One of the reasons I love living in Washington, D.C., is because it is a destination city. Every day my path intersects with tourists who are out and about, taking in the sights, and most often blissfully oblivious to my bike bell.

Today, as Felkerino and I enjoyed our pre-work morning at Friday Coffee Club with our #BikeDC buddies (every Friday at Swings Coffee!), a fully loaded cyclist rolled up near our table.

Even though some Coffee Clubbers pack a lot of stuff for their commute, this woman was different. She was hauling four stuffed panniers and camping gear hung off the back of the bike.

This person was coming from somewhere far away! I was sure of it. As she walked inside to grab her coffee (actually, I think she might have been a tea drinker), Felkerino discovered that she was bike touring from Minnesota.

She approached our table and we all broke into a round of applause. Nicole, we learned, was traveling from the Twin Cities and doing a mobile move up to Massachusetts. Amazing!

It was such a thrill to see Adam and Crystal off on their big bicycling adventure across the country a few weeks ago, and here we were welcoming another big bicycler to the group. It was fantastic.

Apparently a local cyclist had informed Nicole about Friday Coffee Club and guided her to Swings. She was full of great stories about her trip, and I was so bummed I had to leave for the office before I could hear more of her tales.

It was an unusual and almost surreal convergence of commute riders who were taking a few moments to hang out before the work day, and Nicole, whose past 26 days have been full of long hours in the saddle.

What a privilege to share a tiny moment of her big bicycling experience from Minnesota to Massachusetts. We wish you the best on the rest of your journey, Nicole.

Friday Coffee Club + Bike Touring = Mindblowing goodness. And if you come join us at Swings some Friday from somewhere far away, we’ll applaud you, too.

(Pics courtesy of Felkerino)