Day 48
Day By Day Notes From The Road
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This document updated Wednesday, August 15th, 2004
Clarksburg Maryland to Washington DC - 55 miles
By Erwin:
So today was THE day - the final day. Overall, I felt a bittersweet sense of victory. It was great to have achieved our final destination, but at the same time, it's too bad that our little adventure is over.
You could sense the anxiety in the group this morning, as we got ready to start biking at 6:30. Also on the bike, people were anxious to get into town. We raced up and down the hills of the suburbs of DC.
After about 8 miles on a trail along the Potomac, we rolled onto the National Mall. It was a special feeling to see the monuments that I used to see everyday from a different perspective.
One of the 2000 Big Riders owns a little Greek restaurant in the Old Postal Pavilion and he offered us a really nice lunch. As riders arrived, the group welcomed them with applause - it was a good atmosphere.
Around 1pm we left for the final mile down Constitution to the finish line at 23/Constitution. Everyone was pretty anxious. The ride around the Washington Monument was pretty busy, and it was nice to get to the finish line. About 50 people were there to cheers us on - we had biked every inch between Seattle and DC.
By Lucija:
WE DID IT! We made it all the way from Seattle to DC on our bikes! That goes to show that can do just about anything if you keep at it a little bit at a time!
All day long I was filled with angst that something would go wrong on these last 50 miles of the ride. I think I checked my mirror at least three times before making every turn to make sure I was riding safely. In the end, all went well and every single rider made it in safely.
One of the best surprises of the day was that one of my closest friends, Martina, met us at the finish line, along with my brother, my sister in law and Kim, their friend. They made all sorts of fun posters and cheered us on. What a fun surprise!
In the afternoon, my brother Zvonimir and his wife Amy hosted a really nice barbecue for some of our friends in the area. Amy, having followed our website, knew about the passion for fruit pies that we had developed over the course of the ride and she baked two awesome pies for the party. It was just such a nice way to finish our journey.
Thanks:
This is the last entry we'll be making on our website. Thank you all for reading our entries and thank you for your support.
Lucija & Erwin
Photos:
After lunch: happy but anxious to go the last mile
We're done and proud of it! More than 3300 miles, our odometers prove it.
We had the best cheering section! From left to right: Zvonimir Turcinov (Lucija's brother), Amy (Z's wife), Martina Widmann. (Lucija's friend), Kim (Amy's friend). Thanks you!