Day 86 - Winthrop/Mazama, WA to Diablo Lake, WA (57.5 miles)
Day 87 - Diablo Lake, WA to Razor State Park (near Hamilton), WA (52.3 miles)
Day 88 - Razor State Park (Hamilton), WA to Snohomish, WA (71.4 miles)
Day 89 - Snohomish, WA to Seattle, WA (51.4 miles)
Ear Worms:
Reba - Is There Life Out There
Pretenders - Stand By Me
Bryan Adams - Small Town
Vance Joy - Riptide
Dave Van Ronk - Green Green Rocky Road
And so we made it over Washington Pass. My vision complete. And then we bombed down the other side, the change in environment immediate, everything slightly more lush, more green (even in Western Washington’s draught). Ferns. It was hot that day, and we had to ask some people for water after all that climbing – ended up getting the best Gatorade you could ever taste and as much ice water as we needed from kind strangers. Last part of the trip and the first time I had to ask for water. Check that off the list!
The next three days kind of rushed by, all blending into one, big, Western Washington, into people land, excursion. We cycled out of Hwy 20, stayed in Razor State Park, where our good friend Tanya cycled out to meet us. The three of us even watched 101 Dalmations with all the kids at the park during their evening movie time. (Best line ever: Glenn Close as Cruella DeVill shouting, “You’ve won the battle, but I’m about to win the wardrobe!”)
We officially deviated from Adventure Cycling maps at Sedro Wooley and made our way to the Centennial Trail via Hwy 9, the start to our highway, bike trail, Google maps adventure to get ourselves to West Seattle and Alki Beach. We even met Monty, an original member of the 1976 bikecentennial, which led to the creation of the TransAmerica trail. So fun to hear his stories from that original year and what a way to round out the trip on the very last day.
Along the way we stayed over in Snohomish with our fabulous hosts, Don and Lin, who I randomly met on the streets of Winthrop while Brigid was in the bathroom. In no more than a one-minute conversation, they invited us to stay with them when we got to Snohomish, and then once there, made us an amazing dinner and breakfast and we stayed up chatting with them until bed. An incredible last night on the road, perfect bicycle touring experience.
And then, well, after navigating the fun system of bike trails through all parts of Seattle, we made it to the beach. It was surreal then and it’s surreal now, even as I type this. We did all the things we had to do, the photos with the Seattle skyline in the background, the beach and water pictures with my bike, all the while none of it really making sense. Even afterwards as we just sat on a log looking out in the water, I couldn’t get myself to comprehend that the trip was over, that I had successfully biked my way across the entire country, almost 4200 miles.
And so, even a couple of days later, after being able to hang out in Seattle at our friend’s house, it is still hard to believe. Today I’m hopping on my bike again for a final excursion, biking out to the music camp I’ll be teaching at this coming week. Maybe then it will really hit me.
But there was one thing that I did know as I looked out at the water with the sun setting. I did (and do) know that I completed one big accomplishment. That even if I can’t fully understand it right now, all the things I experienced on this trip, the tenacity it took to keep on climbing, the quick decisions I had to make in the middle of a storm, the beauty I saw in all the landscapes, the friendships I formed with other cyclists, the meals we shared and silliness we partook in, the hours that somehow went by as I cycled, cycled, cycled… I could go on and on. All of this gives me the strength to know that anything is possible. That I feel a little more secure in myself and what I stand for. That there isn’t so much to be afraid of for the unknown future. There is a world of possibilities at my fingertips that I don’t even know about it, and it’s exciting.
**ONE FINAL THOUGHT ON HUMANITY AND SOLO WOMAN BIKING: **
Now that I’ve completed this trip, I wanted to address the fact that for more than ¾ of this trip, I was a solo woman biking across the country. I know that before the trip and during I got a lot of people asking and frankly being worried that I was doing this all on my own. I avoided completely addressing this in my blog due to just being smart (safety) about what I put out there in the world wide web. And that’s exactly the point I want to make. There should be no reason if you are a woman reading this and thinking about doing a bicycle tour alone that you shouldn’t do it! People went out of their way to help me, to host me, to be inspired by me, to just say hello. I never once felt threatened or scared. I did carry pepper spray, that yes, I would have in a handy and easily accessible spot, but the closest I came to ever using it was on an especially aggressive dog in eastern Kentucky. I just was smart about the whole thing, never putting myself in a situation where I would feel uneasy. Sometimes if I just didn’t feel like explaining myself or if a guy asked if I was doing this alone I would say I was with others and that they were just a little bit behind me. Which to tell you the truth, was usually not altogether a lie. The truth is, especially since I was following a well established trail, I was rarely alone. Whether I was riding with Mud and Glamour or Janice and Catherine or Megan and Kristen or Ed or Tino and Ruth or any of the other riders I met along the way, we were all out there, sharing this experience together. This was no lonely trip.
