Quote of the day: "We appreciate what you do." - Bystander as we entered D.C.
Thursday night's deluge cleared out and Friday dawned bright and sunny for our ride into Washington D.C. The route took us through more of the beautiful Maryland countryside and we were joined along the way by the riders from the South New Jersey Chapter of the Unity Tour. The route was hilly, causing some to complain, but cresting the last hill gave a great view down E. Captitol Street toward the Washington Monument.
We rode through the streets of DC with a few new motor escorts from Oklahoma, some the same as those who escorted the cross-country riders in Oklahoma. We wound our way to the polo fields along the Potomic for a break and to wait for the Virginia Chapter to arrive. Some friends drove down from Philadelphia to meet me and they said it was amazing to watch the long line of cyclists coming in.
The Virginia Chapter arrived and after a few more minutes of greetings and picture taking, it was time to leave for the National Law Enforcement Memorial. For our last time together, we took to the streets, riding two by two. 
As we entered the Memorial, we split to ride down each side of the walls of names. As I entered the right side, I thought I heard my name, but couldn't stop and look for fear of crashing. I put my bike up and returned to applaud the remaining riders. I then sought out the names of Donald Young, Jeff Christensen and Greg Boss on the memorial. I was taking a picture of Jeff's name when I heard my name again, it was Mark Magnuson, Chief Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park where Jeff worked and died. I showed him the memorial bracelet with Jeff's name on it that I wore during the ride.
I then got to meet with Jeff's family and gave the bracelet to his mom.
As we entered the Memorial, we split to ride down each side of the walls of names. As I entered the right side, I thought I heard my name, but couldn't stop and look for fear of crashing. I put my bike up and returned to applaud the remaining riders. I then sought out the names of Donald Young, Jeff Christensen and Greg Boss on the memorial. I was taking a picture of Jeff's name when I heard my name again, it was Mark Magnuson, Chief Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park where Jeff worked and died. I showed him the memorial bracelet with Jeff's name on it that I wore during the ride.
I then got to meet with Jeff's family and gave the bracelet to his mom.
Me with Jeff's brothers, Brian & Jason, sister-in-law, Jenny, and parents Chris & Dale
Stats for the day:
Miles ridden: 44
Time: 3.5 hours
Total riders arriving at the memorial: ~750
Dollars raised for the memorial by the tour: 1 milllion
1 comment:
Jenny,
I read through your trip notes today. Just wanted to say good job! I will continue to read as you go. Stay safe and ride well.
S
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