After only 6 short weeks, it was time to head out for our next states run. 2020 with its enforced isolation, canceled races, and travel restrictions, was behind us. Hard to believe we were looking at State #41!! We started this journey on Oct 3, 2003 in Lake Tahoe, CA and 17+ years later, we’re looking at milepost 11 and the growing certainty that, God willing, we will reach our goal.

We did a fair amount of dithering when selecting our Maryland race. Our first choice was the popular Western Maryland Rail Trail, but because of the size of the event, they were not able to get permitting. We headed back to the internet to research alternatives and found a small race organization called Bishop’s Events that was putting on 130 events a year in Maryland and Virginia. There wasn’t a lot of fanfare or fancy bling with this organization, but the location and timing for this race was perfect; Carderock Recreation Area along the Potomac River in MD in early spring. We put it on the calendar, signed up and made the travel arrangements.

Melodie and I have both been bitten pretty hard by the travel bug. Geography and history have come alive for us by visiting so many different states and cities. We even enjoy the logistical challenges that come with traveling to remote areas and keeping everything affordable. One of the less enjoyable things about travel at this point in time, however, is the mask requirement. While understanding the necessity of protecting the public and ourselves, it can grow very old when you are spending hours in airports and airplanes. But you do what you have to do, to get where you want to go.

For this trip, both of us had long, nonstop flights to Baltimore. Our best options were afternoon flights plus Melodie’s flight had a delay, so we did not arrive in Baltimore until after 9:00 pm. By the time we picked up our rental car and made the 40 mile trek to Bethesda, it was 10:30 pm. As we wandered the streets of downtown Bethesda and saw all the construction, we had a moment of wondering if we had made a poor hotel selection. This was compounded when we realized that it would cost $27 a night to park! Somehow, this country girl had forgotten to account for the challenges of parking in the Maryland/D.C. area. There was public parking available, but I wasn’t crazy about dragging our suitcases around all the construction sites at this time of night. Even more important, however, was the fact that neither of us had much to eat all day and we were starving. We figured in an area like Bethesda there would be plenty of places open late at night where we could get a salad. Wrong. Everything was closed. We found a seedy little CVS and purchased a couple of “healthy” Power Bowls that could be heated in a microwave. Deja vu, anyone?

We drove back to our hotel, still debating what to do about the parking situation. Melodie overrode my fears with her practicality. Why pay $81 if we could avoid it? We located a public parking garage that provided free weekend parking and toted our suitcases down the street to our hotel. Despite the construction, parking and eating challenges, our room was spacious and lovely and had all the comforts and conveniences we could wish for. We heated up our dinner, and settled in for the night.

I used to be a bit embarrassed by the predictability of our running trips, but have chosen to be amused instead. So, as you can imagine, the first thing on the agenda Saturday morning was a cup of coffee and a sightseeing plan. The hotel coffee was marginal at best for these coffee snobs, so we put on our walking shoes and headed out to find a Starbucks. Morning cast a much more favorable light on the area, and I realized that downtown Bethesda indeed had its own brand of charm.

The obvious choice for sightseeing for our Maryland trip was the National Mall Park and Memorials in Washington D.C. Although Melodie had been there a couple of times, it was a first for me and she graciously agreed this was the right choice for the day. Having learned our lesson about parking, we reserved a spot in a public parking garage close to the park and headed out. Although it was only an 8 mile drive, it took a half hour to get there, but we enjoyed the leisurely drive as it allowed us to soak in our surroundings.

We parked our car and headed out on foot, determined to see as much as the day and our feet and legs would allow. The National Mall is America’s most visited national park, where the past, present and future come together. The monuments and memorials in this park honor our American forefathers and heroes who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country. The history and legacy represented by these magnificent buildings and monuments is humbling and inspiring.

Our first stop was the Federal Trade Building, showcasing the famous sculptures “Man Controlling Trade” created by Michael Lantz. The pictures show one of a pair.

On our way to the Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool, we walked through the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden. Fun spot.

Next stop, Washington Monument. There’s no way to capture the essence of this monument with photos, but we tried. When this stunning stone obelisk was completed in 1884, it was the tallest building in the world.

We continued our trek with a stop at the World War II Memorial. The pool is surrounded by 50 pillars, one for each state. Sobering history reflected here.

Next stop, the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial stands at the west end of the National Mall and is a monument built in honor of our 16th president. The Memorial is visited by millions every year and is the site of many public gatherings and protests. I’ve seen it many times in photographs over the years, but it is a very different experience to be there.

Walking the Mall and taking it all in.

Next stop, Martin Luther King Memorial. Such a special place, with many of his famous quotes engraved on the walls of the memorial. What a remarkable man! His courage, wisdom and passion changed the course of history. My favorite Martin Luther King quote is inscribed on one of the walls: “Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that. We can not drive out hate, only love can do that”. I love this quote for lots of reasons, but mostly because it reminds me of Mom, always admonishing us that love is the only answer.

