Into the Drink!

On the morning of the last day, we got up and helped ourselves to some watermelon that was donated by the house across from the soccer field.  Exit interviews on camera were wrapping up (someday, they may become part of a documentary...stay tuned.).

We all rolled out and went to Jake's Cafe for breakfast.  Usually when we invade a restaurant for breakfast, they struggle to keep up with the unexpected volume.   Not this place!  The waitress had our orders and breakfast was served and we were done eating with water bottles filled within 45 minutes - no small feat considering 25 people arrived all at once.  Also the food was delicious and portions were huge.

As we left the restaurant, we vowed to stay together for the thirty miles into Seattle...but it was easier said than done.  For the first couple of flat tires, we all waited, but eventually the group spaced out into clumps.  There were some pretty decent hills on the way into Seattle and much of our ride was on a bike path.

My Uncle Mike, who lives in Seattle, met us on his bike near Gasworks park and joined us for the ride to Peddlar's Pub - where we would all be joined by our families and friends.  There, we had beer and tacos and donated a check to the Seattle MS clinic.  In addition to Ben, Uncle Mike and my Dad, Aunt Sharon and Uncle David came down to celebrate.  It was so nice to see them as it has been a long time!

After the pub, it was time for the big moment.  We rode as a team to the beach where we would dip our tires...just as we had done in Bar Harbor.  It was kind of an obstacle course to get to the beach...steep inclines, weaving on various bike routes...and we walked our bikes through the locks on the way....

Once we reached the beach, we got our official photo....

.....and then we all broke out the champagne and abandoned our bikes to dunk ourselves in the Pacifc.  We hugged and cried and laughed and yelled and it was AWESOME.  We had finally completed the journey that had started 69 days earlier in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The original breakfast club

My favorite dinner companions

Hearts and Wine

A dear friend of mine gave a speech at his wedding where he talked about the family we are born to and the families we create along the way.  I would like to thank all my families, including my Northern Tier family, for their love and support this summer. Dipping my tire in the Pacific,  I am so very grateful to have been afforded such an amazing adventure.

There is so much about this trip that I cannot possibly put into words or capture in pictures. I leave you with this drawing that I found a few years ago...which pretty much sums it up.  (So if anyone is reading this and wonders what it would be like to ride a bike across the US - or follow another dream - DO IT!!)

                   
   * THE BEGINNING *

'Twas the Night before Seattle..

It has taken me a bit to sit down and compose these final blog posts.  As I sit here in Boulder,CO at my sister's house...and reflect on my experience, it is so hard to put this into words....after living for 10 weeks where the focus was on the basics - food, clothing and shelter, 're-entry' is hard for sure...

(Picking up where I left off..)

With three days of riding before the long awaited dip in the ocean, emotions were running high. Going into that last week and those last few days, everyone said at least once : 'I don't want to get one my bike today.' This was mixed in with the nostalgic lamenting of the 'lasts'..last camp site....last dinner together...last grocery trip...last time to set up and break down my tent...last plunge into an ice cold mountain lake for a 'shower' and to do laundry...last time to put on a cold wet chamois in the morning because it did't dry the night before..last game of hearts and bottle of wine...

8.2 - Darrington, WA - 55

Our last trip to the grocery...a parade of cyclists meander to camp with bags on handlebars. One cyclist crosses the road to take a picture and ends up gracefully riding off the road into some bushes... Wine, beer, sharing food, stories, playing cards...  Our campground was pretty cool - featuring the tall, tall trees that the northwest is famous for - looked like something out of one of the Twilight movies...

8.3 - Snohomish, WA - 65

Snohomish is called 'Snoho' by the locals. We would camp on a soccer field on the night before our final ride.

Kate's family came to visit and brought pizza, salad and beer for the group.  After dinner, we passed around index cards with each person's name.  The idea was to write out superlatives that apply to that person...and we would take turns reading the cards out loud and guessing the name.  To give you an idea of what could be on these cards....here are some of mine: 

Most likely to ride for wifi

Most likely to hack your wifi

Best attitude

Most likely to go to breakfast

Most knowledgeable

Most likely to buy a sports bra with a pocket. (Note: this particular comment may seem kind of random...unless your name is Karen and you golf with me on a regular basis, or you are related to me..... On days when I wasn't wearing a cycling jersey with those nifty pockets in the back, I would carry my iphone and map...elsewhere - in a ziplock bag - let's just say...'close to my heart'.  I have also found that this comes in handy in my regular life...convenient for extra golf balls, keys, cell phones etc.  My sister is also a fan - great place to stash energy bars and energy shots for road races...if you ever run with her, she totally carries extra if you run out - just ask her)

After dinner and superlatives, my sister, Molly, and my husband, Ben, came to Snohomish..with Molly's kids in tow.  They brought some requested items with them. First up -  two 6 packs of Fat Tire.

