Day 57: Leesburg, Va. to Washington, D.C.

After just over eight weeks of riding, we have arrived at our final destination. At around 1pm we crossed the Arlington Memorial bridge and arrived in front of the Lincoln Memorial. It felt a little bit surreal; Alex asked us what we wanted to do next and we weren’t quite sure. We’ve spent the last two months, day after day, mile after mile pushing toward this point. Now, we are here.

Conditions couldn’t have been more ideal for our last day’s riding. After a muddy, wet, cool day along a bumpy, rough trail yesterday, we awoke this morning to clear blue skies, and probably the best weather conditions we’ve had for riding since we left Montana. Today’s high is in the upper 70s, with low humidity. From our hotel, we jumped onto the Washington and Old Dominion Trail which we followed for about 30 miles into Arlington. From there, we merged to another trail that took us right to the bridge. The trails were all well signed with surprisingly good surfaces. Unsurprisingly, about half the population of the Metro area was out walking, jogging, or bicycling on the trail, so we spent much of the day ringing our bells and getting passed by flocks of freds. With less than 40 miles total to cover, it was one of our shortest days, and we were less than ten miles out when we stopped for lunch in East Falls Church.

We stopped at the Mall for some photos and were serenaded by a Mennonite choir as we reveled in the end of our journey. From there, it was only about a mile to our hotel, where we are now resting. Tomorrow morning, Alex is going to catch his train home at Union Station, and Ed and I will likely try to ship our bikes back.

Sometime in the next few days, I plan to write up a few reflections and summary of the trip overall which I will post here. Thanks to everyone who as been following along and sending your well wishes. A special thanks to Niamh and Brenda for supporting us from afar. See many of you soon!

By the numbers:
Miles traveled: 39
Total climbing: 1191ft.
Average pace: 12.6 mph
Minimum elevation: 28 ft.
Average temperature: 74F
Cups of lemonade purchased: 3
Bottle refills: 0
Lost dog signs: 4
U.S. capital cities entered: 1
Total mileage for the trip: 3700 exactly.

 In front of the Lincoln Memorial. In D.C.

 Traffic on the trail.

 Riding along the Washington and Old Dominion Trail.

 The Washington Monument.

 Leaving Leesburg this morning.

 Lunch stop in Virginia, less than 10 miles to go.

Our first glimpse of the Monument. 

Another view of the trail. A rare moment of low traffic. 

 Back in familiar territory. In the background is the hotel where Ed stayed while he was working in D.C. back in the 19-something-or-others.

Another view from the trail.