I can't begin to describe the level of sheer exhaustion I'm feeling right now. Up at 3:00am for a 5.5 hour trip into DC that only took us 35 minutes yesterday. Millions of people. Broken trains. Excessive lines. Long walks. Bitter cold. Sore legs. But wow... I know we witnessed history, and I'm sure I'll appreciate it in all its glory tomorrow when I watch the news. But today, it hasn't sank in yet. The energy in the crowd was obvious... We also marveled at all the very elder citizens that braved the crowds, cold, and broken escalators to witness history. If you're not a fan of crowds, are claustrophobic, or suffer from social anxiety disorder, this was NOT the place for you. We kept calm, and the crowd remained polite. I'd think under any other circumstances it would have been an ugly sight.
I don't have the energy to write much more, but Carrie and I made it safely onto the Mall FINALLY after a long ride in and stood right in front of the flags at the base of the Washington Monument facing the Capitol. With binoculars we could see it better, and had a decent view on our tip-toes of the jumbotrons. All those millions of people also presented a logistical nightmare for our cell phones. After about 10am, I wasn't able to use my phone, send or receive calls, nor send or receive texts. A few hours later at about 2pm a couple texts rolled through, but I could tell I missed some, because I called my sister and she said she sent a couple notices. Good thing I called her, because through her we learned of some train station closings.
Tonight will be our longest nights' sleep of the week: a whopping 6 hours (last night was a mere 3). So right now I'm running on 3 hours sleep and 16 hours in 20 degree weather, standing most of the time. Tomorrow we head back to Chicago, but are going to detour through Gettysburg on the way. Lincoln Bible, Lincoln Weekend.
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