I've been caught up in this big 100 Days of Writing Project, and because of that I've been working extra hard for a while now. The act of writing is usually done, for me, in a place that's inside. Sometimes I can get some writing done outside, but usually I am inside. I've been inside a lot this summer.
So when the call came on my cell phone, late one night, I knew what I had to do. I talked with my friend on the phone and we planned a D.C. bike mission. He had a sleek black vintage road bike that we had revived not long ago. And I had plenty of bikes in the basement. For a city mission, I went with the old maroon Mongoose. It's a mountain bike that I bought from my brother. It's an old bike but it's descent. He got it at college. It works. And I'm not too worried when I lock it up. The thing about a mountain bike is that it has wider tires, and this is actually a nice thing when city streets get unruly with potholes or debris.
It had been a good while since sweat garage. I'd been so deep into my writing that I just hadn't taken the time to go hard and sweat it out. Now it was time.
The night before the mission, I had been up late, writing of course. I let myself sleep in till around eight o'clock. Then I threw some panniers on the bike, packed them with food and water and rain gear, and headed out the front door. I had a couple hours of good sweaty biking before I was even at the metro station. Actually, I met my friend on the street. He was driving in his car. I kept looking for him. He drove down Route 1 and saw me standing at the corner as I flagged him down. I still knew of a good secret free parking spot. I led the way there. Then we both took off on our bikes. "Want some whiskey?" he asked. I took a swig. "Needs ice," i said. We went to McDonald's for ice and water too.
The metro ride to the city was a delight with cold drinks to sip on and this crazy AC unit that was just pouring condensation onto a nearby seat. It was another good sweat garage day and this poor AC machine needed help. No one sat in that seat. Water puddled on the vinyl seat cover and even dripped on the carpeted floor.
It was a weekday, not too many people at the National Zoo. It rained hard and we got soaked, but it was so hot it didn't matter. It felt good. Summer rain coming down, with me looking up and smiling as water hit my face and fell in my mouth. The hardest thing was keeping the camera dry. I had a system of plastic bags, with a folded up paper towel in the innermost one, which acted as a desiccant.
The zoo was cool. A girl was going to meet us there, but she never did, and we were both okay with that. From the zoo, it's a long fine downhill road toward the National Mall. We rode this downhill, no rain, and stopped near 7th street NE. This was a popular street I knew and liked. And we could get food or drinks or coffee if we wanted. Then over to the National Galley of Art for another visit to this art exhibit that was one of my most favorite exhibits ever, an exhibit titled "Beat Memories," the photographs of Allen Ginsberg. (I would end up going to this exhibit about four times.) I looked and smiled. There they were, looking so beautiful in black and white: Allen, Jack, Neal, Gregory. There was even a photograph of Bob Dylan. And Allen had great handwritten captions for every one.
After good exercise and whiskey and art, everything else was just cake: outside the art gallery we hid under a tree for another big downpour, then over to the mall, bike west, keep flowing straight to the Lincoln Memorial, one of my favorite places in D.C. I always feel good on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And I keep coming back. Part of it is because of the great freedom moment that happened there on August 28, 1963, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke the words "I have a dream" in his mighty speech. This great event is marked right there: a few words carved into the marble on the landing near the upper set of monument stairs. It's a special place.
The Lincoln Memorial was the last main stop on our D.C. mission. We stayed there for about an hour, sitting on the steps, talking, looking East, watching the sky change with sunset light and of course having to take some photos. We experienced a beautiful sunset that night.
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