Seattle and Beyond...

I can't believe this journey is over!  I still remember clearly how I felt before this trip began.  I was still doubting whether or not I'd even finish in one piece...but all 20 of us made it.  Actually we ended with 21 riders after Alan joined us in Portland.  It's really strange not getting on my bike after doing the same thing for 72 days! (minus the rest days...)  The completion of this cross country tour is exciting but I'm definately going to miss being carefree, enjoying the outdoors and spending time with amazing people.

I'm at Olympic National Park with my dad right now, exploring the pacific northwest.  I'm so lucky to have a wonderful father who would fly out here and take off work to go camping with me!!  THANKS DAD! I had to put my bike shorts back on for old times sake when I jumped into the Pacific Ocean!!  We're in Port Angeles and I have one more day to enjoy these gorgeous rainforests...then my travels continue south to visit family in California.  I'm putting off school until the very last minute.

 

Thank you all for an amazing summer...I couldn't dream of having a better experience!

i jumped in the ocean today

I guess this means I MADE IT!!!  Today, we biked almost 90 miles, with some pretty challenging climbs from Portland to Seaside, OR...and I ran right into the ocean despite the freezing cold rain and wind.  The ocean wasn't any colder than I was to begin with....

I can't believe it.  Tomorrow is a rest day, to relax by the ocean side and it'll be just three more days until we reach Seattle.

Lewiston, ID

I can see Washington State from the backyard view of the United Methodist Church.  I can't believe we are this close to the making it across the country.  Pastor Kevin Dow welcomed our team into Lewiston today, and they are even making dinner for us!!  I am continually blown away by the kindness and generousity that is shared with me.

People weren't joking when they said Lewiston is really hot.  It's cloudy out right now with a really light drizzle and it's 97 degrees!  Riding through the Clearwater National Forest just a few days ago, it was so cold I couldn't remember what summer felt like.  But now I do. 

=)

bicycle composter!

Hi there, from Missoula, MT!

I love this place.  There are people who volunteer to bike around town collecting organic waste from local businesses for compost! It's such a good idea, maybe Urbana-Champaign will also do something like this.  There's a beautiful river perfect for swimming that runs right through the center of town, tons of options for coffee drinkers, mountains surrounding the whole town.  Oh, and also a great yarn store that sells pre-spun wool.  I hope I get to come back here some day!

Internet access has been really hard to come by, but the past few days (weeks even?) have been really incredible.  Crossing the rockies has not been as difficult as I prepared for, and it's been even more beautiful than I hoped it could be.  (Minus the swarms of mosquitoes outside of Wisdom). 

Seeing Yellowstone was also an amazing experience.  It's a really unique experience on a bicycle, and a much more personal experience.  Also, when the buffalo block roads, we can ride right through the traffic jam!!! YEssss!!!

5 cent coffee

Today was another gorgeous ride from Wall, SD to Rapid City.  A few of the ladies and I stopped at Wall Drug just as the store opened up to load up on some 5 cent coffee before beginning the ride...We had to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.  Since the ride was only about 60 miles, we also decided to take it easy, and made sure we stopped to enjoy the scenery as much as possible.  As the summer rolls by, I want to be sure to slow down and enjoy this journey instead of rushing to get to our stayover locations.

Tomorrow is a rest day here in Rapid City!  It's a beautiful place, tucked right into the foot of the Black Hills.  It's ideal for finding some adventure, maybe a hike through the hills, or maybe I'll just find some place to shower. =)

 

corn palace!

Mitchell, SD is a perfect place for a rest day!  After much anticipation, we finally got to see the infamous corn palace.  I wasn't expecting to see very much in south dakota, but prospects of going to the Wall Drug (free ice water, 5 cent coffee...) are surprisingly motivational.  After all the beautiful scenery and swimming lakes/pools/rivers in Minnesota and Wisconsin, I wasn't sure I would be very enthusiastic about riding, but thankfully I was wrong, there's so much more to look forward to.

The last couple of days Andrea and I have been on cooking duty which has been a really fun experience for me.  Preparing food for 20 people who are all very hungry is a daunting task, but we've been getting better at estimating how much people can eat!  Last night the school we are staying at didn't have a kitchen, but luckily the people of Mitchell were so generous to us and provided gourmet hand tossed pizzas and some chinese food. 

I can't believe this is already the halfway point in our ride (time-wise).  This trip has been an incredible experience so far, I can't wait for what will come in the next month!!  And hopefully, I'll start blogging more frequently!

day fifteen

REST DAY!  This has been the most wonderful, relaxing rest day of my life.  We arrived at Andrew's house last night, to a warm welcome, delicious food, fresh towels, hot showers, and i could go on forever with how great Mr. and Mrs. Erikson have been to us!  Mrs. Erikson even gave me flowers to plant on my bike...I'll put up pictures later, if they survive the winds of the great plains...

Amy and I have been working on travel plans for staying in Seattle.  So if anyone has recommendations for where we should visit (on a budget), please let me know!

day ten

Tonight is our last night in Pennsylvania!  Goodbye, Appalachian Mountains!  Actually I have heard the mountains might stretch into Ohio so I might be speaking too soon.  Tomorrow's ride will be bittersweet...my body (especially my quads) will definitley be happy to leave the mountains, but the scenery has been amazing!  The hills have been so challenging, but they are really rewarding once you get to the top. 

One of my favorite days of riding so far was 3 days ago (approximately) when Dana, Andrea, John, Brad and I jumped in a beautiful lake at the top of one set of hills!  It was freezing cold, but once we started climbing again i remembered it was well worth it.  I've been making it through these hills mostly with the support of Dana and Andrea..  They have helped push me through all the 80% inclines (thats what it feels like at least) and kept all the rides really light hearted and fun....EXTREME!!

I'm going to find some ice cream in Carnegie, PA now....Ciao!

day nine

Well I haven't done a very good job at updating this journal...let alone updating anything at all.  But today was a wonderful day of rest in beautiful Murraysville, PA.  An extra hour of sleep this morning made a big difference for me after a few days of climbing Appalachian Mountains (only 25 miles today!).  We were so fortunate to be welcomed at the Calvary Lutheran Church with a delicious food and great company.

I had the opportunity today to participate in a Portraits Project, which is a really important portion of this journey that I haven't really focused aside from visiting the Walter Reed Hospital.  A few of the riders and I sat down with Dorothy and her father-in-law as they shared their experiences with cancer.

I would like to share a lot more of my travels thus far-but I'll update next time I find a computer!