Post-ride - Washington, D.C.

I was so pleased to spend some time with Sarah in Washington, D.C. before returning home. Sarah, Brianne, and I were best friends in junior high and whenever I see Sarah I am reminded of how much I miss her and why I love her so much.

It was probably also best for my health to relax at Sarah's before confining myself to an airplane seat for the ride home. I think Dave might have preferred to get me back sooner, but I was pretty much in staring at the wall phase for a couple of days after riding. My body was completely confused.

I woke up on Thursday morning when Sarah and her roommate Meredith were getting ready for work. It was confusing to not need to jump up, wash my face, pack my tent, and jump on my bike. I thoroughly enjoyed lounging in bed. By the way, Sarah had the world's most comfortable air mattress. I totally loved this thing. I could use it as a regular bed. Anyways...

After moving to the couch, I watched some TV and wrote the Day 0 and Day 5 blogs. Meredith was headed to New York on Friday, so Thursday was my only day with computer access. I ate some leftover cheese and crackers - yum. I also did some laundry and hung up my tent to dry in the shower. Eventually I needed more substantial food, so I walked down to M Street and got a latte and muffin (apparently that qualified as more substantial food). When I got back I showered and started to get ready for the Nationals' game that night. I was walking to Dupont Circle to meet Sarah at work, and we would take the subway from there.

My back was definitely bothering me after riding, especially when I walked. It really wasn't too bad, considering. Most significantly I felt very tired. After stopping to buy super glue to fix my glasses (they broke the night before), I made my way slowly to Sarah's work. I really appreciate the efficiency and ease of subway systems, and I really like the D.C. subway because it isn't at all intimidating. We made it very quickly to the game, but it started to rain.

Meredith and I walked around looking for vegetarian food, and settled on burritos and beer. We ate and waited through the rain delay. Finally we decided there was no way the game would happen, so we went home (pretty funny, but okay since the tickets were free). I was just glad that the rain came the day after my ride!

At home we relaxed and watched TV. It was glorious. Seriously.

After another pleasant night sleep, my Friday was very similar to my Thursday. I got up and relaxed on the couch, hanging up the other half of my tent to finish drying. Eventually I walked down to M Street for food. That afternoon I met Sarah at work again, and we went to the Sculpture Garden.

I was so proud of myself. First we saw the Typewriter Eraser, just like the one at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Then I correctly identified a Louise Bourgeois spider - dude! It's like I've learned something! I also spotted a Calder. So, apparently I only know artists in my park, but that is still progress!

We took some wine and snacks, but then we got rained on. We decided to head home pretty quickly. Still, it was a fun adventure!

That night we had dinner with Gavin (Sarah's boyfriend) and relaxed. The next morning they would be headed out to Pennsylvania and I would catch the Amtrak to Baltimore for my flight out.

Everything went smoothly on the way home. Amtrak was easy and pleasant. The shuttle to the airport was waiting for us when we arrived. My flights were on time, and my luggage made it through. Dave picked me up - and I was so incredibly happy to see him! He took me home, where he had food and flowers. It was great.

I was pretty sleepy after getting home, but I had a wonderful time on Sunday apple picking with Dana, Blake, Brianne, Danielle, and Erin.

It's taken me a long time to feel normal again. I had numb spots on my fingers and toes for weeks, but they are finally almost better. Getting my energy back has also been challenging. Now I have my bike back and reassembled, so I guess I wil bike again someday soon! I haven't done it yet.

All in all this was a great experience. It was incredibly challenging, but I met wonderful people and I am so proud of myself for what I have accomplished! Thank you to everyone who supported me. I couldn't have made it without you! The thought of everyone behind me was an effective motivator that helped m through when the road was hard. I hope that this ride was a success, in that I had directly and indirectly reminded people about the importance of climate change - I truly believe this is a key issue in the years to come. Again, thanks to the many people who have been a part of this experience.

Signing off,
Jackie

Baltimore, MD to Washington, D.C. - Day 5

A reminder about this post...since the blog is almost complete!

FINAL DAY OF RIDING - 66 miles, 60 before 2pm

Why they scheduled the press conference for 2pm on a 66 mile ride day (also the last day) I will never understand. My group of girls had been arriving at about 4 to 4:30pm into camp, which would mean that we would have to 1) leave at first light and 2) keep a good pace to make it in time for the ending press conference on the senate lawn. I was definitely annoyed.

We got up at 5:30am to find our tents covered in heavy dew and the sun still not risen. We got ready, disassembled our tents, ate breakfast, and left shortly after the course opened (about 7am). I learned in the morning that Senator Cantwell canceled, so I didn't feel as pressured to arrive by 2pm for the press conference. Chrissy, Christa and I were exhausted from the very hard day before, but we were excited to have made it to the last day and determined to get through it. At this point, we heard the terrain would be hills in the morning and flat in the afternoon. Little did we know that the ratio of hills to flat wasn't quite what we expected.

Setting out from Baltimore was pretty intense - the drivers in Maryland aren't very bike friendly! I almost got hit by a car trying to inch up on me because they were annoyed that I was in the intersection waiting to turn left. To be clear, I wasn't doing anything wrong. They were just impatient. The hills were definitely present. I just had no legs left for hills at this point. Chrissy and I walked up a GIANT hill that we couldn't believe just kept going. We cursed, even more than the day before, every hill before us.

The water stop was much appreciated, but we were encouraged to push on as quickly as possible. We still didn't know just how many miles of hills we were facing and kept hoping for things to flatten out. I got a flat tire when we were on a fairly busy rode, and the girls and I jumped into action. Chrissy used a dollar bill to patch the hole in my tire and we put in a new tube. The support van came in time for us to use their pump, which helped my tires feel much more full.

We pushed all the way through to Silver Springs, MD where there was a stop at a mall. As soon as we arrived, a staff person said, "Okay, they are waiting for us in D.C. to gather and ride up to the capitol, but we have to leave now and we're going to have to push." I was livid. We were killing ourselves already, I had experienced a flat, and we had barely eaten. Chrissy felt way beyond her physical limits, and we were all on edge. I told them we would go on our own. They said we could take the train to D.C. to catch the press conference, but we refused. 20 miles short of our goal there was no way we were giving up!

