Long Awaited Update

Sorry for the delay in blogging - we've been out riding!

Let's recap: 4 days ago we left Arcata, CA (and our new friends there) in search of the open road and some coastal cycling. Our travels took us through the Avenue of the Giants (one of the most visited redwood forests in the world) to Garberville, CA, where we met some new friends and enjoyed an absolutely fantastic time. We set out the next morning for the coast (!) and California Highway 1, riding along the Pacific Ocean all day. We rode until the sun set, and ended up in Mendocino, CA for the night. Fortunately we met a lovely girl that took us in for the night, and our stay there has cemented itself as a highlight of my trip. We rose early the next morning and enjoyed a hearty egg and potato breakfast, complete with fresh blackberries and huckleberries from our hostess' garden. The fuel served us well - we had a challenging 125+ miles ahead of us en route to Santa Rosa. After a gorgeous, sunshine-filled day of riding, we arrived at the gateway to California's wine country just after sunset. I am now writing comfortably from our host and hostess' couch.

Let's get detailed, since that's why you keep coming back to read, right?

Arcata is a kind-hearted town on California's northern coastline, and one that we were fortunate enough to stop in. We would've pedaled right by if our friend Max (whom we met the night before on the beach in Crescent City) didn't suggest we stop by. We did, and we couldn't be more excited about it. Within minutes of arriving in town we met our lovely hostesses, and immediately embraced the positive energies of this place. Their hospitality was more than we could've asked for, and we're all very grateful for it. They even had Michael Jackson chronological matrushka dolls - very rad. We spent our first night in town recovering our aching legs and sipping kava tea (highly recommended), and woke with a zest for life on our rest day. I ambled down to the local farmer's market with Simona and Jenny (one of our hostesses and a fellow couchsurfer), and enjoyed the wonderful and vibrant atmosphere in the morning. The variety and quality of the produce and the vivacious community contributed to a very memorable morning. The rest of our stay there was spent socializing, skating, and meeting new friends in the community. If you're ever in Arcata and need any bike-related repairs or products, check out Revolution Bicycle Repair in town. Great people. I'm going back to ride with them someday - count on it.

We left Arcata as enthusiastic about our trip as we've been yet - our time there was refreshing and invigorating. There's a lot to be said about the quality of the human experience in a new place. A little kindness goes a long way, and our hearts were filled during our time there. Moreover, our route out of Arcata took us through Eureka (home of some of California's most famous architecture) and the Avenue of the Giants.

I'm going to go ahead and reiterate: there's nothing I can say/write/do to convey the scale of the redwood forest, although I'll try (and the pictures will help). The grandeur of the place is beyond me, and the experience of pedaling through is truly humbling. We rode past some huge trees, we rode THROUGH some even bigger trees, and I climbed all over a fallen tree that was absolutely enormous. If you want photographic evidence, see above. During our ride, we met Clark, a fellow bicycling traveler. He hails from Norman, Oklahoma, and is on his own Pacific coast tour. Travel well, my friend.

We rode through the day and enjoyed the plentiful California sunshine until it started to fade over the Sonoma county hills - we spent so much time playing in the Redwood National Forest that we didn't make the miles that we were hoping for! With the sun setting, we pulled into Garberville, CA. Knowing no one, we stopped at a local cafe and asked a few folks about places to camp for the night. Fortunately for us, we asked a gentlemen named Russell, who offered us a place to camp on his land. Hospitality is abundant in California.

Russell and our other hosts and hostesses for that night are farmers, and live simply with a focus on human interaction, quality of life, introspection, and positive betterment of the world that surrounds them. Our time with them was very pleasant, and I learned a lot from all of them. In addition to some perspective insight and some great conversation, they introduced me to slacklining. I'm beyond interested in getting good at this new sport, and I intend on buying a slackline just as soon as I develop some expendable income. Check it out at slackline.com.

Pictures were not in the cards during our time with Russell and company - those moments are ours to keep.

We rose to another gorgeous California morning on Russell's farm, and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast of banana pancakes and some chocolate chai tea. Russell - I need those recipes.

We had our sights set for California Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean, and two serious mountain passes separated us from our goals. I've done some cycling this summer, and have tackled some sincere mountains in Colorado and Washington, and these two climbs did their best to test my legs. I give some credit to the 4+ miles at 6-8% grade, and I give some credit to the thousand+ miles under my legs in the last few weeks. Hitting those hills fatigued was a challenge to say the least, but Eric and I soldiered on. A rewarding view of the Pacific was well worth the effort.

