Sunday, May 12, 1996
Day 1
Everett, Washington to Skykomish, Washington
Miles: 51
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Terrain: Lightly Rolling
It's hard to stay in bed when an event you've been anticipating for six months finally arrives. We were supposed to start riding at 9:30am, but Lee and I both woke up a 6:00 and said "It's time to ride!". We weren't the first ones up. Dave had already gone out to check on the road conditions. The road for the first part of the scheduled ride had been washed out, so he had to reroute us to get on to Highway 2.
Romanticism is a major part of a trek like this. The anticipation and curiosity are what drives someone to consider biking 3300 miles, not as a source of transportation, but as a way of slowing life down a bit and experiencing it in a different way. The beginning of the ride met all of our expectations, if not more.
Adam and Ken, son and father
5 minutes before the official start
The sun broke through as we were cycling away from the motel at 9:30am. There was so much adrenaline, we were screaming and laughing just to get the excess energy out. We rode two miles through downtown Everett and took a left onto Highway 2, our main route through to Sandpoint, Idaho.
Farmland, barns, open meadows, trains in the distance, mountain peaks threatening from 50 miles away...we're in western Washington and there's nothing else like it. The riding is steady and slightly rolling, which is a nice way to start the trip. The group stayed together pretty will up to Monroe, where we stopped for a little food and supplies. It's been an incredible morning with the temperatures in the mid 60's, nice cloud cover and a very light head wind.The first blow out of the trip happened on the way out of the parking lot. Ken's rear tire popped like an overblown balloon. We checked to make sure he had everything he needed, and then Lee and I headed out. The shoulders on the road are smooth enough and wide enough for us to ride side-by-side."Nature calls" (taking a piss by any other name) is interesting. As Lee and I pull of to a side track to relieve ourselves, we almost run over a snake. Stepping off the track, I almost step on another one. The snake wasn't about to get out of my way, so it was up to me to step to the side. Oh, well, I guess it's his place, not mine.Lee took off ahead of me. It's nice just to pedal along, enjoying the scenery. There are HUGE waterfalls coming off the mountains and the peaks are all covered with snow. What a great day for a ride! Chucked pulled up in the sag wagon to see how I was doing. I asked about Ken. He had two more flats, making a total of three for the day. That's got to be frustrating.The town of Goldbar has an interesting museum that just opened. I has live exhibits of snakes, reptiles and tarantulas. It's worth a stop if you're at all interested. It's one of the best I've seen, and especially surprising in it location so far from a major population.At mile thirty, it was time to put on the rain gear. The drizzle was light, but I wasn't going to take any chances. The rain got heavier along with the drive-by spray from road vehicles. I wasn't looking forward to setting up camp in the rain, so it was a relief when I pulled into Skykomish to find that the proprietor of the town's circa 1900 hotel had offered to let us sleep on the second floor, wrap around porch. ALRIGHT! If you get a chance when passing through here, please stop in and say hi to Jerri. She was great to let us stay.We went to bed at about 11:00pm, hoping the rain would let up by morning. Have a clue, Mark. This is western Washington in the spring.
Mark Miller
May 12, 1996
Bike America Tours
dblair@wtp.net
1-800-738-7271