And even if it was, even if I was truly out there biking alone, if there’s only one thing at all that I got from this trip it’s that my faith in humanity has been completely restored. The kindness I experienced from completely random strangers, people inviting us into their homes, people pulling over to hand us cold drinks, the many, many churches who sincerely welcomed us in their doors, leaving stocked refrigerators for us to help ourselves to - it was incredible and something us riders talked so much about and mutually felt affected by in a incredibly positive way. People, in general, want to connect, want to know about others, want to be inspired, want to help, want to encourage, want to be apart of others’ lives in a positive way. I only hope that now that this trip is over I can do the same for others in the same way I have felt this from strangers, many of whom are now friends.
I got a message from a high school friend that after reading about my adventures saw a cyclist on the road in a terrible thunder/lightening storm. She ended up pulling over and giving him a ride. I know that cyclist was incredibly grateful for her kindness and so glad this trip could inspire others to show that same open, hospitality that I experienced!
p.s. Thank you to everyone who followed along on this journey. Your words of encouragement and just plain enthusiasm about it were carried along with me the whole way!
p.p.s.
MORE PHOTOS
Day 87 - Diablo Lake, WA to Razor State Park (near Hamilton), WA (52.3 miles)
Day 88 - Razor State Park (Hamilton), WA to Snohomish, WA (71.4 miles)
Day 89 - Snohomish, WA to Seattle, WA (51.4 miles)
Ear Worms:
Reba - Is There Life Out There
Pretenders - Stand By Me
Bryan Adams - Small Town
Vance Joy - Riptide
Dave Van Ronk - Green Green Rocky Road
The next three days kind of rushed by, all blending into one, big, Western Washington, into people land, excursion. We cycled out of Hwy 20, stayed in Razor State Park, where our good friend Tanya cycled out to meet us. The three of us even watched 101 Dalmations with all the kids at the park during their evening movie time. (Best line ever: Glenn Close as Cruella DeVill shouting, “You’ve won the battle, but I’m about to win the wardrobe!”)
Tanya came and visited us!!
We officially deviated from Adventure Cycling maps at Sedro Wooley and made our way to the Centennial Trail via Hwy 9, the start to our highway, bike trail, Google maps adventure to get ourselves to West Seattle and Alki Beach. We even met Monty, an original member of the 1976 bikecentennial, which led to the creation of the TransAmerica trail. So fun to hear his stories from that original year and what a way to round out the trip on the very last day.Along the way we stayed over in Snohomish with our fabulous hosts, Don and Lin, who I randomly met on the streets of Winthrop while Brigid was in the bathroom. In no more than a one-minute conversation, they invited us to stay with them when we got to Snohomish, and then once there, made us an amazing dinner and breakfast and we stayed up chatting with them until bed. An incredible last night on the road, perfect bicycle touring experience.
Beautiful Diablo Lake
And then, well, after navigating the fun system of bike trails through all parts of Seattle, we made it to the beach. It was surreal then and it’s surreal now, even as I type this. We did all the things we had to do, the photos with the Seattle skyline in the background, the beach and water pictures with my bike, all the while none of it really making sense. Even afterwards as we just sat on a log looking out in the water, I couldn’t get myself to comprehend that the trip was over, that I had successfully biked my way across the entire country, almost 4200 miles. 
Only in Seattle! Actual flaggers on the bike trail!
And so, even a couple of days later, after being able to hang out in Seattle at our friend’s house, it is still hard to believe. Today I’m hopping on my bike again for a final excursion, biking out to the music camp I’ll be teaching at this coming week. Maybe then it will really hit me.
We made it!
