MILL CREEK, WA
DAY 62 JULY 28 68.4 MILES
All bicycles weigh 40 pounds. A 20 pound bicycle needs a 20 pound lock. A 30 pound bicycle needs a 10 pound lock. A 40 pound bicycle doesn't need a lock. Arthur Oman
At the risk of sounding like a broken CD, today was another perfect day for riding. Once again, we pedaled along a long, narrow lake between 2 lines of mountains. Most of these lakes originally were rivers which were dammed to create large bodies of water for recreation and the generation of electricity. Occasionally, I would look at the petite vacation homes along the opposite shore and think how nice it would be to have one of those to spend the summer. Then, I would remember that this is the State of Washington and I live as far away in the Continental United States as one can be. Also, I took a dip in one of the lakes and the water was unbelievably cold!
Considering that we are nearing the end of our journey across the nation, I have been asked about my feelings as to when we reach Seattle. There definitely will be mixed emotions. On one hand, this has been a considerably remarkable experience and it is unfortunate that it must end. Conversely, it will be great to go home again to regain my relationship with Sherry, sleep in a large bed, drive my cars and fly my airplane again. I have missed that aspect of my life. If I ever feel nostalgic for the tent, I can always set up one in my living room.
I have polled the other riders, the majority of which are college students and at least 3/4 say that, if they had 1 or 2 weeks off in Seattle, they would love for the adventure to continue a few additional thousand miles. Actually, 2 of them will do exactly that. They will bicycle down the Pacific Coast to San Diego, CA and lead an MS tour across the southern Tier to St. Augustine, FL in late September. I will not do that tour--but maybe I could plug in for the last week or so...
Tonight, we are staying at a rustic, heavily wooded campsite. There were a few cabins available but without baths. I looked inside one of them and was not favorably impressed. The tent was a better choice. And, actually, it is quite comfortable.
As a slight taste of the days to come, we climbed 1,200 feet today over a small mountain. Tomorrow, we do it for real with a 4,500 foot climb to Sherman Pass. Sounds like fun to me.
Tip: Take your time warming up for a workout. It may take 20 to 30 minutes of easy spinning before you feel ready to go hard.
