Deale, MD -> Philadelphia, PA

My last day in Deale was a nice and slow one. I've set more alarms there than anywhere else on this trip and I was glad to forgo them this morning. I took my time, slept in, made a cup of tea, ate more of Janie's delicious banana bread, and listened to the news while I packed. I checked out and hit the road, Annapolis-bound. Today was going to be a short day. I got to Annapolis swiftly for my first stop, sitting in a cafe overlooking the harbor with my Aunt Phyl and Uncle Jeff. After a rest to cool off and watch the tourists attempt to navigate the local construction, it was time to set off.

Probably the only picture someone else has taken of me on this trip

Next stop was Baltimore to meet up with one of my college fiends from my first alma matter. Can you call it an alma matter if you didn't finish? Es and I met at WKDU, the radio station on campus. After seven years and three colleges of undergrad, this was the only club I joined. No regrets there. I had a marvelous time making radio with him and a bunch of other like-minded weirdos. We did some long-overdue catching up while the cicadas interjected their own opinions. Rude bugs.

Aging radio stars

The ride out of Baltimore was slow and hot. I seemed to always be in stop and go traffic wishing that lanesplitting was legal. To add insult to injury, the high concentration of cicadas around Baltimore meant that I could not open my visor to cool off without risking eating one. The damn things started clinging on to my jacket at highway speeds. Horny hitchhiking insects.

I finally crawled my way into Philadelphia and arrived at my friend Ethan's house. After the lengthy settling-in process had been completed (parking a motorcycle overnight in Philly is a pain) we advanced to a bar to chit chat and catch up more. As we were on our way out, our friend Chris appeared and we moved on to a restaurant to grab a late dinner. What rude and frank service. The waiter seemed as though he was going to kick us out for being too slow and indecisive for his taste. Between that and the Boognish graffito in the men's room, I would say I got a good welcome back to the city of brotherly love.

Today's Distance: 133 Miles

Total Distance: 3534 Miles