Spokane, Washington - Day 5

I know that I promised daily posts, but coming across internet access has been very difficult. However, I will try to capture as much as I can whenever I can. So I will do a few day by day recaps while including pictures I have taken.

Day 1 - Jaime drove me over to the University of Washington campus and dropped me off. Seeing as I did not know anyone at this point, I was pretty uneasy and felt very awkward while everyone else was surrounded by their family and friends cheering them on as they left. The ride started out on the Burke-Gilman Trail and after our first rest stop I joined up with two guys from Maine (Noah and Simon) and we rode together up through some hills towards Snoqualmie.

The climb into Snoqualmie

We were on and off I-90 for a while, which really sucked, but eventually we began a climb to Snoqualmie Pass (the lowest pass in the Cascades). By this point, my phone (which was incidentally my camera as well), had fallen out of my rack bag. There was snow still on the ground and what looked like white water rapids rushing by just feet below the edge of the road. Sorry, but I do not have photos of this amazing part. After this, we started a long descent into Easton, where we stayed that night.

Day 2 - Within two miles from the start, I got a flat. And then twenty feet after replacing it, I got another. So I was pretty upset at this point, but two guys from California, Austin and Ed stayed with me while I fixed it and eventually we sped through and caught up with the pack at the next rest stop. During this stretch, there were some seriously beautiful countryside farms with mountains in the background and while everyone stopped to take pictures I kind of just kicked myself. After the rest stop, the ride into Vantage was pretty simple. The land along this section was pretty much just light brown dirt and walls. There was a long and steady uphill followed by a fun 11 mile descent into the campground. A few of us got burgers at a place called Blustery's. Wonderfully, Stephanie, another girl from North Carolina, found my phone and returned it to me. During dinner, the ride leaders brought me out a birthday cake which was very nice.

The view across Vantage

Day 3 - We began the day with a quick climb out of Vantage. After that, there were a lot of steady hills and beautiful countryside. I met up with Joe, from Chicago who works for Orbitz, and we rode together for the entire day. Although most of the day was fairly monotonous, it was beautiful still. Joe and I stopped a few times to take pictures of anything sticking out, and it was curious to hear near complete silence. The climb into Odessa was pretty much never ending. There was a whole lot of nothing on either side of the only road. We kept on thinking that after the crest of the next hill we would see the town. We met up with Barbara, who used to row and works for Intel, and we all rode the last two miles into Odessa together. After making it to camp, the three of us went into town and got a burger. After some ultimate frisbee post-dinner, it was time for sleep.

Day 4 - There was a huge group of us that set out together from the start. Before the first checkpoint I was riding with Noah, Joe, Reuben (from Minnesota, enrolled at Lewis and Clark), Ed, Austin, Tracy (strangely enough, also from Raleigh, and works at Ligon!), Dewayne, Greg and Chad (both from Omaha, Nebraska). There was a vicious tailwind and speeding along at 22 miles per hour, we sang Lion King, Queen, Tenacious D and bunch of other fun songs under a great big blue sky.

(left to right) Noah, Austin, Ed, Dewayne, and Tracy

After the first rest stop, we regrouped a little differently and set out again. We stopped in Davenport for breakfast/burgers at a small restaurant and then started riding again. I started out with Reuben and Joe, but when they stopped to take a picture, I sped off and caught up with Dewayne and Doug and we bolted up a long hill at 22-26 miles per hour, mainly due to the screaming tailwind through some more farmland. After the next rest stop it was into Spokane and to Gonzaga through some sticky traffic.

Almost into downtown Spokane

Currently, I am in a library at Gonzaga University. Today is a rest day and we have the luxury of staying in a dormitory for two nights. Spokane is a pretty nice place and parts of the Gonzaga University campus are really beautiful. Tomorrow, I will be in Sandpoint, Idaho. The trip has been amazing so far and I can honestly say that I have never seen so many beautiful places and I hope that it will only get better.

I miss everyone to death and I will update as soon as I can.

Before the Ride - Day 0

Leaving home made me a little bit uneasy. This is my first time traveling with no one I know personally and saying good bye to my parents was somewhat strange.

Creedmoor, NC

However, I have been in Seattle for two days and two nights now and I am staying with my friend from high school Jaime which is good because I spent time with him early on in high school, so there is some good familiarity there. He is here working as a conceptual artist for the video game company Bungie (based in Kirkland) and was willing to take me in for the weekend to provide free shelter and show me around. Check out some of his work here.

Seattle is a really great place. Aside from the fact that it is generally overcast and drizzling for ten months out of the year there is a lot to see and do. Plus, when the clouds do part for those two month it is quite breath-taking.

Puget Sound

Orientation was tonight and it was really awesome to meet a lot of different people from everywhere. I find it funny how people's ranges for "acceptable temperatures" range so differently. For example, there was a couple I met from around the Seattle area and they are comfortable in 50-70 degree weather. Apparently, 80 degrees is a bit too warm for them. As for myself and Stephanie, the other girl from North Carolina, our comfort range is 70-90 degrees.

All that aside, I start riding tomorrow morning at 7 AM (10 AM for all of you on the East Coast) and by the end of the day tomorrow I will be in Easton, Washington wondering what I have gotten myself into.

Training around the Triangle

This past Sunday I flew back into Raleigh and since then I have not been doing too much except for training, eating, and sleeping. While this may seem to be boring, being back in North Carolina has its rewards too. About to touch down in the airplane, I peeked out of the window and saw green everywhere. Trees, farms and not a single large building were in sight. Leaving New York, all I saw were buildings and more buildings. But please, do not get me wrong: I am not saying that buildings are terrible things, or that big cities do not have trees. All I mean to say is that it is nice to be back home.

When riding in the past, I usually took my bike out towards Apex and Cary after passing through downtown Raleigh. Recently however, I have been exploring the areas more north of Raleigh. I have ridden into Creedmore, Oxford, and Wake Forest. The roads to and from these places have some of the most spectacular and pristine views and it feels great to be part of the scene. Needless to say, I have been experiencing this state, where I have always lived, in a much different way. I think Alex would appreciate all the true rednecks that I have come across.

And now on to accounting some of my reunions with old friends and other recent developments:

Sunday, I ate three dinners: one at home with my parents, one with Michael and his family, and another one later that night at Cook-Out ($3.99 a tray, how can you resist?)

Monday night, after chatting for a while in Fred Fletcher Park about the "good old days" back in high school, Travis, Dylan, Matt, and I decided that we all had the munchies. At the suggestion of Dylan, we went to Mo Joe's at the intersection of Glenwood and Peace. After 11 PM they sell burgers for $1.00 and all you have to pay for are the toppings. Quite incredible I must say.

Today, I woke up early (8 o' clock) and set out on my weekly long ride. From North Raleigh, I went through Chapel Hill and into Hillsborough before turning around. Counting everything up: I drank two camelbaks and six 24 ounce bottles of water, ate two Nature Valley bars, a peanut butter sandwich and a few slices of a mango, shed three pounds and lost what once was a horrible watch tan that some of you were familiar with.

And now I will leave you with some pictures I have taken on my sweet new camera phone.

One of many fields along Dairyland

Seemingly unused silos

The road back to Chapel Hill

An abandoned house somewhere between Chapel Hill and Hillsborough