DAY 67 THE FINAL DAY!!

The moment I opened my eyes this morning I sensed that something was different. I felt different.  I felt unsettled. I felt emotional, deeply emotional. The problem was I couldn't discern what emotion I was feeling. Was it sadness? Or relief? Anxiety? Or joy? A sense of completion? Or a sense of loss?? All of these were true and yet none of them described how I was feeling.

Then it hit me.  This was the last day of our epic adventure;  67 days, 2,900 miles, 14 states, 4 continental divides, 12 mountain passes, hundreds of hills, and untold thousands of pedal cranks were all coming to an end today, in Washington DC.

I went down to breakfast at our last AirBnB to hear that everyone felt the same way. Fortunately, we did not have the time to sit and ponder the world and our existential reality.  Rain was moving in later that day and we needed to get a move on to avoid getting soaked.

First order of business was to change riding plans (several times!). We were still over 100 miles from DC, so riding the whole way together wasn't going to happen.  But thanks to Lance, our second sag driver extraordinaire, we had our plan of attack. We would leap frog our way to DC.

Lisa and Stephanie started riding from the BnB. Betsy and I finished breakfast and then Lance sagged us 20 miles down the road where we started riding and Lance waited for the other 2 and drove them 20 miles further. (repeat, repeat, repeat).  And then the 4 of us would meet up 20 miles out from D.C. to ride the final stretch together!

The day was cloudy but cool. The C&O trail surface was fairly smooth and we made great time as we cycled past the many abandoned locks and aqueducts and massive sycamore trees growing beside the Potomac . 

                                                                Great Falls Park

                                                                abandoned lock

                                                                        sycamore tree

                                                                        Monocacy Aquaduct

Train coming into Harpers Ferry

 A final trail lunch of "awesome" ( per our local guide) burgers powered us on to our final meeting point at Great Falls Maryland.

Stephanie took over as our trail guide at this point as she grew up in the DC area and knows the bike paths. We needed a guide! Our last 20 miles consisted of a wild array of tow paths, parking lots, bike lanes, bike paths, dirt paths, dirt and rock non paths (cliffs really), and city sidewalks! 

                                                                            A bike path

                                                                                A bike path??

Just as the rain started we rolled into DC . We were all  wondering just what or when would be the official "end" of the trip. "STOP" I called out.  "This will do" For there right in front of us were the lions of the Arlington Memorial Bridge and behind them, the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Memorial in the background. We had arrived. The epic journey was over.  We whooped, we took pictures, we hugged, and then we all cried.

                                                            The 4 that rode the last leg

                                                        The 3 Liljebergs that rode coast to coast

What can one say at the end of an epic adventure shared by 8 friends over 2 1/2 months? For me, it ends not with a statement, but a question........... What's next??