We rode on for the rest of the day with the hills on our left and the ocean on our right, as content as we could be. We stopped frequently to enjoy the moments that make travel like this so worthwhile, and finished our day in the sleepy town of Mendocino.

I, for one, am thrilled that we did. The town has an indelible charm, and we ended up meeting two lovely local girls that made the experience incredibly worthwhile. Elimah and Emily are two local girls of pure hearts and a genuine passion for living their lives, and we were thrilled to meet them. Elimah offered to host us for the night, and I can't overstate "host". She has a lust for cooking for guests - which work out for us mega-mile cyclists. I'm fairly sure that we ate most of her kitchen the night we arrived. As if that wasn't enough, she prepared an egg and potato breakfast for us, complete with blackberries and huckleberries we picked fresh from her garden. I wish we could've stayed longer, but our travels mandated that we hit the road after breakfast. We insisted that Elimah and Emily come visit us in Tahoe this winter, and now it's on the internet, so they have to come. See you girls this winter!

Pedaling out of Mendocino, we realized that we had a full plate - 125 miles to Santa Rosa. This is where it comes in handy to be athletes. The "bicycle tourist" caps were taken off, and the "fitness enthusiast" caps got some wear in the California heat. We hammered our brains out up and down (literally up and down - hills are plentiful in these parts) the coast all day, trying our best to enjoy the beautiful views despite the overwhelming amount of lactate in our legs. It was some of the most scenic riding I've ever been a part of, and not a day that I'll soon forget.

We rolled into Santa Rosa as the sun was setting over the local vineyards (there are plenty), and we stopped at the first supermarket we could find. Eric and I swore to each other that we would reward our hammering efforts with a tub of ice cream, which we did. 1.75 quarts of mocha almond fudge ice cream never met a quicker demise.

Now we're staying with our new friends Sheri and Cory and their pups, and the legs are getting a rest. We're going to take the rest of the day to recharge our legs and recuperate, then hit the town tomorrow morning and do some promotional work. Despite more than a few people hinting toward the lack of culture in Santa Rosa, I'm looking forward to seeing the place. I may go to the Peanuts and Snoopy Museum, too.

Update: Due to a shift in our schedule and a lack of exuberance in my legs, I won't be attempting the King's Ridge Gran Fondo route tomorrow. I've been swayed by my time in California, and I know that I'll be back. That being the case, I'm going to save the ride for a time when I'll have fresh legs and an enthusiasm for some sightseeing. One can never have too many reasons to travel, in my opinion, and I'm already looking forward to coming back and tackling that ride.

On to Napa and Sonoma, and some vineyard tours. I can't believe that we'll be touring Napa and Sonoma day after tomorrow. Isn't that what wealthy people do - tour wine country? I thought we were homeless vagabonds? Oh, yeah - you don't need to be rolling in cash to live the good life. Go out and grab it.

Arcata, CA and then some..

Our legs are getting some much needed rest and our hearts are being filled with even more gracious hospitality from some new friends. We spent the night in Arcata, CA after a gorgeous day of riding from Crescent City.

Our ride featured a lot of time on 101, with a foray onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway. That stretch of road (the parkway) was the highlight of my trip thus far. Riding through a redwood forest is an experience that I can't even begin to describe - the energy in those trees isn't quantifiable, and the atmosphere is truly otherworldly. I've included some photos with this post, but they don't even begin to do the place justice (noticing a trend with my recent posts?). The sheer scale of the trees and the serenity of that place is something I'll not soon forget.

The rest of our ride was fantastic, and the weather has been steadily improving every passing day. As I write this from our hostesses' porch in Arcata, there isn't a cloud in the sky and the temperature is hovering around 80 degrees. Even better, the forecast shows nothing but positivity for the next week from here to San Francisco. That alone makes me smile.

We head out tomorrow to Leggett, CA via the Avenue of the Giants - a true redwood forest. Our hostesses have confirmed that we're in for a treat, and I'm brimming with excitement. Thus far, this adventure has been unbelievable. The sights, the hospitality from new friends, and the fresh perspectives have been much more than I could have ever anticipated.

California seems to be a very special place.

Be sure to check out our video updates at takeyourbike.org, and on our YouTube channel for some additional perspective on our trip!

The Oregon Coast into CA!