We scarfed some PB&J and headed out again. The Capitol Crescent Trail turned out to be packed dirt for the first 3 miles - miserable. When we finally got to pavement it was fantastic - very slightly downhill and a perfect trail like the Burke Gilman. They had a speed limit of 15 mph and we were definitely pushing it. As it turned out, we arrived in D.C. just after the main group. This meant we had to ride from the river to the capitol on our own. I navigated us down Pennsylvania Avenue and we passed the Washington Monument. It was pretty crazy city riding, and we were beyond exhausted. We made it before the press conference and in time for everything. A couple of riders hadn't finished and a couple pulled in after us, so we weren't last.

The talks were good - Alex Tinker from Focus the Nation was excellent, as were Earl Blumenauer (OR) and Lloyd Doggett (TX). We took a photo of riders for 350.org. I have a nice background on my phone from standing on the senate lawn. :)

Then we gathered for the final push to Georgetown University - our official ending point. I was just trying not to hurt myself at this point. Apparently I rode by the White House, though I have no recollection of doing so! Dave and I thought that was pretty funny.


Once arriving at Georgetown, I almost immediately rode BACK out of campus to the UPS store. They disassembled our bikes and we left them for shipping. It was way more expensive shipping out than getting to New York, which was no fun. Eventually we got that set up and I walked back onto campus. I ran into Christa and Chrissy and said goodbye - very sad. I found my luggage and picked up some awesome Nike running shoes they donated to riders. Then I had some food, called Dave, and waited for Sarah. I was very glad to see her!

That night I took a glorious shower, had a great vegetarian dinner with Sarah, her roommate Meredith, boyfriend Gavin, and friend Kate. They were great. We watched some tv, and then I passed out. I woke up on Thursday morning amazed that I didn't have to get up and disassemble my tent, or ride!

Holtwood, PA to Baltimore, MD - Day 4

Day 4 was a day of frustration for me. We found out that we would be riding 67 miles instead of the 60 miles advertised in our rider e-mails. And we came to find out that the day would be very, very hilly.

That said, the Mennonite camp was very nice and they fed us another lovely meal before we left for the day. I was glad to have another night in a bed rather than cold in a tent.

There was a big hill immediately headed out of camp, and we weren't excited about it. Actually, it turned out not to be so bad. We were in a hilly area, though, and continued with the rolling up and downs most of the day. Early in the morning we crossed a dam which was gorgeous. Shortly after the dam, I was forced to walk my bike up a hill for the first time. With our legs shot from all the miles (and with my lack of a granny gear - only 16 speeds), I had to give myself a break on the steepest hills. If I hadn't, I think I probably would have had more falls out of my clips! The terrain really was grueling and our morale got pretty low.

On the plus side, they had Tofurky jerky for us! I LOVE Tofurky jerkey.

Horse country was quite gorgeous, but we found it somewhat hard to appreciate through our exhaustion. The pizza for lunch at a cute farm was definitely appreciated. The roads got pretty crazy getting into Baltimore. We had to walk up a hiking trail with our bikes for the last push into Outward Bound.

By the time we arrived we were completely exhausted. We had to set up our tents for the night, and mine still wasn't totally drive from the first night. I ended up laying it out in the sun (thank goodness for the weather!) and taking a shower. Then I put the rain fly on the main compartment of the tent. Dinner was delicious. I had to skip the talk because I was just too tired. Dave can attest to this - he listened to me and was concerned.

I slept pretty well that night. I set up lots of layers and went to bed early. We were getting up at 5:30am on Wednesday for the final push into Washington, D.C.







HARDEST DAY OF RIDING!!!

Valley Forge to Holtwood, PA - Day 3

I was very nervous on the morning of the third day of Climate Ride. It was 66 miles, our longest mileage day so far.

We set out on the route with a big group. It was that morning that I started noticing the wide variety of road kill we were encountering along the way - I saw at least a dog, raccoon, deer, and a kitty. Very sad.

We had a water stop in a very cute town - the stop location is pictured in the column on the right, where I am riding. Chrissy and I split some coffee cake - yum. The route was mainly rolling hills, with increasing numbers and steepness in the hills. Our group decided to break up the riding with another water stop at a Rite Aid before entering Amish Country.

Amish Country was beautiful. I especially enjoyed seeing all the clothes on lines outside the houses. We passed buggies, waving from our bikes, and were please to receive waves from the Amish people.

As we came out of Amish Country, we had the chance to stop at an ice cream shop in Strasburg, PA. It was a delicious and much appreciated break. Making the final push into camp, I lost the directions clipped to my bike while descending a hill. They just below right off. That meant my navigation had to be put on hold and someone else had to take the lead.

Unfortunately we discovered there were lots of hills at the end of the day when we were very ready to be done. In one particular case we descending a hill just to turn up a large hill - we were always annoyed when this happened with no warning and we couldn't work off momentum.

We made it in to camp around 4:30pm. The Mennonite camp where we stayed was nice. I decided to pay $6 to stay in a dorm. Chrissy, Christa, and I shared a room. Christa and I had some room finding confusion and with our exhaustion from the the day she got frustrated with me. I understood, and we got through it. We all appreciated what the others were going through.

There was a zipline in camp. It looked fun, but I was way too tired to put my body through it. After showering, I was just so glad to go to dinner. Unfortunately, we were towards the end of the line and they ran out of spaghetti. Luckily they made more, but we definitely found that we were all on edge and the little things would set us off. Dinner was kind of hard for me because it was another rider's birthday and her daughter was riding with her, so she had a cake and everyone sang to her. I couldn't help but feel a little sad that my birthday was missed, though I understood that I didn't have a buddy there to plan something for me. On the plus side, I was impressed by the kindness of the Mennonite camp staff. The camp director asked to give a blessing of our meal, and he was extremely supportive of what we were doing.

That night Christa gave a short talk at our evening discussion to overview Clean Air-Cool Plant, one of the beneficiary organizations of the ride and her employer. She did a great job! Then we heard from Point Carbon. Things were running late and I was exhausted, so I stepped out after that.

Cell phone reception was very limited at the camp, and I missed getting to talk to Dave. That was hard, especially given the crazy day 4 to come...

Princeton, NJ to Valley Forge, PA - Day 2

60 miles and a fairly easy day (in retrospect)...

