Washington
I am still going…. despite the rain.
Sorry about not blogging yesterday. I was in “zombie mode”.
I literally had 4 hours of sleep from Alaska and had to get out an ride 100 in Enumclaw Washington the next morning. It has been a busy couple days.
I will make this a quick one, as I am still trying to dry clothes from the last 3 very rainy rides in Portland, Alaska, and Washington. I have to re-tune my bike, do laundry, eat a lot, re-hydrate, pack the right clothes, and get to the ride start. The last couple days have been very frenetic.
Thank you for all your help yesterday Scot- It came at a much needed time. Also a huge thanks to Gene Smith, and Black Diamond cyclery in Black Diamond Washington. Janine and Pete, you guys were awesome- It’s no wonder why your shop was so busy while we were there. Thanks for making space for us.
So Alaska- another epic ride- lots of rain, wind, and glaciated views. It was raining hard at the start and then as Peter from Downtown Bicycle Rental in Anchorage drove me to the Portage glacier, it cleared. Peter- thanks for all your help and for letting me borrow the bike. It worked well. I would highly reccomend this ride to anyone…. just do it in the summer. It was pretty cold and wet and I was on the cusp of hypothermia… again.
The highlight was the gorgeous views, the beautiful bike paths, and the glaciated mountains. one word- WOW!!! I even saw an iceberg and it flipped over while we were there taking photos. What a sight. This truly is what America was.
I did manage to make it back to town and met up with Peter and rode the last 35 miles with him and Ian. Thanks guys- it made the time go by. Then it was off to the airport after an awesome impromtu meal, that Peter threw together while I showered. I caught my 8:00 flight and then made it safely back to Seattle to meet Scot and to head to Eric’s house.
Thanks for letting us stay wih you Eric Johnson. You were a savior. It was nice to have a bed for a few hours to crash. I also want to say thanks to Luke for helping with airfares and letting Scot stay with you in Seattle. He really enjoyed taking a break for a few to go indoor climbing. We have to keep our cross training up.
So then it was onto Seattle. Thanks Gene for riding with me- the weather provided us with a wet ride- quite possibly the wettest I have ever been. Thank goodness it was warmer than Wyoming though. You helped tremendously as you guided the course tha tyou marked so well. I highly reccomend this ride as well. It has great views of Mt. Ranier on “good” days. I am looking forward to getting back and riding with you on a dryer day. A highlight was the Hot Chocolate Scot brought- Thanks! That was fuel for at least 30 miles. The ride seemed like it went on forever, visibility was so limited we couldn’t break the 16 mile per hour mark. I was also so tired that I was actually dozing off on some of the straight aways.
Note to self- don’t ride and sleep. It is harder to stay focused.
Better rested and ready to tackle ride 47-
Gone riding.
Gary G
I could not do what I do if it wasn’t for other generous people in these towns helping out. The hot chocolate was from Beverly at Cole Street Coffee. Breakfast was at The Kitchen. Amy was very nice and had a great place there. And the awesome lunch that we enjoyed was from the Quizno’s in Maple Valley thanks to Matty and Kristian. Without your support this journey would be a lot tougher to acheive. Thanks to everybody we only have 3 more rides to complete.
-Scot