The first six pack - renamed FLAT tire, went to Ron, who got 15 flats during our journey - more than anyone else.  (Thankfully, although I had a late surge, I only ended up with 12 total...Bethany was right behind with 11). The second six pack, renamed NO FLAT Tire, would be split by Rob and Joe...an amazing accomplishment to go nearly 4300 miles without a roadside fix!

They also brought a cake for Richard.  Richard would turn 69 years young a week after the trip and we wanted to celebrate with him the night before the end of our 69 day journey.  We sang happy birthday.

I also got Richard an IPA - Descender Ale.  He read the write up on the beer label out loud which got many of us tearing up....as it perfectly summarized a lot of our trip.

We stayed up having drinks and listening to music while chatting on that last night.  I went to bed sleepy and a bit sad as our last ride would be tomorrow....I was also glad that my sister was there - after riding the first week, Molly would book-end the trip by riding the last day into Seattle with me.

(One more blog post to go)

I'll Pass : the Heat Test

Coming into the last part of the trip, it was time to climb!  We would traverse 5 passes in four days:
Sherman Pass - 5575 ft
Wacounda Pass - 4310 ft
Loup Loup Pass - 4020 ft
Washington Pass - 5477 ft
Rainy Pass - 4855 ft

7.29 - Republic, WA - 95 miles
When I pictured riding in Washington, I guess I assumed that the whole state would have a Seattle climate - slightly overcast and somewhat cool. I was wrong for sure!  Our climbing days were some of the hottest and driest of the trip - with an especially arduous climb up Sherman's Pass in 103 degree weather.  Wow!  Several of us had problems with the extreme heat and climbing was slow for sure. On the plus side, a 20 mile climb was rewarded with an 18 mile descent - not bad for a day's work!

7.30 - Tonasket, WA - 65
After a blistering climb up Sherman's Pass the previous day, we were happy to club Wacounda Pass first thing in the morning. It felt great...and after a fun descent, we were done by noon. Coasting into Tonasket we saw signs for camp in a city park....with a pool!  Sadly, when we got to the pool, it was empty.  It was over 100 that day, so we searched for an alternate pool.  Even though there was no other option, we did find out that Jack Black, the actor, was helping to fundraise for a water park in Tonasket (so random) - because he was from this little town.   We spent most of our afternoon at Shannon's cafe - such an amazing place with bottomless lemonade, yummy ice cream and a huge tree shading the outside deck.
We also found out that there was a fire camp in Tonasket.  Due to all the fires in Washington, fireman would stay in these camps while they were running shifts to fight fires.  Many of the fireman came into Shannon'a for meals.  I admire these folks for doing such a dangerous and important job.

7.31 - Winthrop, WA - 70.5
On the way to Loup Loup Pass, we passed through Kettle Falls, a town with a great welcome sign.

Going up Loup Loup, it was another scorcher of a day.  We were also reminded of the fires throughout the state and the gratitude of the locals for the presence of the brave firefighters.

Descending after Loup Loup into Twisp, we encountered the devastation of the wild fires up close. The road that we travelled on had recently been reopened.  As we passed through the charred Forrest, it appeared that there were parts that were still smoldering.  There were crews working in the area to repair damage.

8.1 - Diablo, WA - 67
The climb to Washington Pass was gorgeous!  As we ascended, the road opened up to amazing views.

After out Washington Pass rest stop, we had a smaller climb to Rainy Pass...and then an epic descent into Diablo lake.

3 of our strongest guy riders were hailing down the incline and when I passed them at a high rate of speed -  the look on their faces was priceless!   Two of them would catch up and pass me just before we arrived at camp....that descent was so much fun!

That night, a few if us took a chilling dip into the glacier lake of Diablo.

Our campsite was amazing - several tent sites stacked up through the trees. We played hearts and drank wine - one of our favorite traditions as we neared to the end of this amazing journey.  Only 3 days until the Pacific!

Unsung Hero

When Ben and I got married, we wrote our own vows.  One of Ben's vows was that he would look around as I left every room and scan for forgotten cell phones, chargers, laptops, keys or sunglasses. When I left for this trip, he was actively worried that would leave a trail of forgotten items scattered like debris in small towns across the country.

Thankfully, We all had 24 other people and a Lost and Found box to do sweeps when we left rest stops and camps. This saved me from losing my : maps, bathing suit, tent, towels, food, clothes, bowls, iphone, earphones, the list goes on... So cheers to the Lost and Found - unsung hero of the trip!

7.27 - Newport, WASHINGTON - 36
7.28 - S. Fork Mill Creek Rd, WA - 65

Entering Washington was exciting but bittersweet as it meant that our crazy adventure had entered its last state and that we were on map 1 of the 11 Maps of the northern Tier.