The Weather vs. The Plan Over breakfast this morning, the weather report delivered some grim news. Rain and showers were locked in for most of the day, with clearing expected only by the afternoon. It wasn't exactly the triumphant final ride we had envisioned for our last stretch from Harpers Ferry to D.C.
The Logistics Puzzle To make things trickier, the last day of a tour is always a mad scramble of homeward-bound logistics:
Keith, Mike, and Doug: Loading up the SUV for a nine-hour haul back to Indianapolis.
Chris: Returning his rental bike to Arlington.
Me: Boxing up my bike to ship it back to California via UPS.
In a perfect world, we would have ridden the final 62 miles into Washington, D.C., and handled all of this in the late afternoon. Instead, Keith hatched a brilliant audible. He dropped Frank, Chris, and me off in D.C. with our bikes and bags, then doubled back to Harpers Ferry to scoop up Mike, Doug, and the remaining gear. This gave the Indy crew a massive head start on their long drive home.
Playing Tourist The plan worked like a charm. After we piled into the SUV and landed at Frank’s house in D.C., we divided and conquered. Chris took an Uber to return his rental, I wrestled my bike into its shipping box, and once the dust settled, the three of us met up on the National Mall. We spent the rest of the day exploring the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. A perfect end to an unforgettable trip.
Happy Biking,
Brian
Sounds like a great trip, Brian!
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