Yesterday I returned home from the biggest trip I've ever undertaken by my lonesome: a half-week jaunt to DC and thereabouts to visit my buds Max and Keith. Max drove up to Ann Arbor last Friday to hang out with me and some Garg people, and because he had some extra tickets to see A Prairie Home Companion, which Zack and I quickly snatched up. The show was extremely entertaining (did you know about Faygo's antisemitic theme song?) and we had a good raucous time in Ann Arbor, drinking Brazilian Drink and trying to put Sam Shingledecker into the refrigerator.
On Sunday I departed for DC, with Max a couple hours behind me, with only my wits and an iPhone precariously propped up on my dashboard for navigation. I got to shamelessly indulge in my favorite parts of road trips, like Ohio Turnpike rest stops and scenic overlooks in the Appalachians. I made pretty good time and the traffic wasn't too horrendous, and I arrived at Max's swinging bachelor pad in short order.
While he was at work for Monday and Tuesday, I wandered DC, Alexandria, the Pentagon area, and the surrounding parts. I paid a visit to Great Falls National Park, which I was recently informed I have been to before, although I refuse to remember it. Anyway, it was fun to wander the paths alone, appreciate all the natural beauty, and take a lot of photos. It's kind of still off-season, ugly, and chilly there, so all the touristy stuff was pretty empty.
The next day, I accidentally drove into DC and used that as an excuse to go see the Jefferson Memorial, which was a semi-religious experience of democratic fervor, and the lesser-known, awesome George Mason Memorial.
That night Max and I met up with Keith and we had some pretty good Mexican food. They also forced me to drink MORE MARGARITA THAN I HAD PLANNED ON. Only two people were injured in the consequent drunken rampage.
Then I drove home. A good time was had by all.
