I'm making my way out to LA with Louie. It's taken a lot for me to get to this point, but it's one I knew I'd reach sooner or later. I am so excited to see what's ahead.
This trip is just as planned as it is improvised. Louie and I have been friends for so long that we just know to go with the flow. Still, I'm sure we have plenty to learn from each other in the coming month.
Leaving my little buddy might've been the toughest "good bye". Even though I know it's really a "see you soon".
My odometer right before I spin it to smithereens. Louie and I will be on the road for about 30 days going wherever we feel like until we hit Los Angeles.
On our way off the island. Maryland bound.
FIRST Night
Louie and I made our first basecamp at a Walmart in Elkton, MD. We slept in my car, it was about 40˚F when we woke up. Louie was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets in the passenger seat while I sat next to him in 3 jackets and a blanket. We were shivering our asses off so we warmed up in the McDonalds attached to the Walmart. Egg McMuffin never tasted so good.
Elkton, MD: Louie spinning a spinner while spinning in a Walmart go kart. Someone tell Bill O'Reilly to GTFO, because this is the freakin spin zone.
Driving over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
After getting into DC, our first stop was the Nat Geo Museum. We were told that "unfortunately" the only exhibit open was the one featuring Nick Nichols' conservation work. Well fortunately that's all I could've asked for, and it was truly inspirational.
Washington DC: Nat Geo's Nick Nichols exhibition
Immediately after leaving the museum we found ourselves in the midst of a peaceful protest against Trumps muslim ban. Louie and I participated in prayer with hundreds of muslim men and women, all directly in front of the white house. It was very moving.
Left behind posters after the prayer was finished.
Amongst all the trials and protesting and heartache, you still manage to find people just taking selfies. I find it very odd, but I'm not surprised. I wonder if they are even paying attention...
Adjacent to the selfie stickers, you'll find two young puerto rican men hailing from Philadelphia, who traveled to the capitol to express their grievances and plead for support.
A Puerto Rican man protests before the White House.
It only takes just a slight nudge out of your comfort zone to experience the world a bit more than you did before. Every time I think I see the big picture, it gets a little bigger. Thats what inspires me to keep going.
After a full day of wandering around DC and touring the monuments, Louie and I decided we should head back to our motel. We called an Uber and arrived back in Alexandria, VA in about 20 minutes.
We were absolutely famished by the time we got back to the Super 8. We reviewed our food options located in the shopping center across the freeway from our place and decided that the most efficient way to fill our bellies would be to hit up the Chinese Buffet.
For $12 each, we were given permission to ravage their buffet tables. They didn't know what they signed up for... Louie and I demolished at least 4 plates of food each before the wait staff started to push us out. What happened to all you can eat? Didn't matter though, our gullets were stuffed and we were on our way into a food coma.
Louie cleaning house. The food tasted so good. We were so engrossed in our sightseeing that we realized we hadnt eaten anything since our motel breakfast.