. I met up with Clint at the bar/venue (which was a gay bar by the way – I thought it was awesome) and hung out for a bit. The lack of food got to me though, so off to Whole Foods we went. I got materials for ‘tomorrow’s’ dinner and some minor snacks. I couldn’t wait to start doing some cooking though – it had been too long, so I was really excited.

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This morning I awoke with great plans to see the city. My sleep deprivation coupled with the fact that I stayed up ‘late’ last night, working on yesterday’s update and watching Into the Wild – which was amazing by the way – whilst passing out for an unforeseen amount of time helped play a role in my sleeping ‘in’. I was only an hour later than I planned, but that cut the rest of my day by an hour, which is fine I suppose. I walked around town and purchased the last few things I needed for the trip (and forgot a few things I *wanted* to get). It still amazes me how green and forested it is here. I guess that’s the downfall of growing up in the South-west. The weather was again wonderful, and made for a nice walk around town. The travel infrastructure here is quite the marvel. Nothing follows any suit, and could be completely random and confusing. The streets are tiny, lined with cars on both sides, forcing each road to be a one lane, when originally it is close to 3 lanes. After returning, AJ and I did some venturing as well. Amongst the parks we stopped at, the most awe-inspiring was the Union County World Trade Center memorial, which has an ode to all the tragities of the nightmare in 2001. Included in the memorial are two girders from the actual building – completely intimidating to say the least. I’m certain at the end of this trip, that is one thing I will look back at and be thankful I got to see.

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