En route to Phoenix on his last flight on board his Straight Talk Air, John McCain came back and said goodbye to the traveling press who has been tracking him for more than a year. It was the first time McCain had visited the press cabin in months, and prior to his arrival, aides asked that reporters not ask questions, that the candidate really only wanted to come back and say farewell. Walking into the back cabin, McCain was stoic, insisting that he was “feeling good, feeling confident about the way things turned out.”

He wasn’t emotional but you couldn’t say the same about others on the plane. Standing at his side, his wife, Cindy, smiled but had tears in her eyes. Behind him, Sens. Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, two of McCain’s best friends, were equally emotional, their eyes wet with tears. “We’ve had a great ride, a great experience and it’s full of memories that we will always treasure,” McCain told reporters. ‘We’ve spent a lot of time together…We’ve had a great time. I wish you all every success and look forward to being with you in the future.”

McCain skipped many of his election rituals, including watching a movie. For the past several hours, he has been holed up at his Phoenix condo, watching returns with his family and friends. Shortly before 10 p.m. EST, McCain and his entourage arrived at the Arizona Biltmore, the hotel where he is set to address supporters shortly.

John McCain just voted. Accompanied by his wife, Cindy, his sons, Jack and Jimmy and his adopted daughter, Bridget, the GOP nominee went to a local church near his Phoenix condo and participated in his civic duty. On television, it will probably look like a relaxed, calm setting, as most political events do. But the scene was total chaos: local reporters screaming and cursing at each other trying to get the shot (Think “Eddie Murphy Raw”); Secret Service, which looks to have doubled in numbers today, trying to control the crowd. Reporters weren’t allowed to go inside to watch McCain vote—It’s against the law here in Phoenix—so the campaign positioned the press pool at windows looking into the room. As McCain moved to drop his ballot in the box, one photographer almost went through the glass window trying to get the shot. This reporter would like to say this is unusual behavior on the campaign trail, but in truth, it’s not.

McCain looked like he was in a good mood. Already, something a little out of the ordinary has happened. The candidate who once used to talk to us all the time, but stopped, was spied pacing his condo’s balcony this morning before he went to vote. Eleven stories below, the press pool was watching. This reporter and a Newsweek photographer waved to see if he would respond, and low and behold, he did, before going back inside. Shortly, McCain will head out for last minute campaigning in Colorado and New Mexico before hitting up his election party in Phoenix tonight.