After a very cold night our tents were wet as we got up in twilight and prepared to depart. I almost missed breakfast because they told us to drop off our gear first, but most people just went for the food. Chrissy, Christa, Jen and I set out with Paul from Alaska and Alan from LA. I couldn't help but laugh when we said their names together Paul Alan...Paul Allen. I'm such a Washingtonian.

Anyway, the second day I really established my role as navigator. We had a water stop in Lambertville, NJ, which was nice. Then we walked across a bridge and into Pennsylvania. Lunch was in Doylestown, PA. I sent my first text update from here. All of the towns were very cute.

Most of the hills were in the morning, but it was very hot in the afternoon. We stopped at Whole Foods at mile 42 to have a snack and some water. The last water stop was supposed to be at 53 miles - we weren't sure why it was so close to the end. As it turned out, we missed the water stop when trying to figure out how to enter a trail. In the process of negotiating, I took my second fall (and luckily my last). I scraped up my knewe and was bleeding. Jen gave me a bandaid, but it fell off with the motion of pedaling.

We were with Mike, a rider from Pennsylvania who knew the area. He took us on a packed dirt trail that cut out several hills - we were appreciative! I wasn't exactly in love with riding my road bike on a dirt trail, but I was also exhausted and just wanted to be done.

The dorms we stayed in were gorgeous brick buildings. Chrissy and I were sharing a room. We had beds, linens, and our own bathroom! I laid out my tent to dry, showered, sorted some things, and got to dinner just about on time. They made a mistake and thought they only had about 4 vegetarians on the ride, when actually there were twenty something. Whoops! The people running the place were really nice and fond us something to eat.

I was feeling really frustrated at that point. I was upset about the communication and it bothered me that there were so few new riders. We kept hearing about the hills increasing, and I just didn't know how I would get through that. I also tried to get some help with my bike because the rear brake was rubbing, and I felt upset when the staff weren't very helpful. They had bigger problems, so mine was low priority. I ended up opening my safety release and dealing with it.

I decided to go to the talk - I thought it might help. Wood Turner from Climate Counts was very good, as was Mike Eckhart from ACORE (American Council on Renewable Energy). I talked to Dave and that helped, too. I still felt afraid for Monday - it would be the longest miles yet at 66.

At least I had a comfy bed and a warm dorm to sleep in!

Climate Ride video!

Climate Ride has created a video and posted it on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyB70xvJ4JY



Produced by goodfocus

New York to Princeton, NJ - Day 1

Back to the blogging! Now I have my notes and I'm ready to go!

The first day of riding, September 20, was my 26th birthday. I thought this was a fun coincidence, and part of my decision to participate in the ride was finding an amusing way to celebrate no longer being in the 18-25 category.

The first day was the shortest day of riding - about 47 miles. I woke up not having enjoyed much sleep in my tiny closet of a hostel room. The place had seemed so quiet in the afternoon - I guess because everyone was out doing things. Right after I went to bed a really loud group came in. There were all these signs about being quiet, but that just didn't convince them. Sigh.

Anyways, I got up and hefted my huge bag out of my small room, down the stairs, and about 5 blocks to BLVD. When we arrived, the bikes had been moved around since the night before. After a scavenger hunt to find my bike, I picked up some water bottles and got all my gear ready to go. I reconnected with the girls I had met the night before - Jen, Chrissy, and Christa. AKA my ride support team. I was our navigator and Jen our resident photographer (you will see a lot of her photos).

When we were finally ready to depart, we lined up outside BLVD. CBS was filming our ride out of Manhattan, so we stayed in a clump for the first few blocks. Then we spread out a bit as we continued south under the bridges and to the ferry docks. We stopped at "Bicycle for a Day," an event hosted by Matthew Modine. Then we continued a few more blocks to catch our chartered boat. It looked a lot like the Victoria Clipper. We loaded our bikes onto the bow, which was a little strange for me after babying my bike for so long. Chrissy and I were feeling pretty sick on the ride over and we weren't very interested in lunch at Jersey Highlands after we docked.

My group of girls headed out pretty quickly. We were ready to go, and we knew we weren't the fastest riders in the bunch. The first 16 miles of riding was pretty hilly, but not compared to what we did in the days to come (little did we know!). The remaining 30ish miles of the day were quite flat and pleasant. New Jersey is quite nice! :)

As we came into Princeton, I was definitely starting to feel tired. The Princeton campus was nice - I always enjoy seeing campuses. I took my first fall of the ride going down a street in a group of riders. Lesson learned: Always unclip when you are riding slowly in a pack! Luckily it didn't hurt too much and we were almost there.

The first night we camped on a soccer field at the Princeton YMCA. I thoroughy enjoyed my hot shower at the YMCA, and we got in early enough to relax quite a bit before dinner and the evening talk. Betsy Taylor of 1Sky gave a great talk that was really inspiring and a good kick-off. She asked the experienced riders to be thoughtful of the newer riders and to greet them as they passed. I noticed that a lot of people did this the next day. After the talk we stopped for some hot chocolate - yum. I wrote notes when we got back to our tents. Apparently I had a small headache, but I was feeling okay. I was hopeful because rumor was that the next day of riding was flat.

I didn't get a very god night sleep again. Unfortunately I was pretty cold. I was surprised by how cold the nights were since we had gorgeous weather during the day.

Here are a few picture highlights, almost all courtesy of Jen:

Blogs are coming!

Hi all,

I've been getting caught up after being away, but the blogs are coming! You will see that I have posted one for day 5 of the ride. I know that's out of order, but I have notes in different places. There are also more photos coming as I get them from other riders.

I'll keep you posted! Thanks to everyone who has expressed interest in seeing more!

Jackie

New York! - Day 0

Thanks to Brianne, I had an adorable ride-themed notebook to make notes about each day. This was a big help!

On Friday, September 19 I spent the morning in Edison, New Jersey with Danielle's parents. I slept well and had a nice breakfast. Danielle's mom Lisa took me to the train station and I returned to Penn Station. I was able to transfer to the subway easily, but I had a little trouble confirming I was on the right side of the track. I got a day pass and took the E train to 53rd and Lexington, after first getting off at the wrong stop because I couldn't tell where we were. Oops. I switched to the 6 which was an easy transfer, and the train had a light up station list and made announcements - much easier!

