Day 1: From Seattle, WA to Easton, WA: 94 miles

Taking off

So after a week of not riding, not not drinking, and not sleeping, I started my ride. I must say I think my break from responsibility did me well because the ride, despite being challenging was AMAZING. We had a few hard climbs, very gradual but longer. Not the super steep but quick hills that the Erie Canal throws your way in Lockport. We started off on a commuter trail in Seattle and all of a sudden I find myself engorged by Mt Sj and the Snoqualmie Falls. Ice capped mountains, green trees, sunshine, fresh Western air and I feel home again. I also feel like I am not in America but that’s beside the point. I managed to keep a good pace and finished among the first few riders with another woman who is one of the top female cyclists I’ve seen. Traveled on 1-90 which was, well, scary as shit. But that’s done and I do not believe any more interstates will come our way, at least for awhile.

Mt Si and Snoqualmie Falls

Little soreness in my upper back from the downhill segments but nothing too bad. I am fearing tomorrow because of the downhill parts, I love climbing but hate riding downhill for longer than a minute. Hopefully, I get used to the speed and work on my positioning so things change.

Now onto my fellow riders. Talk about amazing people. I think I’ve missed having close girl friends for the past year, no strike that, I KNOW I have missed it and it’s really taken a toll on me (Lo, Sarah, and Erika if youre reading this, you three are my only saviors). But anywho, missing the Pomona clan for sure (shout out to Team Kimber and the “junior” girls). But there are 4 other girls on this trip, roughly all my age who are about to embark on an incredible journey with me. And I know we will laugh, cry, grow, and have really sore butts together. And we have already talked about how underprepared and scared we all so the wall of “Oh Lord Jesus is she going to struggle as much as me?” has already been broken. So I am incredibly pumped. The other people on the group are amazing as well and range from the happiest dentist I’ve seen(great smile yet a Bruins fan so don’t know about that one) to a 17yr old doing a high school project, to someone from the Marine Corps.

I am in a food coma of delicious salad, cous cous, and pasta made by past alumns from the Big Ride who met us at camp to deliver us our feast, equipped with some brewskis. I hope this trip means that much to me that I come back and see others on it. As for now, I know I made the right choice and if the rest of the trip sucks, today was so incredible that it doesn’t matter. Goodbye riding 50 miles there and 50 back on the same damn road with the same cows and horses every weekend and hello adventure, tough challenges, amazing views, and the people of a lifetime.