Date(s): Nov. 21, 1999
Day: Sunday
From: St. Augustine, FL
To: Reston, VA
The trip home: The day after the final ride into St. Augustine I
was up early as usual, and decided to walk the streets of the city one
last time before getting a ride to Jacksonville with my father and his
friend Charles who let us use his van to load the bike. I finished the Nov. 20
trip report and filed it then returned to the hostel where the rest of the
group was leaving for breakfast. I joined them for a few minutes before
saying goodbye and returning to the hostel to get my gear and bike ready
for the ride to Jacksonville. It was an emotional goodbye, but I hope to see
people in the future so it didn't seem like a final goodbye.
At my parent's house I cleaned off the salt and sand from the bike and
got it ready for shipping in the Amtrak box, then I collapsed on the
spare bed for a long nap, exhausted after the trip and the emotional last
2 days. We got to the Amtrak station in plenty of time to pack the bike
in the box, especially since the train was already 1 1/2 hours late.
Since the Amtrak bike box is larger than the airlines boxes, it's relatively
easy to pack a bike. Both wheels can be left on but the pedals must be
removed and in most cases the handlebars and stem must be removed and
turned sideways. It takes about 10 minutes. I added foam pipe insulation
to the tubes to protect them.
It was a long train trip without much sleep. It finally left Jacksonville
at around 9:45 and the passengers were already unhappy with the previous
delays. Although the seats are much roomier than airline seats, it is still
difficult to get much sleep on the train as it stops periodically, and
it is hard to get comfortable when the train is crowded. Kerie was watching
the progress of the train on the Amtrak web page, since she was planning
on meeting me half way to the station for the final ride home. I called
when I arrived and we agreed on a meeting place. It took about 30 minutes
to reassemble the bike and to reload the gear, then I rolled out of Union
Station for the final leg of the trip. I never left the ground during the
trip, since I took train to San Diego, rode to St. Augustine, then took the
train from Jacksonville. It was a beautiful fall day in Washington and I
felt at home, winding my way through the streets along the Mall, then
onto the Mount Vernon bike trail along the Potomac, then to the Custis Trail
along I-66 where I met Kerie. It was getting late so we didn't have time
to stop and talk but turned around and headed home, arriving just
before dusk. Appropriately enough I met a longtime friend, Matt Tate,
out for his evening jog. Since we both spend so much time outdoors we
often see each other running or riding on the various trails in Reston,
and it was fun seeing him at the end of the journey, and to receive his
congratulations. It felt great to be home, and after a long bath, I slept
for 3 hours before dinner, exhausted from the long trip home.