Wow. The Oregon Coast from Port Orford to California is ridiculous. A kindhearted woman that we met in Gold Beach mentioned that it's the most photographed beach in the country, and with good reason. We stopped so much it took us 5 plus hours to cover 55 miles. Fortunately, that resulted in a lot of good photos. We've been sleeping on the beach every night next to a bonfire, and morale is as high as it's ever been. Arriving in California boosted spirits even more, and we're excited to keep exploring. We met a fellow traveler named Max yesterday - he was camping on the same beach with us last night. We wish him all the best in his own travel, and hope to cross paths again.

I've got a lot more to say, but I'll let the photos do the work.

If that's not enough, check the video updates on www.TakeYourBike.org

No Eye Candy Today... Yet

I'm going to start with an apology - I left my camera outside and am enjoying my coffee just a bit too much to go get it now. Rest assured, when the photos do go up tonight/tomorrow, you'll know it was worth the wait.

The Oregon coast is ridiculously beautiful - if we stopped to take it all in every time we turned and saw some jaw-dropping scenery, we'd still be riding. It's that good.

We were blessed with near-perfect weather all day, and we didn't take one minute of it for granted. It's a real treat to be dry and (relatively) clean, and we're very grateful. Spending a few days in the rain really reminds you how pleasant a clear day can be.

Our 93 miles yesterday were some of the best of my life, and I'd turn around and do it again today if I could. Fortunately, the alternative is 81 miles south on the same gorgeous coastal road to Port Orford, OR. I'll let you know how it went in a few hours....

Keep posted on TYB.org for video updates and some additional photos, and let us know how you're doing! Email me chris@takeyourbike.org and say hello - I'll pass the love on to the rest of the team.

Also, if you haven't checked out our swag yet - go to www.takeyourbike.org and take a look at our extensive line of fashion apparel. By "extensive" I mean we have shirts and wristbands. You'd look good in them - we do.

The Oregon Coast is One of the Most Scenic Places in The World

If you keep a life goals checklist (and you should), add bicycle the Oregon coast to it NOW. Seriously, this is some of the best scenery I've ever seen. Every turn is a gateway to a new panorama worthy of a postcard, and the roads are fantastic. I'm enjoying some of the best riding of my life.

Yesterday was a day to remember as well, rewarding our 103 miles from Portland with a beachfront campsite and PERFECT weather all day. We said goodbye to our new friends Alisha, Jordan, Savannah, and Kathy and rode out of Portland under sunny skies. The roads out of town were primarily busy main thoroughfares, but with a very conspicuous lack of precipitation and fresh legs they were very enjoyable.

We rode through Oregon wine country all day, all the while enjoying sights of vineyards, mountains, and valleys. With no rain, our only issue was a coastal headwind that blew defiantly in our faces all day. That being said, when the direction the wind is blowing is your primary complaint for a day, it's a good day.

With the coast in our sights our 3rd century of the trip didn't even bother our legs, and we arrived at the 101 with the sun still shining and the skies still dry. It was FANTASTIC.

Arriving in Lincoln City to a sunset was one of the biggest rewards I've ever received for anything. Since the "work" for the reward was flawless bike ride, I'd say we had a good day.

We camped on the beach and had a spirit fire to celebrate dry weather and our first day on the Pacific Coast bicycling highway. Falling asleep to waves crashing after a day of cycling is my zen.

Highlight: today is Eric's, my cycling partner for this trip and dearest friend, birthday. Happy birthday, brother.

Portland!

Our rest day in Portland (the first of two as we we wait for the rains to pass through and clear our way for the coast) was highlighted by a walk though the Hawthorne District, vintage clothing and antique shops, a PHENOMENAL americano, some great art, the quirkiest donut shop I've ever heard of or seen, and some delicious pho.

Our "host family" of Alisha, Savannah, Kathy, and Jordan live in a quaint little house on the outskirts of the Hawthorne District in southeast Portland with their dog Jack(son). Actually, according to their Wifi connection, it's "Jackson's House". They've been more than hospitable, and we're very grateful. I'm writing this entry from the comfort of their home, and I'm full of delicious blueberry pancakes that we contributed for breakfast (for the family). I'm listening to a Jose Gonzalez record. Life is good.

The Hawthorne District is an arts district in the soulful part of Portland (that statement is based off of nothing but the personalities of our hosts and the awesomeness of the surroundings), and is apparently sustained solely by secondhand stores and antique shops. It's very cool. It'd be easy to bleed rock and roll if you had access to this kind of style every day - you can see why there is such a vibrant arts and music scene here. We stopped in to browse in a few shops and found a lot of cool apparel and trinkets. I almost bought a Hall and Oates LP. Eric almost bought a military jacket. Amy almost bought every purse/umbrella/girls' accessory she saw. Then we remembered that we're all homeless gypsies. C'est la vie.