I was a little nervous about the neighborhood the hostel was in - it is a mix of old and revamped places. But, I found the Bowery Whitehouse and dropped off my bag. I jumped back on the subway to Central Park. I really liked the park, but it was hard for me to relax. I saw the pond, lake/boathouse, and other areas I recognized from movies. I found it hard to navigate in New York because it's flat and I can't really recognize any landmarks off in the distance.

After the park I walked to the bike shop at 63rd and 1st AVE E. I walked down 5th AVE for a bit - I could tell it was nice because of all the doormen! My bike looked great and we threw it on a trainer to ensure the seat seemed right (it did). I was too scared with all the traffic to bike, so I took it on the subway. I had to take it through the emergency exit gate, but I found a fairly open car.

I got off at Lafayette and Spring, which I guess is getting to Little Italy. There were lots of bikes and a street fair. I found BLVD, which was super nice. The Climate Ride organizers weren't quite ready for us, but I dropped off my bike. Then I went back to the hostel to check in. The neighborhood looked better in that direction, and I even passed a Whole Foods and bought food for breakfast. It took forever to check in - they were really slow and do it all by hand. My room was not much bigger than a closet - and no, that's not a walk in. There was a little cot-type bed and enough floor for a tiny door and a place to put your bag. I got organized - pulling out my bike gear for Saturday. Danielle's bag worked great!

By then it was almost time to go back to BLVD. I stopped at Whole Foods again to have some pizza because I didn't want to feel obligated to buy food at BLVD. I got my sign label for my bike and put on the holder for my handlebar bag - I had to ziptie it. I took care of registration (emergency contacts, waiver), and then I went inside. I was one of the first, so I sort of wandered. Then I sat down with some girls who looked nice, and I'm so glad I did! I met Jennifer (from New Hampshire), Christa (from a different area in New Hampshire), and Chrissy (from Vermont, knew Christa from college). They were all super nice. We talked about training and they were actually impressed with how much I had done! None of them were experienced cyclists either, and they all had the same questions and concerns. We met some of the other riders, and almost everyone seemed to work on these issues professionally. I got my goodie bag and tried on my jersey and warm-up suit.

Then I went back to the hostel. I just relaxed while my cell phone charged at the front desk - no chargers in the "rooms." I went to bed around 10 because I had to be back at BLVD at 7:15 the next morning. I felt good going to bed, just missed Dave and remembered that it was almost my birthday and I wouldn't be in the 18-25 category any longer!

Unfortunately there was a loud group and I really didn't sleep well. :(

Here are some pictures from my trip to Central Park:

A few highlights from other sources...

Here are some other places you can learn more about my experience:

- My friend Christa's blog on the Climate Ride website. She wrote one for each day and I was with her virtually every second. Much love to Christa, Chrissy, and Jennifer!

- The rest of the Climate Ride blog has lots of photos.

- And my dad found this picture of me!

I'm alive! Yes, it's me!

Hello everyone! Wow, I made it and I'm not dead! :)

The ride was HARD. I definitely pushed my body to the limits and then some more. On the 4th day I was fighting back tears. My swearing increased exponentially with the hills. When the 5th day (into D.C.) turned out to be 45 miles of hills before the easier 20 into the city - oh yes, it turned out to be ANOTHER 66 mile day - I really wasn't sure if I had it in me. But, I made it.

Would I do it again? Not likely! Was it a good experience? Definitely. I met some totally amazing girls who helped me through everything - exhaustion, a flat tire, one hill climb after another, frustration with the "gearheads" (experienced riders blowing past us). I'm proud of myself for sticking with this all the way through for so long. You all know what I've gone through with training, buying gear, fundraising, making travel arrangements, and actually riding. I did it!

Currently I'm at Sarah's and sooooo comfy. Today I'm taking it easy and I'll be working on the blog. I'm going to write a post for each day and I have a few pictures (it was hard to take a lot). My friend took more pics, so I will post those as I have them.

Just wanted to let everyone know I am okay, and thank you for all your support!

They have arrived!

I do not have any specific details yet, but I wanted to let everyone know that Jackie is now at the nation's Capital.

I'll continue to post as more information is available.

4 down, 1 to go

Todays ride turned out to be the hardest day yet. Despite initial information that claimed that Wednesday would be the longest day today actually turned out to be longer. On top of the longest mileage to date the route was almost all hills with very few flats. As soon as the riders crested one hill and rode down they would immediately begin the climb up the subsequent hill.

Even though there are quite a few hills around the Seattle area that Jackie and I rode on during the summer the sheer number of hills on this ride were quite formidable. From Jackie's accounts some of the hills were also extremely steep for a bike rider to the point where Jackie had to walk her bike up the hill. Now I have rode a lot of hills with Jackie and I will be the first to admit that she can kick my butt left, right and center up a hill so I know first hand that for Jackie to get off her bike on a hill, it must be pretty epic!

The end of todays route took the riders through the heart of Baltimore winding down narrow streets alongside drivers not used to sharing the road with cyclists. The final destination for the evening was a park on the east side of Baltimore where the riders set up their tents, ate dinner, listened to another speaker and then laid down for an early evening because the morning would be coming even earlier.

Tomorrow looks to be an easier day with more flats and even some down hill, but although tomorrow is the final day it is not a day to meander through the countryside. At the end of tomorrow's route awaits senators and congress(wo)men who will be speaking with the riders along with parts of the media that are documenting the wrap up of the event. Jackie was told that it was been confirmed that she will have the opportunity to meet Washington's own Maria Cantwell. Thankfully the representatives of Washington are already doing a great deal for our state compared to a lot of other states so there are not many things to add with the short amount of time they will have together.

After all is said and done Jackie will have her bike dissembled in order to be shipped back to Seattle. Jackie's friend, Sarah Mars, will be picking her up and taking her home where Jackie will be able to shower and relax and sit on something other than a piece of hard foam and rubber.

Over half way

Unfortunately I was not able to talk with Jackie this evening because I was in meetings and the cell reception in the area is very limited so Jackie had limited opportunity to call before getting to bed early. This might be in part because the majority of people in the area are Amish. Also, the group is staying at a Mennonite summer camp approximately 50 south of Lancaster, PA. From the message that I got from Jackie, riders had the option of paying $6 in order to stay in dormitory style rooms for the evening which Jackie immediately accepted (rightfully so).

