The day after.

We got enough relaxation in yesterday afternoon and evening that we were ready to go out and see a little of our nation’s capital last night. It was dark when we headed out to see the Washington Monument, which was a truly impressive sight to see it all lit up and mirrored in the reflecting pool. Directly across from it sits the Lincoln memorial, which was also striking at night when it is all lit up against the dark sky. From here we wandered over to the Vietnam Memorial, which was truly an extraordinary monument. Our whole trip I had barely given any thought to what we could see or do in Washington, and honestly I was surprised at how much I enjoyed visiting the monuments. It was truly amazing to look at the Washington Memorial and realize how clever it was to see the perfect reflection in the pool, or how grandly the Lincoln memorial stood with its pillars and larger than life marble statue of Lincoln. The most impressive, most well-thought-out and moving memorial was the Vietnam Memorial with its black granite that you can see your reflection in, the names listed in order of the date of casualty, the form it took as the two walls come together in a point, how you can trace those names onto paper you can take home with you.

I think that both of us slept better than we had in a while last night. Ane’s mom had mentioned that it sounded like a party was going on in the hallways in the middle of the night, but neither Ane or I woke up to it we slept so soundly on our real beds with fluffy pillows. At breakfast we ran into several Big Riders who were staying at the hotel, and it was nice to be able say hello to Marty and give Andy one last Good Morning hug. We ate with Jody and Margo’s family, which was so nice to start the day with. Not to mention that I spilled coffee all over the table linens, that’s always a good way to start the day :)

With a few more final goodbyes, we packed up our bags in the room and took our bikes down to meet the boys. Ben and Sean just couldn’t stay away from us they had to drive all the way back into the city to meet us, what are we going to do without them? The four of us toured around the capital on our bikes, and we were rebels without our helmets and mirrors! It sure was strange to see Ben and Sean in clothes other than they’d had all summer, Sean even in a polo shirt, and cruising around on their bikes without helmets. It was the perfect way to see the rest of the monuments because we went almost nine miles, and we certainly wouldn’t have been up to walking that distance. We saw the Washington Monument again, the World War II memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the mall area, the Botanical Gardens, the Capitol Building, and of course the White House. My favorite by far was the Botanical Gardens. I could have spent hours and hours there, the plants and the flowers were so neat, and it was just so lush everywhere. Someday I’m going to have to come back and spend some real time here, when I have the energy, to spend more time at the gardens, and to really take the time to see the museums.

Chinatown offered us all kinds of options for lunch, and we ended up eating at some cheap tortilla place. Finally we returned to the hotel where Ane’s mom and brother had been so patiently waiting for us, fit our bikes onto the car rack, took our last group pictures, and gave our final hugs goodbye (which I’m sure was a humorous sight with Ben being 15 inches taller than me :). Yesterday was such a crazy day that I’m so glad they came to see us today for some proper farewells.

After about 6 hours of driving we’re staying the night in Zanesville, OH tonight. It’s dawning on me for real now that our journey is over and we’ve entering back into the real world. Driving home, all I can do is reflect on the trip, and I keep on picturing all of the people in my mind I may or may not ever see again. There are at least a handful of people that I certainly intend on visiting and keeping in contact with, but never again will we all be together again as a community. Ane made a thoughtful comment about how such grand adventures and traveling like this can leave you so unsatisfied with the real world and your normal life, and it’s definitely true because ever since I’ve started canoe tripping even I’ve always thirsted for seeing and doing more. But that’s all part of who I am, and this trip, this community that we’re all invested in now, the things that I’ve seen and learned on this ride are always going to be with me. It’s like the cliché saying that it’s better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Thank you everyone for making it such a memorable summer. I’ve never laughed so much, so often, in my life.