My personal highlight of the day came when we strolled past a cafe that had an original Banksy piece on the outside wall (disclaimer: Banksy hasn't taken credit for the piece, but he hasn't denied that it's his, either). If you haven't checked out his art yet, do. Cool stuff. The cherry on top was the perfect americano I was served inside. I love a good espresso drink, and this was one of the best I've had in some time. I may go back today.

The group highlight of the day was undisputedly our stop at Voodoo Doughnuts, which was recommended by our hosts. Quirky dosn't really cover this place - they serve all sorts of weird doughnuts (they were cited for health code violations last year after adding a Nyquil-filled donut to their menu) and have a very unique style about the place. In addition to serving doughnuts, they offer civil unions conducted by a legitimate reverend on site. I thought this was a joke on the menu, but a couple was getting married when we walked in. Seriously.

The photos above give you an idea of what they're working with.

We ended our day about town with a heaping bowl of pho at a local Vietnamese restaurant, and it hit the spot. Something about the Pacific Northwest - they do pho right out here.

We're taking an extra day here to let the storm system pass though and clear our way to the coast and the Pacific Ocean. Tomorrow, we set out for Lincoln City, and a night's sleep on the beach.

I can't deny the feeling that the real adventure begins tomorrow.

Taking Us To Portland

Rainier to Portland!

Today we woke to more dry weather (!) in our tent in Rainier, OR. The forecast didn't look too promising last night, so we set our alarms for 6:30 in hopes of getting some miles in before the rain started falling (again).

That plan didn't work out, but we were able to get our tent broken down in dry weather and clean up before our ride (as clean as you can get using a gas station sink). Moreover, although it didn't stay dry for us all day, it wasn't exactly pouring either. Compared to much of the last few days of riding, today ended up being quite manageable.

We rode the 53 miles into Portland without interruption (other than one flat tire) and only two quick stops (to fill up water bottles and refuel with some some Bear Naked granola bars), and got in just after 11. It was nice to get to our destination early in the day and have plenty of time to take in the city and enjoy ourselves leisurely.

Unfortunately, the weather got progressively less pleasant as the afternoon wore on, and most of our activities were postponed. We made the most of it though with a family lunch at a salad bar restaurant that was fantastic. We took our time there and enjoyed a nutritious meal, coffee, and ice cream. The rain can't keep our spirits down!

Our post-lunch destination was the home of our new friend Alisha, who I met on Couchsurfing.org (a great site if you haven't heard of it). She's offered her home (and her roommates as well) to us for the weekend, and we couldn't be more grateful. Their generosity has given us a great launchpad to go out and meet some people/promote the TYB cause in Portland.

Rochester to Rainier

Yet another day of waking up in the rain...

Either we offended the powers that be, or we're just paying our dues. We spent the first few hours of the day in our tent, waiting out the rain and listening in vain to the drops of precipitation falling on our ceiling. Fortunately, we were extended a tremendous amount of hospitality by a local church in Rochester, WA and had a place where we could comfortably wait out the storm.

We gave it until noon, and with the weather as light as it had been all day we set out to make a dent in our riding. We're getting pretty good at riding in the rain, and knocking out a few miles in less than ideal weather didn't bother us.

After about 20 miles in the drizzle, things started to clear up. Our spirits lifted, blue skies shone overhead, and optimism started to prevail. It's funny how simple of a pleasure dry weather can be - and how overlooked it is from the comforts of home. This trip is sure to teach me a lot about myself and about the way I view life, and from this point on I'll be sure to never take pleasant weather for granted.

It turned out to be a great day for riding with some great scenery in the Pacific Northwest. The precipitation held off for the rest of the day, which was extremely pleasant.

We rode all through the day toward the Oregon border, with the feeling of progress that comes with completing a state's worth of riding as our motivation. Biking through Washington is a pretty big achievement, and we were excited to taste that accomplishment at the border.

Fortunately, our solid pace throughout the day brought us to the Lewis and Clark Bridge (crossing the Columbia River into Oregon) Longview, WA with about 15 minutes of pure daylight to spare. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot and thought I had "smarter" directions over a different bridge that was "up the road" and would take us "right into a great place to make camp for the night". As Wikipedia would so eloquently point out later:

The Lewis and Clark Bridge is the only bridge crossing the Columbia River from Washington to Oregon anywhere between Rainier, OR and Astoria, OR.