Today was the longest day of the ride and with this behind them the riders are almost two-thirds of the way through the ride. I know based on a text message from Jackie that one of the highlights today was an ice cream break at Strausburg Creamery. I am looking forward to hearing more about riding through Amish country and crossing my fingers that the next two days of riding go well for Jackie and everyone on the ride!

If you would like more details on the ride the staff of Climate Ride are posting occasionally to Twitter and keeping blogs and photos which can be connected to through Twitter.

Princeton last night, Valley Forge tonight!

Jackie has completed day 2 of 5! The first thing that I will say is how much Jackie appreciates all of the support that she has been receiving from people while she is on her ride, via text messages and voice mails. Because of a lack phone charging opportunities Jackie has been keeping her phone mostly turned off during the day in order to preserve the battery (it is her alarm clock as well phone) so if you have been trying to call her and get her voice mail all the time that is why.

Last Friday evening Jackie and the other riders met in New York for the kick off of 300 miles of biking riding, raising climate awareness and probably some soul searching as well. Jackie met up with 3 other women on the ride who are reasonably well matched with herself and have spent the majority of the ride together offering support and motivation.

Leading up to the ride there was not much information regarding the terrain, but it was assumed that because hills were not being highlighted there would not be a great many hills during the course of the ride. Unfortunately for the riders there are in fact a lot of hills which are pushing the riders further than they had expected to be this early in the ride. Jackie has found that the talks in the evening are very helpful for keeping her morale up because they remind her of why she is on this ride.

Tonight the riders are staying in dormitories so Jackie is hoping for a restful sleep after a suddenly cold night last night. Tomorrow marks the 3rd and longest day of the ride at 70 miles. Some people are saying that the route is also one of the hilliest routes of the ride, but as information from organizers continues to be sparse it is still unclear what the actual terrain will be.

Jackie is (understandably) tired, but is keeping up high spirits and is looking forward to completely the 300 miles and riding into Washington DC on Wednesday.

Travel and Jersey

Hi all,

I hope you enjoyed Dave's first post. He's so helpful!

Since I have the chance now and probably won't again until D.C., I thought I'd write my thoughts on the beginning of my trip...

Having Dave take me to the airport was so helpful. I had a busy day at work on Wednesday and hurried home to finish a few things before we had to leave for the airport. I felt really stressed and nervous, and I just needed Dave there. He came in with me and we got food and sat together until I had to go through security. The first flight got off fine. My biggest issue was the woman next to me took my pillow! It was a red eye flight where they give everyone a pillow and blanket, and the person next to me got there first and took mine. She already had her eyes closed, so I didn't really feel like I could do anything without seeming dramatic. Still, it was annoying. I got maybe a little sleep, but it was hard because I had the aisle (and no pillow). The flight was just under 4 hours to Detroit. I had only about a 55 minute layover, so I basically got off one plane, walked to the next, and they were pre-boarding. As Dave said, no surprise that my bag didn't make it to LaGuardia with me! I at least had more space on the flight. The woman with the luggage office really was very nice, too.

So, bagless, I waited for my shuttle to Penn Station. As it happened, the shuttle stopped at Grand Central Station with a connection. I ended up walking to Penn Station because it was only about 10 blocks. It was nice to get just a small taste of what it's like in the city. At Penn Station I navigated my way through to the New Jersey Transit section, bought a ticket, and caught a train to Don and Lisa's (Danielle's parents) home in New Jersey. It was actually quite pleasant taking the train, reading, and looking out the window.

Lisa met me at the train station and took me home. She showed me around, fed me (a yummy vegetarian sandwich!), and generally made me feel very welcome. While she headed out for a class at the school she runs, I took a nap and figured out some details for tomorrow. Later on I read in the porch swing and enjoyed hearing about some of Danielle's art from her childhood - seriously impressive stuff. I also got to know Lisa's 4 very cute dogs. I was impressed to see her walk 3 at once! We went out to pick up 2 neighbor kids at daycare - Abby and Kaitlyn. They were very cute and fun, and we played with them while getting ready for dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed Lisa's famous sauce with stuffed pasta, salad, and bread - yum. Wine and cupcakes made for a perfect birthday meal. I even got a crown!

I'm really glad I came out here for the day. It's been wonderful to have people to take care of me and help me rest before the craziness of this week. Currently I'm exhausted, so I know I'll sleep well!

As for tomorrow, I will get up in the morning and Lisa will take me to the train station. I will return to Penn Station, then take the subway to my hostel. After dropping off my bag, I will take the subway up to Central Park - I plan to visit the carousel and get a pretzel (Danielle's instructions). Then I will walk to the bike shop and pick up my bike. We will make adjustments, and then I will transport it to the starting location for the ride. This will probably mean taking it on the subway, which is allowed. I'm going to ask the bike guys their advice. By this time I will probably need to go drop off my bike and do my registration for the ride. We have an opening celebration in collaboration with Manhattan Greendrinks at BLVD. I think it will be fun - open talks, green Manhattanites, food and drinks. I hope to get a decent night sleep at the hostel, as we gather at 7am on Saturday morning. We will bike to the south ferry and take that across to New Jersey. Then we get going to Princeton.

Thanks to everyone for you inquiries and support. I hope to send some texts along the way, but do check back on the blog for more updates from Dave. And keep sending me good vibes!

Jackie made it safely to the East coast

Good afternoon all!

I will be guesting blogging for Jackie while she is on her ride because she will have (potentially) limited cell phone access and no internet access.

Last night I dropped Jackie at the Seatac airport for a 10:10pm (pst) flight. At approximately 8am (est) this morning Jackie arrived in New York after a very short layover in Denver. Due to the short layover Jackie's checked luggage did not make it onto the flight with her. After a reassuring conversation with a kind woman at baggage claim Jackie made her way to Penn Station (with the assertion that her bag would be delivered to her later in the day). The one up side of her bag being delayed was that she did not need to haul her bag along with her.

Currently Jackie is resting comforatbly at the home of Danielle's family in New Jersey as she prepares herself for her upcoming ride. Tomorrow (Friday) Jackie will head back into New York where she will pick up her bike and finally meet the organizers and other riders.

I'll continue to post updates as I hear more!

My bike is in New York!

Good news! I just talked to Toga Bikes and my bike has safely arrived in New York City! They will be assembling it in the next couple of days.

Next step - me. I leave tonight at 10 p.m.

I leave tomorrow!

