March and April 2024 - Here’s the plan. Paul and I tried to ride across America last year. We started in Yorktown, VA, and made it through Virginia and Kentucky, but stopped riding once we crossed the Ohio River at Cave-in-Rock Illinois. 1,000 miles in all, but we still had 3,000 to go.
March and April 2024 - So, we are going to try again this summer. This time, we are taking an Adventure Cycling Association tour, which includes two leaders and a van! This is our tour, including a map:
www.adventurecycling.org/guided-to…
March and April 2024 - We have been training since mid-May. The weather has been variable, but Seattle in the springtime is a great place to ride if you don’t mind getting a little wet. Cherry blossoms on the UW campus, sunny days now and again, and headwinds that build muscles.
04/24/24 - Paul dismantled and boxed the bikes for shipping them to a bicycle shop in Washington DC. Now all we have to do is say goodbye to our friends and pack.
04/29/24 - Our plan is to fly to DC on May 1st so we can see the sights, get the bikes built again, and adjust to the time change before we start the journey. Paul’s brother, Jon, will be riding the trip with us. His wife, Karen, is joining us for our tour of DC, as travel agent extraordinaire.
04/29/24 - The first day of the “tour” is May 8th. But the first day we start riding West is May 10th. There will be 12 riders and two leaders in all. Average daily riding will be 60 miles, which is why we trained hard beforehand. Wish us luck!
05/01/24 - Our neighbor, Solange, brought over two donuts to eat as a sendoff. One was carrot cake! Yum! Another neighbor sent a picture of us riding our bikes a few days ago. Today we got up early, said goodbye to the cat, and met Jon and Karen at the airport. Excitement abounds!
05/01/24 Things could not have gone better. The plane was on time, Mt Rainier poked his head out to wave, and the plane landed early. Stig critiqued the flight attendant’s instructions. Got the car, found our home for the week, then attended a Zoom meeting with our cycling buddies.
05/02/24 We picked up Jon’s bike early, and in the process learned the air conditioning in the car we rented was not working. Even though it was 91 degrees today. We took the Metro and met up with our old friend, Kim, at Mikko’s Nordic Cafei in Dupont Circle. Great dinner, great company.
05/03/24 Getting the bikes ready was a priority this morning, but we still haven’t done a shakedown ride to insure the pedals won’t fall off. Oh, well! On to the Smithsonian Air And Space Museum! The train was packed with 4th graders, who got off the next stop. Yay! The rest was just being in DC.
05/03/24 The Air and Space Museum was under construction, so it took some time to find the entrance. Once there, we set off to boldly go where no one has gone before…. There is a glare off the glass, but that is the actual model of the Starship Enterprise from the original series.
05/03/24 The great thing about flight is that it only got off the ground because of the bicycle. The Wright Brothers did everything to develop the first flying machine based on their work with bicycles.🚴
05/03/24 Other than that, the Air and Space Museum had exhibits on flying since the 30’s, moon landings, and what’s next. Since more than half the museum is closed for renovation, we actually saw most of it. Including some advice from speed demons and a good synopsis of flight and women.
05/03/24 There was even a balsawood model of the first airplane Paul ever built. And the Mars landrover that looks like it was built with spit, duct tape, and zip ties. It took a licking and kept on ticking for 14 years in the harsh Mars climate.