Oh, how that information could have served us well. Instead, we followed my magical secret directions on a 22 mile sightseeing trip around Longview (well, it would have been sightseeing if it wasn't dark out). We rode through the dark for over an hour, with me insisting all the while that we were on the right track. My directions did work - they took us right back to the same bridge we stood in front of some 75 minutes earlier (in the daylight). With no lights and a sense of recklessness, we tackled the bridge at night (sorry Mom). It worked (although we were less than thrilled to ride on the shoulder of a main highway cluttered with debris in the dark), and we made it to Oregon safe and sound. Lesson learned: use the tools at your disposal. Going into this trip, I was dead set on leaving the day-to-day directions to physical map-checking and word-of-mouth directions. I learned today that it's not worth risking our safety rolling the dice like that, especially when we have turn-by-turn directions at our fingertips via the blessing/curse of cell phones. I'll be struggling to find balance with the technology input to our route-making, but I'll be content to not put us in a precarious situation again.

Thrilled about setting our tent up in dry weather, we went to sleep happy and comfortable. My favorite night's sleep of the trip so far.

More Photos...

these are of our time in and around Olympia - that wristband looks good on you, Elizabeth.

Photos from Olympia and Rochester

Sorry for the delay - internet has been elusive! We're safe and sound in Portland now, and I'm blogging from the dry living room of our new friends Kathy, Savannah, Alisha, and Jordan. More to come!

Photos Coming Soon!

The last 2 days' blogs are below, but due to technical difficulties (nothing serious!) we're not able to upload photos today. Check out the entires for the story, and check back tomorrow for more photos and updates!

Olympia to Rochester!

Today started with a pleasant breakfast and espresso on Matt and Zach's porch, and a whole lotta sunshine. We said goodbye to our new friends, plotted our day's route, and headed southwest toward Bay Center, WA.

On our route today was a stop at the Mima Mounds, which was recommended by our friends as a must-see. We pedaled our way toward the Mounds, but took a wrong turn (again) which added a good 16 miles (again) to our day's route. We're really, really good at getting lost on bikes.

We eventually found the Mounds, and they were a pretty weird sight. Apparently caused by glacial erosion, the mounds are a sea of undulating rises and drops that stretch as far as the eye can see. It's pretty alien-looking.

Unfortunately, a few minutes after the Mounds we hit our second rainstorm of the trip. The rain kept falling for the next 30 miles or so, and we decided to stop into a gas station in Oakville, WA to warm up and dry off.

We consulted the clerk about our route to make sure we were still on the right path, only to find out that the next turn we had planned out was onto a gravel logging road. Ouch. Not something we wanted to tackle on bikes. We were presented with a tough choice - backtrack about 15 miles and take a detour toward our original destination, or to head south on a new route toward Portland. Adding miles in the pouring rain didn't seem all that appealing, so some improvisation was in order.

We stopped in Rochester for the night and enjoyed a great dinner of ham and eggs courtesy of Dylan's skills over a griddle. We went to sleep feeling full, happy, and (relatively) dry.

Our new route will be taking us closer to the Centralia-Chehalis Trail, and is much more of a direct route to Portland than our original. We decided to set up camp for the night outside of Rochester, WA and try and attack the remaining 108 miles to Portland when the weather clears. Given that it's STILL RAINING (going on 25 hours now), I feel like we made a good decision. Hopefully the rain stops soon and we can hit the road - we're anxious to get back to pedaling.

Seattle to Olympia!

We woke up in in Seattle with full stomachs and a great night's sleep (thanks Kelley!) and set out for the Bremerton Ferry. Unfortunately we took our time getting out of home base this morning and despite flying down the waterfront trail as fast as we could, we missed the ferry by about 30 seconds. With an hour and 10 minutes to kill, we decided to pal around downtown Seattle and make the best of the free time with some sightseeing. We rode by Safeco Field (home of the Mariners), Qwest Field (home of the Seahawks), the Space Needle, the Seattle Art Museum, and Pike Place Market. It was a great hour of urban riding and sightseeing, and (this time) we caught our boat on time.

The ride on the Bremerton Ferry has been one of my favorite things in the world since I was a kid. The views from the boat, the cool wind on the bow, and the feeling of transportation are all a lot of fun. Knowing that we had a good 65 miles of backroads riding ahead of us along the Olympic Peninsula made it all the better.

