Washington, DC: First Impressions

Got into Washington, DC, last night. Here's the straight dope, delivered with prejudice and without authority.

Number one first impression: who in god's name let the ghost of Julius Caesar design all the buildings in this town? I mean, seriously, this is the most neoclassical thing I've ever tasted, and I once ate a big heaping bowl of neoclassicism. Nearly every building is constructed from giant, white pieces of stone. Even the new buildings are reminiscent of ancient Greece or Rome, without actually putting winged gods on the roofs. And don't get me started on the giant, raging phallus that is the Washington Monument.

Let's move on.

On Death

Someone recently asked me if I had seen a lot of wildlife while I was riding to Nashville. The answer is complicated.

Many of you have already read about the exploding deer incident in Washington. Perhaps some of you have had your own experiences with roadkill. I assure you, until you have ridden a bike for 3,000 miles along American highways, or worked in a hot dog factory, you will not have seen as much dead wildlife (wilddeath) as I have in two short months. The following is a hastily compiled list of creatures I have seen just on this trip.

Primary Objective Complete...Now What?

Nothing went wrong yesterday. No flat tires. No close calls with semi trucks. The wind wasn't even that bad. But it became absolutely crystal clear that September 1 was my last day of long distance bicycling for 2010.

Nashville had always been my initial goal. I considered other options after Nashville: Atlanta, North Carolina, Toronto (idiot), California (oh god). But the plan was always to get to Nashville and reassess. So that's what I did. And that reassessment revealed that nearly every minute of riding since Kansas City has been pure agony. Not physical agony, though. I'm stronger, fitter, and let's just admit it, sexier than I've ever been. Every day I was growing more resilient, while psychologically I was deteriorating.