Wow. I can't believe it's here! Tomorrow night I leave for Climate Ride. I'm definitely nervous, but I'm also ready to get this thing going! Everyone has been wishing me luck, which is so nice. I'm glad to know I have so many fans cheering me on. :)

I was just looking at 10-day weather forecasts for the region, and no rain is predicted (could we be so lucky?). Highs range from 60-80 degrees, so pretty ideal. This is perfect because it really matches the conditions I've been training in. It also sounds pretty comforable for sleeping in a tent a couple of nights!

Packing is going well. The bag Danielle let me borrow seems like it is going to be perfect. And my stuff doesn't seem to be too heavy, which is fantastic. I finished laundry yesterday and I'm getting everything piled in there and ready to go.

In other news, I found out that we will receive some fun free goodies from Nike - a black sweatsuit (sounds comfy for evenings after riding). We'll also get treats from Burt's Bees, a mug, and a couple of Nalgene water bottles. Yay for SWAG!

Thanks to everyone for being so thoughtful about my birthday. I kind of feel like I've forgotten about it this year! I appreciate your understanding about my crazy schedule before I leave, and I appreciate all the well wishes.

I will probably blog from the Merseles' in New Jersey, but after that I don't expect I will be able to until I reach Sarah's in D.C. Dave will be doing a few guest blogs to keep you updated on my progress. We really don't know how cell phone reception will be or how often I will be able to charge my phone, but I hope to provide as many updated as possible. I plan to start blogging about the ride when I get to D.C. and I'll keep catching up after I return home on the 27th.

Love to all my friends and family! I will miss you!

Exciting Climate Ride updates!

I just got a new e-mail from Climate Ride with some exciting updates!

Senator Maria Cantwell will be speaking to Climate Riders at our press event in D.C.! I'm trying to find out if there is a way for me to meet her since I'm the only Washington State rider.

They are selling some really cool t-shirts that support Climate Ride. I think I might have to invest!

Sundance Channel did a video spot on Climate Ride. I have to admit the rider images totally intimidate me - can I really be like one of those people? Let's hope so!

Climate Ride is now on Twitter.

And apparently we'll be getting goodie bags - including a stainless steel mug (so I don't have to pack one). Fun!

The ride is only 10 days away!

Carbon emissions offset!

I keep meaning to post this! I thought you would all like to know that I have purchased offsets to cover the carbon footprint of my flights to get to and from Climate Ride.

Cliff Bar is a sponsor of the ride, and they offer a "Cool Tags" program. Learn more at "Green My Ride." It was $24 to purchase offsets for my flights, and I selected a 50/50 blend of wind and methane.

While offsets aren't a solution to climate change, they are a powerful step to take after reducing your carbon footprint. No one can complete eliminate their carbon footprint, and offsets are a way of making up for your impact while supporting innovation in green business and technology. I know that I will always want to travel and experience new places, but sadly travel is a major contributor to carbon emissions. A balance of minimizing trips, traveling to places close to home, and purchasing offsets will help mediate the choice to travel.

Last biking weekend complete

Well, we survived. I think Dave had his doubts (understandably), but we made it through the weekend.

To be clear, it's not that we couldn't physically handle back to back days of 50 mile rides. It's that I'm mentally sick of biking. On Saturday morning I said, "I want to go to the zoo." It's taken a lot of our time this summer to prepare for my bike trip, and I'm really ready to have more time for other interests. I'm still excited and I don't have any regrets, I'm just ready to go and do this thing! Apparently my mental lethargy has resulted in me reverting to age 5. I whined (a lot). I complained. I was snappy. In short, I think I was pretty much a miserable person to be around this weekend (at least when biking)!

On Saturday after I spent some time dragging my feet around the house, we rode from Ravenna to Marymoor Park and back. It's a pretty easy ride for us now, almost completely flat, a nice trail ride, and a route we know well. On the way back we stopped and visited Dana for a bit, which was lovely. Then we continued north into a strong headwind. Not the highlight of our day. We took a pause at Bothell Landing, where in the morning we had seen a bunny and in the afternoon we saw a smaller bunny (so cute!) and some chickens. I told Dave I want a bunny - he said okay, since he wanted a bunny when he was a kid. Yay! :)

Now the sad part. While in Bothell I apparently 1) sat in a little bit of dried dog poop - easy to remove and not so horrible AND 2) stepped in poop - more frustrating. Especially because I didn't realized my shoe was covered in poop until we were in Lake Forest Park and (given my incredibly pleasant attitude) Dave suggested we stop for food. In the process of discussing options and me being a pain Dave stopped and I took my first ever fall with clips. Then I was really a joy as I both scraped my knee and discovered the poop - oye. We crossed the street to Starbucks and I did everything I could to clean up. Sadly cleats are made to really cling to things, so I couldn't get everything. I calmed down and apologized for being a big pain and we made it home, deciding that 50 miles was going to be enough given how things were going.

Things were much better once we got back and cleaned up. We went to Kirkland and met my parents for dinner (Olive Garden - yum). They parked in one of the crazy super-slanted spaces in downtown Kirkland that Dave and I are always afraid of, and then we walked around the waterfront a little bit. Sleep was very good when we got back.

Sunday morning went a little better. I still didn't want to get up, but we made some tasty pancakes with some mix I got in Hawaii. They had coconut and pineapple, which I was surprised I liked, but they hit the spot and got us off to a good start. Then we drove down to Marymoor. I was feeling sick of all of the typical bike routes, so I made Dave pick. We did the Lake Sammamish loop first. There are some slightly downhill portions where you don't really have to pedal to keep moving, and at some point Dave suggested to me, "Can we pedal for a while?" :)

After Marymoor we were very hungry and I thought it would be fun to do some more relaxing riding up in Woodinville. So, we headed up to Red Hook for lunch. There were tons of bikes outside, so we didn't feel bad walking in sweaty and in bike gear. Our veggie burgers were satisfying and we tried the sampler - which works well since I like light beer and Dave dark. Then we pedaled across the street to Chateau Ste. Michelle winery. They were setting up for a concert and there was fun music playing. We looked around in the shop and sampled a rose (tasty). Then we headed back to the trail and up to downtown Woodinville. Though we were pretty full I really wanted to full experience (i.e. Cold Stone), so we got an ice cream to share (chocolate cake ice cream with Heath bar - good work, Dave).

