Adventure called us from within, loudly enough to wake us up on Sunday morning. Knowing that we had a Monday off in observance of Labor Day made it okay to say yes to the idea if throwing our bikes in the truck and seeing where the day would take us. My heart feels so good and so right when I'm driving away with Kyle.
We ended up in Philadelphia, PA. Parking in the city center was about as non-existent as you'd imagine so we pulled into a paid parking lot. A very sweet, thoughtful person handed Kyle their parking ticket - they were done for the day but paid for weekend parking so the ticket wouldnt expire until 4am! We took their spot, unloaded our bikes, and started to cruise around the windy, busy roads. The hot and humid day drained us almost immediately. Looking up at the buildings around us, taking in all the history and remarkable architecture with sleepy eyes made me feel really thankful for everything I am lucky to have. I appreciated everything that I was seeing. Including the amazing guy riding next to me ;) We shared a dirty water hot dog and a pretzel (both with mustard!) on the giant steps of the Franklin Institute. The sitars face this giant fountain across the street and was almost as great to watch as the people who would run-and trip- up the stairs we were on. We laughed and laughed and drank some water and headed into the museum. It was only open for another hour which meant half price tickets. We learned about electricity and walked inside a giant human heart replica.
Hunger eventually took over and our growling stomachs led us to a little pub on a side street- I don't remember the name of it but it was good and we enjoyed their air conditioning. As the waitress presented our check, our focus was drawn to the massive group of bikers riding by the restaurant- who were all NAKED! Ah! The people outside cheered them on as they rode by. We threw some cash on our table and ran outside to see all the excitement. What the hell were they doing?! And more importantly, should we join?! The answer was YES! Of course we should absolutely join without hesitation. Kyle convinced me to run across the parade so that we could unlock our bikes on the other side of the street. We were encouraged to "get naked and get on those bikes" but we were the Brad and Janet of this Picture Show and modestly stayed clothed as we joined them for part of their bike ride. It was exhilarating! The energy of the group was so positive and crazy- I felt so alive! A passerby said they were riding to promote green living but... I didn't really care at any point. I figured it was something along those lines since the group consisted of people of all shapes, sizes, ages, rages, and orientations. Amazing. Of course the flacid manjunk and bouncin' boobies were a little weird but.. the energy is what kept us with them for a mile or so. We turned off as we realized we had no idea where they were going.
Smiles were plastered on our faces as we took the scenic route back to our truck. We were happy, we were together. Bikes were locked back up in the truck and the parking ticket, good till 4am, was passed on to another motorist who was just as kind, thankful, and psyched as we were to be saved howevermany dollars thanks to a stranger. The sun was setting and stars and darkness quickly took over the city sky and we headed home, wiped out and stunned from one of the funnest days ever.