We started our ride day with a quick stop for a coffee in Bremerton and double-checked our directions; then we were off. The riding along route 3 on the Olympic Peninsula was gorgeous, and we got some great views of the water along the way. We even rode past a chainsaw carving artist's shop that had all sorts of great work out on display.

Our riding took us to Shelton, WA, where we stopped in for a drink of water at the Olympic Deli. There, we were fortunate enough to meet Alice and Lyon, who are on their own tour from Seattle to San Francisco. They're riding for their own cause, raising money for Posada Esperanza - an immigrant women and children's support home in Austin, TX. They're great people, and they're riding for a great cause. You can follow them on their blog coastingnow.blogspot.com.

We left Alice and Lyon in Shelton and pressed on toward Olympia along some more great roads in great weather, arriving in Washington's capitol city around 5 o'clock. The ride took us right by the capitol building, which is perched above a lake and is quite the sight.

We met up with the Capital Cycling Club for a social ride, which was a lot of fun. Blaine and the rest of the riders were very supportive of what we're doing, and that means a lot to us. Of course, the ride was about 30 miles long, and that pushed our total to 100 miles for the second day in a row. We're earning it - that's for sure!

We left ride and went to refuel and warm up, stopping into a Borders bookstore for some warm coffee. There we met Elizabeth, who made us some great espresso drinks and was super supportive of what we're doing. If you're ever in Olympia, stop by and say hello - she's a rad chick.

Hopping back on our bikes, we rode up the street to find our new friend, Matt, who offered us a place to stay for the night. To our surprise, we arrived to a house full of bike enthusiasts, many of whom play on Han Polo and the Tusken Raiders, an Olympia-based bike polo team. They're good people, and we had a lot of fun spending the night talking bikes and playing music. I even went out for a bike ride (yes, another one) with them around midnight, which was a blast. They're playing in a bike polo tournament in Vancouver this weekend - best of luck to them.

What a great day.

We'll put photos up just as soon as we can - technical difficulties!

Day 2 is in the books, and we're in Seattle

In hindsight, Day 1 of the tour put a lot into perspective. We started in a leaky tent that we threw up in the dark, rode in the rain for 5 hours, and ate bagels. Today, we woke up in a perfectly pitched tent in new friend's cow pasture, rode in PERFECT weather for 7 hours, and ate freshly made muffaletta sandwiches. Weird, huh?

Life is full of surprises, especially when you meander about the US on a bike. Our new friends in the Hawken/Norris family sent us off this morning after a great night's sleep in their cow pasture with about 47 lbs in sandwiches, watermelon, and wine. I love that family.

We rolled our way into the Swinomish Indian Reservation, which was a highlight entirely because of an epic high five Eric and I both received from a real Indian on a real Indian reservation (it's not called a "Native American Reservation" on the signs, so I'm not going to be politically correct, either).

After a few great miles in the sunshine in farm country, we met up with Amy (our lovely support team director) and wolfed down some muffaletta sandwiches. After 50 some miles, they tasted like buttered lovin'.

I stopped after that to grab an espresso at Caffe D'Arte in Marysville, WA, and was very thankful to have Sarah (or Sara?) take care of the expense. That was sweet of her, and I appreciate it. Canada to Mexico or not, it's still very flattering to be bought a cup of coffee. I felt like an attractive girl for a second, or at least what I think attractive girls feel like, being bought stuff all the time.

We also got "lost" today (translation: we're bike geeks and like to add miles to our rides) and our total mileage went from a planned 78 to a grand total of 105. That makes 12 centuries for me this year. Count em'. Kobe.

After snaking our way all the way to the north Seattle area, we hopped on the Burke-Gilman Trail and chatted with Heather Wireman, a lovely girl that works for Precor. She's a full-time bike commuter, and unfortunately couldn't join us for our awareness ride today due to a marathon training schedule. As a triathlete who is dumb enough to have signed up for an Ironman next year, I understand wholeheartedly. Train hard, Heather! In addition to meeting Heather, it was great to see so many people outside getting their fit on today. Good work, Seattle.

Last but not least, I want to give some shoutouts to our friends at Bear Naked and the Montlake Bicycle Shop. They've been super supportive of what we're doing, and none of this would be quite as pleasant without their support. Thanks guys - we love you.

And special props to the Love Sack girls - go get that bike and start riding! You look great in those wristbands.

Right now I'm eating some fresh baked "cookies". Check out that photo. You can taste a whole lotta bad for you. Thanks Kelley!