Next, the Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, our first and only president to win a record four elections. His presidency is best remembered by the Great Depression, the New Deal Coalition, and then World War II, which ended shortly after he died in office. Although he avoided being seen in public in a wheelchair, he spent the majority of his adult life paralyzed from the waist down. He could walk with assistance, so would show up in public supported by his sons or aides.

Next stop, Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Unfortunately, the memorial was under construction, but we were able to go in and take a few pictures. Thomas Jefferson has always been a fascinating study for me. He was a man far beyond his time in terms of his fight for equality and justice for all, but his personal life reveals unrelenting conflicts.

Although we had only scratched the surface of things to see, the day was getting on, and we were starting to flag. Our trusty Garmins were telling us we had logged 20,000 steps which is close to 10 miles, and we had a half marathon to run the next day. We trudged the 1.4 miles back to the parking garage, picked up our car, and headed out to find something to eat and check out the race site.

Our drive took us down the George Washington Memorial Parkway, one of the most beautiful stretches of road we’ve driven in a long while. Everything was lush and brilliantly green, flowering trees spotted the countryside, and the Potomac River flowed right next to the road. What a treat! We found Carderock Recreation Area after several miscues, but there were no restaurants in the area, and time was marching on. We put a random restaurant in our phones and drove to a little bistro called “The Union”. Our very late lunch was a bowl of soup and a salad, but it served the purpose.

We stopped at a grocery store on the way back to the hotel and picked up some food for breakfast and a “healthy” pizza for a late dinner that night. What both of us had failed to notice is although we had a small kitchen in the room, it did not include an oven. One of the cardinal rules for running a half marathon is to ensure you eat properly the day before. We knew we were light on calories for the day; we needed to eat that pizza. So, two grown-up women put the pizza on the burner with a pan over the top to hold in the heat and tried to cook it. Nothing was happening at first, so I encouraged Melodie to turn it up, which she obediently did. Within minutes the entire suite was filled with the acrid smell of burnt pizza crust. We pulled it off and put it in the microwave to finish cooking the toppings, but the deed was done. We tried to eat it. Honestly. It was not edible. So, we sat in our smelly hotel room and downed a bag of Skinny Popcorn and a few mixed nuts. Not our finest moment.

Race morning rolled around. It always does, no matter if you ate properly the day before, or walked too many miles, it’s still going to happen. We got up at 6:30, ate our breakfast of granola, yogurt, nuts and berries and headed to Carderock. The weather was predicted to be pretty perfect. 60 at race time with no rain, although the humidity was high. After our Ohio experience, we were very appreciative.

As I mentioned earlier, this race organization puts on a lot of races and doesn’t expend a lot of time or money on frills. Fees are minimal, and most of it goes to local charities. There were no porta potties, just the restrooms in the park, and packet pickup was done under a small canopy just a few feet from the start. Aid stations were water coolers, and miles were not marked. Runners were sent in waves to avoid crowding, so we ended up assigned to different start times. The area was beautiful, and the trail lovely for running, so it was easy to see how they were able to minimize all the typical race prep.

And we were off….Melodie first by a few minutes, and then me. The first half of the race was top 10; gorgeous weather, breathtaking scenery, and a great trail. I even managed to take a few pictures, although Melodie, as usual, takes the time to get the great ones.

This race ended up having every element possible from great energy and a sparking pace to mind-numbing fatigue, stomach distress, leg cramps, and heat. We’ve found that races are much like life; embrace the amazing, push through the ordinary, and hang on as best you can when things get tough. We both finished with respectable times, but most importantly were still upright and smiling. We have a few war stories from this one, but that’s part of the journey. We discovered later we were the only women in our age group, this was a young, athletic pack of runners for the most part.

The rest of the day followed a very typical pattern. We headed back to our hotel, rolled and stretched our sore and tired muscles, showered, and then focused on finding a place to eat. Parking was such an issue in downtown Bethesda that we decided to walk. Unfortunately, the first two places on our list turned out to be either closed or not what we were after, so we walked far longer than we intended on our post-race legs. However, our efforts were eventually rewarded and we found the perfect restaurant for us called True Food; lots of good, healthy food choices, and a blessed place to sit and relax.

We had a few hours left on Sunday for sightseeing, so we decided to drive to Arlington and visit the National Cemetery. Unfortunately, when we arrived we found that it was closed to visitors on Sunday. A bit disappointed, we drove further up the hill and visited the Air Force Memorial instead. It turned out to be a worthwhile stop, plus gave us a great vantage point for taking photos of the area.

We headed back to our hotel, ate leftovers for dinner, and packed in preparation for an early flight the next morning. We were on the road by 7:00 am, and arrived at BWI in plenty of time to turn in our car and grab some food for the long flight. Melodie was headed to Phoenix for a few days to be with her daughter and family who were there on vacation, so we were able to complete the trip together.

Our trip was full of so many things, from the ridiculous to the sublime. We are so appreciative of the moments that give our lives richness and texture, and for the opportunity and ability to pursue our interests and goals together. We feel blessed.

Next stop, Nashotah Park, Wisconsin. And this time, all 5 sisters will be on board!