| It rained extremely heavily overnight, so much
so that several people's tents were flooded. Luckily mine was fine, just a
bit of water around the edges and corners, but nothing that couldn't be
dealt with. The other folks ended up sleeping in the locker rooms while
their tents dried. The rain did stop in time for our wake-up call, and we
were once again able to take down our tents without rain, as we've done for
this entire trip. The weather gods must be looking favorably upon us...
We rolled out after a 7:00 am breakfast and
meeting, and Bruce and I joined Alan, Beth, David and Catherine (aka The
Breakfast Club) for breakfast at a restaurant about 300 yards from camp. We
figured with only 50 miles to go today we could handle the delay in getting
out of town. After breakfast we moved on, cycling over some pretty easy
rolling hills through farmland and again past several Civil War
battlefields, and crossed the state line into Maryland about 8 miles into
the day. We continued on, and I decided to spin it up and ride a bit faster,
riding alone to the checkpoint at around mile 30. I met up there with Bruce
and we rode further, and then I rode alone again as he decided to stop in
Frederick, MD to do some shopping.
Upon arriving in camp (located 5 miles outside
of Clarksburg) at around noon, I proceeded to dry out my tent and other
belongings that had gotten damp over the rest day, and socialized with other
Big Riders as I waited for stuff to dry. Once my tent had dried and I
showered, we were shuttled to the Applebee's in Clarksburg for our final
celebration as a Big Ride group. We had appetizers and drinks, we laughed,
cried and hugged, and reminisced about the experiences we have just shared.
There were several toasts, and
Kacy read a poem she had written about her
impressions of the trip, which brought tears to everyone's eyes. Once the
formal celebration was over, we decided to stay at Applebee's for dinner
(our last $10 night): Bruce and I ate with Kacy, Katie and Georgia (a 2003
Big Rider who lives in the area). After dinner we were shuttled back to the
campground, and I climbed in my tent for the last camping night of this
great adventure.
Tonight was a bittersweet evening - an
incredibly fun and touching time sharing with my Big Ride family, mixed with
excitement that I'll go home in a few days, and sadness that this experience
will be coming to an end in a very short time. I feel very fortunate to have
shared this time with these special people, and I'll cherish these memories
for the rest of my life. |
