After a few days enjoying the fast paced rhythm of New York City, we boarded a bus to the Nation's Capital. We arrived in Washington D.C. just before sunset. The sweltering heat just outside of the Metro Station marked the beginning of a very common activity throughout our trip, sweating profusely. As we headed across town to pick up our new set of wheels for the remainder of the journey, the streets of D.C. remained buzzing after the Pride Festival held earlier in the day. By the time we loaded up the cherry red Ford E-350 (fittingly named, Rhonda, by her old owners) it was 3:00 am. We raced through the darkness to a rest stop in Northern Virginia where we both fell asleep as the sun rose. Three hours later we woke up drenched in sweat, disheveled, and feeling like we had been left in a convection oven overnight.
By the time we reached a Starbucks in Harrisonburg, VA the news about the events that transpired in Orlando began flooding the internet. It was extremely difficult to comprehend and understand why something so senseless could happen, as we sat surrounded by people going about their Sunday routine completely unaffected. It was hard to sit in silence behind my laptop watching the updates trickle in. We ended up driving all day until we reached Nashville, TN. Due to the Country Music Festival Nashville felt like a complete ghost town. The bars and streets were eerily empty as we slipped into a local diner for a midnight omelette. As we drove through downtown, the Seigenthaler Bridge was illuminated with the colors of a rainbow. It was a beautiful sight to witness. After a quick rinse at a local lake the next morning, we packed up Rhonda and hit the road with our sights set on Dallas, TX.
