Getting to DC

Four days of riding: 200 miles.
Learned that waterproof is a marketing gimmick.
Camped legally, illegally, and barely legally.
Crossed our first state border.
Made heavy use of gearing ratios: 70 lb bike + human don't make it up hills easily.
Already finding a new appreciation for warm hospitality and reunion with familiar faces.

When the rain hasn't stopped and the sun is already just a memory in the sky, you'd find yourself eying this shelter as your last vestige of hope, too.  In this light, we were hardly perturbed to be greeted by the local officer and mildly admonished for camping illegally.  

The rain had the secondary effect of putting us 10 miles away from our intended starting point on our second day.  So after a day's ride of riding through Lancaster county, we now found ourselves 15 miles from our goal as the sun began to disappear.  Fortunately, we chose to stop to discuss our options before the Tourist Inn, where friendly bikers invited us in for some brews and the owner, Annette, suggested we set up our tent  along a creek behind the bar - she owned the entire area. 

 Here's a photo of us with Annette, whose generosity will not be soon forgotten.

Geoff and I were irrationally happy to be crossing the Mason-Dixon Line into Maryland mid-way through our third day riding.  

I was even happier to be able to set up our first real camp site that night.  We saw our opportunity a mile from the end of a 20 mile bike trail.  Here the River suddenly turned East after we had followed it South through its sinuous track all day.  To our left was a wide field dotted with trees.  I was giddy at the realization that 50 yards from the trail, we could no longer make out any figures running or biking by.  One hundred yards away and we forgot there even was a trail.  I was thrilled to finally have the peace of mind that this evening there was no chance of our location being discovered.  Thrilled that we still had an hour of full daylight to make camp and relax.  Thrilled that there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we were 15 miles from any city and the stars would come out before long.

And now we reached our first sanctuary in Washington, DC.  Incredible weather mixed with a group of new friends.  This is already the best Easter I can remember.