The ending that almost wasn't -- by Amy

We are home!

Really, just me. Jamie hopped back on a train to DC this morning to lobby our congresspeople['s staffers] on a few key environmental issues -- the Clean Air Act, oil subsidies, and biking infrastructure. Fortunately, MD's senators are pretty good on those particular issues already. Good luck, Climate Riders from Maine!

The last day was an emotional rollercoaster. I think I may have mentioned that I'm sick. Like, really sick. The morning started with our daily briefing, which emphasized how important it was to stay on schedule if we wanted to be part of the ride down Constitution Avenue. And riding in one of the support vehicles wasn't an option to get to the end ride, because the staffers were parking the biofuel vans and using DC bikeshare to join us on the end ride. They actually were recommending that people who fell behind should get on the metro and meet us at the rally.

So I was a little stressed, and Jamie and I pushed pretty hard. Extremely hard. And got to Silver Spring for the lunch stop at 1:20 and weren't sure if we could make it to the ride or if we should just hop the metro, but we decided to skip lunch and try. Right after Silver Spring we got on the Capital Crescent bike path, and holy crap, that was like magic. The gravel for a few miles wasn't ideal, but the shade! The shade made all the difference. And after a few miles, our elevation reached the peak of the last little climb and it was all downhill, baby.

We got to the boathouses with 30 minutes to spare! We were psyched. After everything, we were going to get to be part of the procession. We had smoothies and took pictures.

Then we lined up. Police escort in the front, photographer's van, and then more than 200 people on bikes. Several riders had family members show up to ride down Constitution Avenue, including one little boy who looked about four or five and was surprisingly not intimidated by the craziness of it all.

And we started. And it was awesome. So many riders, most wearing the same jerseys. Lots of people cheering from the sidewalks, even many who seemed unclear about what was happening. And between looking at the people on the sides and the riders on the road with me, I totally missed a grate with massive holes, one of which my bike wheel fit into entirely. So my front wheel went down, I went over, and my bike came back out and over me. Fortunately I seem to have retained some falling skills from roller derby, and I landed mostly on one shoulder, although my right knee also took some impact.

So then the whole procession kind of paused while people were helping me get up and deal and other people seemed unsure if it was ok to go on. My bike seemed ok and I didn't feel anything was broken, so I got back on and started riding again although I knew it would hurt later.

We made it to Constitution Ave. We started riding past the mall. The crowds of tourists got a little bigger. And that tire that had gone into the grate decided to go flat.

Oh yeah. Here I am, maybe a mile from the Capitol, and the ride is moving, and I have a flat tire. Now, I can change the tire, but I knew that by the time I did, the ride would be over and the rally would be in full swing. So at that point I gave up and resigned myself to missing the end. I was going to walk that bike to the end, nurse my various sore spots and injuries, and call it a day.

I was in the process of trying to convince Jamie that he should finish the ride rather than drop out with me, when out of the crowd comes my hero for the day, Bennett. Bennett was one of  uber-relaxed young volunteers who seemed to make up the bulk of the Climate Ride organization. Moving without any urgency but with incredible skill, it was pop, swoop, whoosh with the CO2 canister, and click back on. I swear to you, he fixed my flat tire in the 90 second turn of the traffic light. I was so grateful, I almost cried. We didn't even fall to the end of the group.

And we rode on! To the Capitol, where there was a surprisingly small gathering with a broken PA system, but by that point nothing mattered.

Major kudos to all who spoke at the rally. Harriet Tregoning, the director of the Washington DC Office of Planning, rode the last 3 miles in with us wearing a business skirt and pumps. And Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont is pretty much a badass. Despite being a gentleman of advancing age, he stood there in the pelting rain congratulating us. My father wanted to blame him for an Escalade parked on an adjoining street, but Senator Sanders walked the two blocks back to his office in the rain.

Today is a little strange. All of our new friends aren't here! Jamie will get to see some of them at the Capitol, at least. I have chosen a plan of action that involves a doctor's visit this afternoon, and in the meantime, lots of sitting and popping ibuprofen and admiring my adorable 2-year-old whom I haven't seen in a week. (I think that maybe, just maybe, my mother might have spoiled him a little bit. :-)

Thank you again to everyone who helped us go on this adventure. We could not have done it without a lot of help, and I am so grateful for all of it.