It has finally arrived! For 8 months, this momentous occasion has been looming on my every thought. The bike prep, tuning, fixing, planning, fundraising, training, all of this is over. My teammates and I can finally say, "we are ready". Or are we ready? A few bumps have already been experienced by a few of my teammates. One rider has had the misfortune of losing her camping gear in the void that is the U.S. postal system. Yet another must must have her sister drive her bike, arriving late, from Seattle to our first stop in Easton. Finally, in a more strange situation, one rider has been running from shop to shop buying all new gear in Seattle due to a rv fire burning her old gear on the drive here (Her bike was spared, thankfully! ). All in all, maybe everyone here, including me, may not be prepared. But there is no mistaking that we are ready.
Today at our rider orientation you could tell that the room was full of jitters. I myself couldn't keep my feet from fluttering or my throat from constantly drying up . Somehow being reintroduced to a host of bike safety and sustainability methods made me more unsure of myself than I had begun.
I am happy to say, however, that the shakiness didn't last for long. Once dinner began, I quickly was introduced to a room of people that already felt like a team. I can already say that the people here are pretty awesome. Everyone here brings their experience (or bushy tailed lack thereof, in my case) and their reasons for taking this challenge on. Some are here for the adventure and some because they truly want to make a difference. One bright high school teammate is even here as his senior project. Everyone, though, is here to create new, long-lasting friendships. This is the aspect I appreciate the most about the Big Ride.
Apart from meeting the new crew, Seattle has been pretty amazing. I arrived here Saturday afternoon and was picked up from the airport, given keys to my dorm room, and dropped off at the bike shop where my bike had been delivered. After our reuniting, I spent the rest of the day walking around and getting a feel for the city. We are housed in dorms at Seattle Pacific University, which is very near to a hip little neighborhood called Fremont. As I was walking along, I noticed a few things
1. There are more Thai restaurants here than pretty much any other establishment you can think of. Yum.
2. A close second would be coffee shops. People in Seattle love their coffee (its also the home of the first Starbucks)
3. There are dogs EVERYWHERE. Our director Laura says there are more dogs here than children. That's not to say that there are no babies here, because there are. All the time. Pups and babes all around, someone is trying to kill me with cute.
4. People here are always on bikes. It seems to my eye to be a terrifying city to bike in, but there are tons of cyclists cruising by nonetheless.
5. The beauty and quirkiness of Seattle is just great. Neighborhoods are built on unthinkable hills with cute bungalows stacked one atop the next. Coffeeshops are built inside old houses with decks jutting over a waterway. All of these pieces are set with the background of a distant,but not uunattainable mountain range and the Pacific as an ever-constant friend.
Im in heaven. I would be lying if I said that I didnt want to move here permanently.
Tomorrow we ride off into the unknown. It all begins bright and early tomorrow, 6 am,after a short send off ceremony. To my friends and family at home- I can't wait to tell you about everything, everyone , and everywhere. See you in a few months :-)
Bon voyage!
Mel
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