Day 48 – Believe it or not, here we are.
Holy moly—what a day. We packed up for the last time this morning, and had a typical truck breakfast for the last time. It was a beautiful morning and we really got to appreciate Maryland’s country roads in some good weather. I couldn’t have asked more a more graceful last ride together in the weather and the scenery, which included rolling pastoral farmlands with beautiful strips of sunflowers and trees that arched over the paved roads. We got to Kathy’s waterstop this morning well within the timeline we were given, and what a sweetheart she had starbucks coffee waiting for us in the absence of any other coffee stops.
We slowly made our way into busier areas and the outskirts of the DC area. The cue sheet directed us onto a bike path before we hit too busy of traffic, and I swear I have never in my life been on such a trafficked bike path. There were people everywhere biking, walking, or running, and for the first time all trip I felt like how cars must feel when they have to pass us cyclists in busy traffic as we swerved around recreationalists. Then boom! we exited the bike path and we were in the District of Columbia riding along the water and admiring the buildings in our nation’s capital. It was crazy. Poor Ben and Sean, we expected them as native Marylanders to be able to tell us what every building was.
Our cue sheets directed us right past the park around the Washington Memorial where our finish line would soon be, so that we could all meet up at a little Greek Restaurant for dinner. It was nuts because everyone’s families were already gathering around the park to meet us, and we ran into Ane and Sean’s families prematurely! Everyone was asking us where they were supposed to meet us, and of course we had no idea, and all we wanted to do was get to the restaurant so that we didn’t spoil the finish. There was a lot of excitement in the air, and probably one of the coolest parts was when we were stopped at a busy intersection, with a row of cars behind and all around us, and about ten cars back someone stood up out of their sunroof and called out, “Hey Big Riders! Welcome to D.C.!” It was a great feeling, and there was too much going on to really feel sad yet about our trip coming to an end. It was all too surreal.
We all parked our bikes outside of the Old Post Office, in the basement of which a former Big Rider had generously catered our last lunch together. It was fantastic Greek food, but I was too overwhelmed to really eat too much of it. There were a handful of former Big Riders there from last year who kindly offered us their services by taking ALL of our cameras for one last group photo on the steps of the building.
Everything was going by so quickly and before we knew it we were lined up to ride to the finish. We rode in twos, threes, and fours, two minutes apart so that friends and family could be sure to get good pictures of us coming across the finish line. Ane and I rode together, of course, followed immediately by Ben, Sean, and Micheal Yee. It was more confusing than we’d expected to make our way to the finish line, weaving around pedestrians on the park sidewalks and trying to follow the Dan Henrys. Finally we saw all of the people and the finish, and Ane and I decided to hold hands as we came through. Well as it turned out after 48 days of riding we’re still not coordinated enough to do that, and we both swerved off the sidewalk right before the finish. What a classic finale for us. We made it safely across the finish line which was thronged with cheering family members and hopped off the bike for hugs from Ane’s Mom. I called my own mom, and then we were swept away in the excitement for a while everyone else was finishing.
A representative from the national American Lung Association office offered some words of congratulations and of thanks for our efforts during a brief ceremony during which Pollie offered us certificates of completion. Eventually we made our way over to the hotel and unloaded the truck for the very last time as a group. It was such a strange feeling saying goodbye to everyone, because it was hard to recognize that I was actually saying goodbye. How do you spend 48 days with a exclusively with this same group of people, form these relationships and develop such a solid community, and then suddenly have to say goodbye?
Back in the hotel room, Ane and I have just been absolutely spoiled by her mom. When we started to discuss dinner options, it was quite apparent that Ane and I were just not up for any real decision making. Even though we only rode about fifty miles today, it was just an exhausting day. After a showers and a nap on the hotel beds, we decided that getting delivery was much more conducive to our energy and emotional capabilities. We had some Thai delivery and then Ane’s mom went out specially for us to pick up dessert from TGI Friday’s. She let us just relax and even gave us foot massages. It was just perfect.
We slowly made our way into busier areas and the outskirts of the DC area. The cue sheet directed us onto a bike path before we hit too busy of traffic, and I swear I have never in my life been on such a trafficked bike path. There were people everywhere biking, walking, or running, and for the first time all trip I felt like how cars must feel when they have to pass us cyclists in busy traffic as we swerved around recreationalists. Then boom! we exited the bike path and we were in the District of Columbia riding along the water and admiring the buildings in our nation’s capital. It was crazy. Poor Ben and Sean, we expected them as native Marylanders to be able to tell us what every building was.
Our cue sheets directed us right past the park around the Washington Memorial where our finish line would soon be, so that we could all meet up at a little Greek Restaurant for dinner. It was nuts because everyone’s families were already gathering around the park to meet us, and we ran into Ane and Sean’s families prematurely! Everyone was asking us where they were supposed to meet us, and of course we had no idea, and all we wanted to do was get to the restaurant so that we didn’t spoil the finish. There was a lot of excitement in the air, and probably one of the coolest parts was when we were stopped at a busy intersection, with a row of cars behind and all around us, and about ten cars back someone stood up out of their sunroof and called out, “Hey Big Riders! Welcome to D.C.!” It was a great feeling, and there was too much going on to really feel sad yet about our trip coming to an end. It was all too surreal.
We all parked our bikes outside of the Old Post Office, in the basement of which a former Big Rider had generously catered our last lunch together. It was fantastic Greek food, but I was too overwhelmed to really eat too much of it. There were a handful of former Big Riders there from last year who kindly offered us their services by taking ALL of our cameras for one last group photo on the steps of the building.
Everything was going by so quickly and before we knew it we were lined up to ride to the finish. We rode in twos, threes, and fours, two minutes apart so that friends and family could be sure to get good pictures of us coming across the finish line. Ane and I rode together, of course, followed immediately by Ben, Sean, and Micheal Yee. It was more confusing than we’d expected to make our way to the finish line, weaving around pedestrians on the park sidewalks and trying to follow the Dan Henrys. Finally we saw all of the people and the finish, and Ane and I decided to hold hands as we came through. Well as it turned out after 48 days of riding we’re still not coordinated enough to do that, and we both swerved off the sidewalk right before the finish. What a classic finale for us. We made it safely across the finish line which was thronged with cheering family members and hopped off the bike for hugs from Ane’s Mom. I called my own mom, and then we were swept away in the excitement for a while everyone else was finishing.
A representative from the national American Lung Association office offered some words of congratulations and of thanks for our efforts during a brief ceremony during which Pollie offered us certificates of completion. Eventually we made our way over to the hotel and unloaded the truck for the very last time as a group. It was such a strange feeling saying goodbye to everyone, because it was hard to recognize that I was actually saying goodbye. How do you spend 48 days with a exclusively with this same group of people, form these relationships and develop such a solid community, and then suddenly have to say goodbye?
Back in the hotel room, Ane and I have just been absolutely spoiled by her mom. When we started to discuss dinner options, it was quite apparent that Ane and I were just not up for any real decision making. Even though we only rode about fifty miles today, it was just an exhausting day. After a showers and a nap on the hotel beds, we decided that getting delivery was much more conducive to our energy and emotional capabilities. We had some Thai delivery and then Ane’s mom went out specially for us to pick up dessert from TGI Friday’s. She let us just relax and even gave us foot massages. It was just perfect.
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