From there we decided to return to Marymoor and call it a day. We got back and took a nap, then cleaned up and generally lounged. I think we are both glad to be done for a little while.

I biked in to work today and will be dropping off my bike at REI tonight. It will be disassembled and shipped in the next couple of days. It will be really weird to see it on the other side. I'm planning to borrow Dana's bike for a ride before soccer on Wednesday, and if I get to bike again it will probably be next Monday. I'm not going to push it, though. My body and my brain could use a rest before the big ride!

I'm finishing collecting all the gear I need. Dave's family has been wonderful in their support, and his mom found a 1-2 person tent that's really light. I'm going to take that along. Thank you!

And of course Dave deserves a big thank you for putting up with me - I'm almost there! Thank you!

P.S. - Dave and I got caught up on Battlestar Galactica on Friday night! :)

Another busy biking weekend!

It's almost the weekend, and that means more biking! 60 or more miles each day this weekend. No firm plans yet, but this is my last chance because the bike goes to REI on Monday night.

I have to admit I'm getting sick of spending all my time on a bike. It will be nice to explore other interests this fall!

Wish us luck as we head out. More updates on Sunday or Monday!

Second to last biking weekend!

Alright, one more blog!

This year Labor Day weekend meant a major training weekend. Dave and I went to Brinnon, WA, where my dad and Cathy have a cabin. On Friday I biked to work and Dave picked me up after. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island and had dinner. Then we drive to Brinnon on the Hood Canal.


On Saturday we headed out to bike with my parents. We thought there were a couple of relatively flat roads, but they turned out to be quite hilly. Still, we put in 40 miles with a ton of hills. Pretty significant! The night before we discovered that Dave had a flat tire, so I changed it and showed him how (thanks to Blake for teaching me!). On the second road Dave got a flat. I was on my way up a big hill and my parents didn't realize anything was wrong. Luckily the road was pretty short, but I got back to Dave to find him with a flat - very sad. So, my parents went back to the house and Dave and I stayed. We changed his tire again, but my mini-pump broke. My dad picked up Dave and took him back to the cabin while I biked the 6 miles back. Luckily, we managed to fix Dave's tire and him and I went back out for some more miles. We got back just in time to beat the rain, but weren't so lucky when we tried to kayak later in the day.

On Sunday we drove back, stopping by North Bay on Case Inlet (my old research site) and Miracle Ranch (where I went to camp) so that I could reminisce and share with Dave. We took Dave's bike to REI because he was having some gear trouble. Then we went to Blana's and got ready for a ride. We did the Lake Sammamish loop, a little short of 30 miles with a few hills (but nothing like Saturday!). We started late in the day, so it was a nice way to get in some miles in 2 hours. Dave and I were super hungry, dirty, and tired after that. I passed out at 9:30pm, but he stayed up until midnight reading Harry Potter!

On Monday we headed back to Blana's for more riding. I wanted to do 60-70 miles. First we did the Lake Sammamish route again, returning to Blana's for a lunch break. Our butts really hurt sitting on a bike seat by that time, but we all headed out and biked from Redmond to Bothell Landing, about 16 miles. We had a quick hot chocolate break when we got back. Then Dave and I left for the final stretch - Redmond to Bothell Landing one more time, continuing to Marymoor and back. In total we think we did about 65 miles on Monday.

Today (Tuesday) I biked to work. It seriously hurt to sit on my bike seat this morning. Really. My legs weren't even that bad, I just didn't want to sit down! I made my way into work, not very quickly, but not awful. I worked a little late tonight, and then biked home. I made it on the usual route up Eastlake and 11th - the hilliest, but fastest, way home. It didn't take me too long, and I don't feel completely exhausted.

I'm giving my body a break for a couple days because I'll be busy, but Friday - Sunday I'll be right back at it. I'd like to do back to back 60-70 mile days next weekend. I'm thinking we'll ride from my place to Marymoor and back on Saturday. We can visit Blana in Redmond and get in about 50 miles. We'll add on something extra to increase the miles - maybe continuing to Fremont to get ice cream at Molly Moon and taking a loop around Green Lake. Not sure for Sunday. We might do the Seattle Half Century loop in reverse, but go around East Lake Sammamish. That should be pushing 70 miles altogether. With any luck the weather won't be awful! Hopefully I can get in a little riding on Friday, and I'll ride my bike in to work and to REI to drop the bike off on Monday.

It's going to feel really strange to drop it off, but Dana said I can use her bike to get in a couple of short rides before I leave. I don't plan to do too much, as I want to be good to my body. So far everything is holding in there - my body, the bike, everything. I just have to keep in together for a few more weeks. :)

Keep sending me good vibes!

Travel plan and itinerary updates

Since returning from Hawaii I've been in high gear on all fronts. At work I'm preparing for The Salmon Return on September 13 - my next big event. There are about a million other things to do, so I'm just trying to keep on top of things.

As you know, I went into a big push on fundraising. Now that I'm at the minimum requirement there is a huge weight off my shoulders. I have a bag from Danielle, sleeping bag options from my family, and I'm probably borrowing a tent from Jeff's brother (again, a million thank yous to everyone).

I'm finalizing my plans for travel to the event. I leave on the night of Wednesday, September 17 and will arrive in New York on September 18. I'll be staying with Danielle's family in New Jersey that night - many, many thanks to the Merseles family! On Friday I will take the train back into the city, sightsee, and pick up my bike. That night is the kick-off event at BLVD. I'll spend the night at a hostel and we leave at 7am on September 20 (my b-day).

We have received some rider updates as well. Here's an overview of the itinerary:
Day 1 (9/20): New York to Princeton, NJ, 45 miles, ferry from NY to NJ, Garden State
Day 2 (9/21): Princeton, NJ to Valley Forge, PA, 60 miles, biking the Delaware River
Day 3 (9/22): Valley Forge to Holtwood, 70 miles, Amish country, Susquehanna River
Day 4 (9/23): Holtwood, PA to Baltimore, MD, 60 miles, horse country, almost there!
Day 5 9/24): Baltimore to D.C., 55 miles, Capitol Crescent Trail, press event, finish

I have a few more things to pick up and prepare, but I'm getting there! Dana and Blake gave me two new jerseys for my birthday - a big help! They also got me a second water bottle holder, so I can have two on my bike. I have patch kits, tubes, all that stuff. Now I'm looking for a handle bar bag that fits my bike (it's pretty small, to fit me!).

