D27 NE It’s Over

It ended like it began in the parking garage of an airport. At Reagan airport in DC, we loaded the bikes in a truck to head for Rehoboth – thanks again Sal and Colleen for accommodating us so nicely in your beach condo.

See the grimace? See the huge smile? They are quite telling of two different stories bound together over some 1300 incredible miles. Gloria is so happy to be done her task of being an amazing companion and trooper at my side. I’m bewildered that it is already over and frustrated I have to drive rather than ride for now.

This crazy picture, from the truck, tells the miraculous ending of our trip. We arrived in DC ending the ride on the C&O Canal trail in Georgetown. Wonderfully, it was just a few more miles, all trail except one city block, to get to Reagan Airport. As we came within a mile of the Reagan it started to sprinkle. By the time we were in the rental truck and looking at Jefferson and Washington Memorials from a dry truck cab, it was pouring rain. The other miracle for us that day was Gloria’s motor held together and helped her make the relatively rapid trip from Harper’s Ferry to DC in good time and with reasonable effort. However, I will mention that she tried to die once more as a car backed up toward her in Georgetown and almost hit her. Her screaming caught the drivers attention and fortunately I was a hundred feet ahead or we might have had more than screaming going on – although I did “wave” at him as he drove past me.

We began the day with 100’s of runners in Harper’s Ferry. There was a marathon and they were using the bridge we had to cross to get back to the C&O across the Potomac. We then played dodge the runners as they had a few miles on the towpath of out and back – i.e., runners going both ways and Gloria and I weaving between them. It was sad because they hadn’t even finished 5 miles and for the most part they all looked spent. One runner asked me for my bike but he likely would have just fallen over trying to lift it. It was a beautiful morning for a ride, or run, as we crossed the bridge – which is also the Appalachian Trail – and hoped the clouds wouldn’t bring rain too soon.

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We enjoyed a great deal of blue sky and no rain. The trail surface became better and better as we approached DC but that also meant more people. Other riders had warned us about obnoxious DC riders, but this was the relatively pleasant weekend crowd and not the angry/anxious weekday riders rushing to meet the president or congress. I continued to marvel that just miles from the hub of the free world we found trails, camping, kayaking, and beautiful (almost) wilderness. One of the prettiest parts of the ride was just 12 trail miles from downtown DC: Great Falls.

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It was understandably crowded, but still very much worth seeing. This is the Potomac cutting its way downward toward the ocean. On the canal side, there were multiple locks to deal with the elevation change.

Of particular interest to me, on the canal we found a canal boat! It was intact and floating. The locks above and below it were functioning with huge wood doors that were manually opened and closed. I didn’t find out if the boat was in use but it gave me some hope for my recommended canal renewal project:).

We finished the final miles on the trail and then through DC with the backdrop of the memorials and pedalled past the Kennedy Center. The rain was now threatening but as noted mostly held off for us. It was a wonderful last day. The trip can’t simply be summarized with a few trite phrases or even multiple blogs, but suffice it to say, I hope it isn’t our last.