It was raining when I got on the road this morning, not heavy, just enough to wet the ground. After I got through Baltimore, the sun came out, the temperature rose and with all the moisture in the air, I was soaked with sweat within half an hour. I was wetter once the sun came out than I ever was in the morning. I kept stopping every five or six miles to find some shade to cool off and dry out. It made for slow going. I think the humidity finally got to me because I made it a half day instead of a full day. I was close enough to Washington that I probably could have made the whole distance today, but stopped about 20 miles northeast of the capital.

Baltimore is a nice city. After all the news last year, I think I was expecting something different. The denser neighborhoods seem to be all townhouses, like my neighborhood in Brooklyn. Miles and miles of townhouses.

Traffic is getting a bit tricky, especially between Baltimore and Washington. As I rode past John Hopkins Hospital, I thought, “At least if I get run over, I will get good treatment.” Close to Baltimore, the shoulder on highway 40 became an extra lane. In Baltimore, I switched to highway 1, which I expected to take into Washington. However, it has been the same, no shoulder and heavy traffic. I even tried a side road later in the afternoon. It was worse because there was only one lane each way so people had trouble passing me. I may try to get back on highway 1 in the morning.

I have enjoyed seeing the cities along the east coast, but I sure will be ready to leave the urban areas. After Washington, I am going to try to avoid the larger cities as much as possible until I get to San Francisco.