I had two days of rain, followed by three days of great sunny weather. I guess it's only right that the sixth day have rain to balance it out. And rain it did. I spent the morning riding in showers, had about 90 minutes of sun, then dodged thunderstorms for the rest of the ride. This will explain the few number of pictures; tough to get a shot when you're searching for cover.
Had a short time in the morning without rain as I passed Berlin MD, so I took a pic to celebrate the occasion.
A short time after this, came across a gentleman trying to change his tire. He'd patched his tube, but couldn't get his tire to hold air. Turned out he'd bent the Presta valve. He had another tube but was afraid of depleting his CO2 pump. Asking if I had a hand pump, he looked at my tires and said "Never mind!" (I have Schrader valves on my mountain bike). No fear! I quickly changed the adapter in my pump to Presta, he changed his tube, pumped it up and was on his way. While we worked we talked about my trip. I believe he's another who may give it a go.
A little further down the trail, I came across an aqueduct undergoing restoration. A lot of effort is made to preserve this park.
While I was taking a short break, a woman walking her two dogs came up to talk (amazing what canine companionship can do for one's bravery. Or maybe I just look harmless). She'd seen my saddlebags and asked about my trip. She lived in the area and had entertained doing the through trip but hadn't gotten around to it yet. She said she'd just gotten back from a mountain bike ride in Montana, so I don't imagine she'd have much problem with this.
It was about then that the thunderstorms started rolling in. Not being a fan of uncontrolled electricity, I made myself a moving target and kept on rolling. By the time I got to Great Falls, however, it had quieted down to a soft sprinkle. The only problem here was dodging the hikers and walkers, some of whom didn't seem to understand the words, "Bicycle behind you!" But everyone was pleasant, in spite of the weather.
Then the thunder and lighting started up again and I pushed on to my final destination: Georgetown in Washington DC. On the way, I finally did get my heron pic.
Finally, I reached my destination. Thanks to a young lady in the parking lot, I was able to capture the jubilation and dirt that marked the finish of this challenge.
Don't go away too soon. I'll be posting an epilogue in a day or two.
All the day's pics
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