But there was one thing that I did know as I looked out at the water with the sun setting. I did (and do) know that I completed one big accomplishment. That even if I can’t fully understand it right now, all the things I experienced on this trip, the tenacity it took to keep on climbing, the quick decisions I had to make in the middle of a storm, the beauty I saw in all the landscapes, the friendships I formed with other cyclists, the meals we shared and silliness we partook in, the hours that somehow went by as I cycled, cycled, cycled… I could go on and on. All of this gives me the strength to know that anything is possible. That I feel a little more secure in myself and what I stand for. That there isn’t so much to be afraid of for the unknown future. There is a world of possibilities at my fingertips that I don’t even know about it, and it’s exciting.**ONE FINAL THOUGHT ON HUMANITY AND SOLO WOMAN BIKING: **
Now that I’ve completed this trip, I wanted to address the fact that for more than ¾ of this trip, I was a solo woman biking across the country. I know that before the trip and during I got a lot of people asking and frankly being worried that I was doing this all on my own. I avoided completely addressing this in my blog due to just being smart (safety) about what I put out there in the world wide web. And that’s exactly the point I want to make. There should be no reason if you are a woman reading this and thinking about doing a bicycle tour alone that you shouldn’t do it! People went out of their way to help me, to host me, to be inspired by me, to just say hello. I never once felt threatened or scared. I did carry pepper spray, that yes, I would have in a handy and easily accessible spot, but the closest I came to ever using it was on an especially aggressive dog in eastern Kentucky. I just was smart about the whole thing, never putting myself in a situation where I would feel uneasy. Sometimes if I just didn’t feel like explaining myself or if a guy asked if I was doing this alone I would say I was with others and that they were just a little bit behind me. Which to tell you the truth, was usually not altogether a lie. The truth is, especially since I was following a well established trail, I was rarely alone. Whether I was riding with Mud and Glamour or Janice and Catherine or Megan and Kristen or Ed or Tino and Ruth or any of the other riders I met along the way, we were all out there, sharing this experience together. This was no lonely trip. 
And even if it was, even if I was truly out there biking alone, if there’s only one thing at all that I got from this trip it’s that my faith in humanity has been completely restored. The kindness I experienced from completely random strangers, people inviting us into their homes, people pulling over to hand us cold drinks, the many, many churches who sincerely welcomed us in their doors, leaving stocked refrigerators for us to help ourselves to - it was incredible and something us riders talked so much about and mutually felt affected by in a incredibly positive way. People, in general, want to connect, want to know about others, want to be inspired, want to help, want to encourage, want to be apart of others’ lives in a positive way. I only hope that now that this trip is over I can do the same for others in the same way I have felt this from strangers, many of whom are now friends.I got a message from a high school friend that after reading about my adventures saw a cyclist on the road in a terrible thunder/lightening storm. She ended up pulling over and giving him a ride. I know that cyclist was incredibly grateful for her kindness and so glad this trip could inspire others to show that same open, hospitality that I experienced!
p.s. Thank you to everyone who followed along on this journey. Your words of encouragement and just plain enthusiasm about it were carried along with me the whole way!
p.p.s.
Okay - so as you all know, I had a Pat Summitt pin on my handlebar bag. She traveled with me from the 4th day - the day I climbed in the Blue Ridge mountains. I know she was with me about two miles to the top of Washington Pass (where we stopped to take photos). When I was almost to the top, I looked down because I was needing some inspiration. And she was gone. I know it's silly, but I almost cried. Pat had left me!! Then I realized that she had decided it was time for me to go it alone. She had given me inspiration all the way across the country and now she was letting me go. I had graduated! I believe she is helping some other cyclist heading east :-) I had been carrying a Lady Vol pin at the bottom of the bag, so Brigid and I ceremoniously put it on as a "graduation" gift. True Lady Vol now :-) :-)
MORE PHOTOS
We did it! Seattle skyline in the background
Mazama store - yummy yummy!
Special cyclist only site....
...That turned out being WAYYY up in the woods up a steep, rocky path.
oh yeah, we cycled that!
The bike hut! Where we camped near Mazama with Abby and the other cyclists.
Loving the bike trails
Lee! I want to know Lee!
Lots of rails to trails bike paths
Pretty Seattle views
I know this sounds weird but I got Teary Eyed reading some of this. Loved every word of writing and hearing all about the riding. Congratulations on such an amazing accomplishment Coty!
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks so much! It really was quite the adventure :-)
ReplyDeleteWell done Coty and thank you for the diary. I read it whilst cycling from lands end to John o groats in the UK and am glad to hear the USA also has such strangers wanting to help and talk. Solo touring acts as an icebreaker and shows an innocence and freedom that also breaks that wall down, the graces received along the way are somehow amplified for trusting first.
ReplyDelete