Well today was the first day of the Big Ride Across America! It's the day I've been waiting for since I signed up in November. I have been traveling around the west coast with a friend for about two weeks, visiting some of her family members who were gracious enough to let us stay with them for a few days in Three Rivers, CA and here in Seattle, WA as well (thank you!!). After a bit of a bad luck streak missing a connecting flight from Salt Lake City to Seattle because we were sitting at the gate too busy talking to notice our flight boarded and left without us, as well as a fire our first day in Three Rivers that burned all of our stuff, it seems my luck has turned around! A big thank you to Garick at Speedy Reedy bike shop in Seattle for putting my bike together and also directing me to where I would be able to replace all my bike gear. I'd also like to mention Danny at Gregg's Cycles in Seattle who took his time and stayed late to help me replace all my gear that was lost. So if you are a cyclist and live in the Seattle area I would highly recommend these shops. Thankfully I was able to scramble all my things together just in time for the ride.
Yesterday was the orientation where we were told how our days would go and also went over some precautionary safety stuff. Once I met my lovely fellow riders and got the run down of how the trip was going to go it calmed any nerves I had built up. Leading up to the trip I kind of figured I would be so anxious I would want to poop myself the night before,, but I layed down last night more excited than anything.
We woke up bright and early this morning for breakfast at the dorms then had a sending off ceremony with some people from the American Lung Association. Our 94 mile ride today took us from Seattle to Easton, mostly along I-90 and some bike paths. It started at sea level and we are currently at 3500 feet, although I think it's safe to say we climbed a lot more than that because we had some pretty sweet downhills throughout the day. We went over the cascade mountains and that was quite a climb. I was glad to have a big ride alumni riding alongside to chat and pass the time as we made our way up the mountain. It's only the first day and I think it's safe to say that I have never done anything nearly this challenging in my life. I think I understand what people mean when they talk about giving something 110%: when your legs are so tired they feel as if they're about to buckle but you still have 20 miles to go and there is no stopping. That being said, I believe that all good things require a bit of struggle. I think the part of this experience that I'm the most psyched for is the fact that we don't have to ride the same road or stay in the same place for the next 7 weeks. And that I have a stack of wonderful books waiting to be read. I've been craving adventure and wanting to see the country so I think this is exactly what I need. Next stop, Vantage, WA!
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