Whew!

Hawaii was great!

August 16-23 I enjoyed a wonderful vacation with my mom, Len, Ryan, Joshua, Tony, and Jewell.

I had a bit of an adventure flying to Maui to join the rest of the crew (they were flying in from Kauai). My flight from Seattle to Honolulu was delayed, and Maui has a curfew, so I missed the last flight. I ended up spending the night in Honolulu. To add insult to injury my connecting flight was on Aloha Airlines, which no longer exists. Luckily Northwest had control of my ticket and switched me to a Hawaiian Airlines flight. Eventually I made it to Maui, and it was beautiful!

We had a relaxing week with a good mix of activities. Sunday (when I arrived) we went to Lahaina and looked at some crafts under the banyon tree. Then we had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise - very fun. We rented snorkel gear and went to the beach by the condo that afternoon. Monday and Tuesday we hung out by the pool, did some swimming in the ocean, went to an amazing beach where we snorkeled and saw turtles, and went out to dinner for Jewell's birthday.

Wednesday we did a set of 5 zip lines at Mt. Haleakala. The first 4 are to warm up and the 5th is the fastest zip line in Hawaii! We were a bit intimidated looking across the 750' line - especially when we learned that we would pass by the landing platform on the far side (continuing up the hill), zip back to the center of the line, and finally forward again to the platform where one of the guides would catch our feet. After running off the platform (we were encouraged to do so because of the slack in the line - to avoid hitting the platform), I closed my eyes and screamed. After that I just enjoyed the ride! Post-zip line we went up to the summit of Mt. Haleakala, but it was pretty cloudy. Then we visited Len, Tony, and Jewell's old home in Maui - it was fun to think that they used to live there! On the way home we visited a plantation that grew all kinds of Hawaiian produce - pineapple, bananas, guava, AVOCADOS (I thought of you, Danielle!), and more. There was a very amusing Hawaiian man leading our tram tour. He called me "little Husky" (he asked us about UW).


Thursday and Friday we did a lot of relaxing. We had a nice outing at Whaler's Village, including dinner in a restaurant with a sand floor. We spent more time at the beach and in the pool. All very nice! Saturday we went to see the Iao Needle in an interesting valley with high cliffs around it. Then we were killing time before the flight.

All went well on the flight back. My flight from Maui to Honolulu was 30 minutes after everyone else's, but then they got on my plane when it continued to Kauai! I was getting off to connect straight back to Seattle. Very silly.

I'm very glad to be back in the same state with Dave, though now we only have about two weeks until I leave for New York! Eeek!

Fundraising goal acheived!

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported my ride! With your help I have reached the fundraising goal needed to participate. The beneficiary organizations are fantastic, and the encouragement everyone has shown me is truly incredible.

I STILL plan to catch up on blogging (tonight!). Actually all this biking has prevented me from having time to sit in front of the computer and tell you about it. Until tonight, I at least wanted to let you all know how much I appreciate what you've done for me.

Only 15 days until I leave for New York!

Almost there!

I plan to write an update with a little on Hawaii and on the plans for the next couple of weeks, but in the meantime...

THANK YOU!

I just need $440 more to reach $1750 of the $2250 fundraising minimum. I can't even begin to tell everyone how much your support means to me. I've been finding myself getting chocked up every time I get an e-mail about a donation. So many of you have shared incredibly kind words. Thank you for supporting me, and the Climate Ride cause! It helps me feel less nervous and overwhelmed knowing so many wonderful people are behind me.

Need help reaching donation requirement

Hello family and friends,

I need your help to reach the donation requirement to participate in Climate Ride. In order to participate in the ride I must reach $2,250. My plane tickets are purchased, arrangements for shipping my bike are set, and I've been training since April. I am prepared to donate $500 on my own beyond the time and money I'm putting into the ride, but I really need your help to raise an additional $860 to get to that point. Thank you so much to those of you who have already donated, and for spreading the word to additional family and friends.

To donate please visit my personal fundraising page linked on the right (https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=272731&supid=214510737) or you can submit a donation through the mail by printing the downloadable form on the donation page. The ride starts on my birthday, and I encourage you to make a donation to support the ride if you were considering giving a present. If you are not able to offer support financially, here are other ways you can help:

1. Spread the word! Please help me reach family, friends, environmental and cycling advocates, anyone! I'm the only person in Washington participating in the ride, so if you have contacts in local cycling organizations you think might be interested in lending support, please let me know.
2. Share your encouragement, advice, questions, whatever you have. Positive energy is exactly what I need! Thanks to everyone who has been on a training ride, keeping up with my blog, or asking me how training is going. Special thanks to Dave for his incredible patience with me as I go through this process.
3. Let me know if you have a light, compact, backpacking-style tent or sleeping bag that I could borrow for the ride.
4. Let me know if you have a large bag appropriate for packing a tent, sleeping bag, cycling gear, etc. that I could borrow. Thanks to Danielle for offering hers - I'd like to try it out!
5. Let me know if you have contacts in New York that I might be able to stay with on September 18 - 20 before the ride. If they don't have space, I'd also appreciate help navigating! Thanks to Sarah for putting me up in DC!


I also want to share with you my story of why I want to participate in Climate Ride.

First, and most importantly, I deeply believe in the cause. As you know, my work is centered around my belief in building a sustainable society. I believe it is essential that we find ways to live that facilitate the conservation of ecological systems while considering environmental equity, human rights, cultural sensitivity, and education for people around the world. It has been my pleasure in the last year to work as the Environmental Steward for Seattle Art Museum, where I work on programs that demonstrate the connections between art, environment, and life. I am also involved in building community partnerships, an active network of internal SAM conservation supporters, and a fantastic and dedicated group of volunteers, along with supporting the inspirational site of the Olympic Sculpture Park. This spring I organized "Climate Day for Kids," a family program at the park. I also manage SAM's membership in Seattle Climate Partnership and Seattle Climate Action Now. Global climate change is a huge issue, and one that affects all people. The time to make changes is now, and that is exactly what Climate Ride calls for. I view Climate Ride as a way to continue my support of environmental initiatives in my personal life.

Climate Ride benefits two influential organizations: Clean Air-Cool Planet and Focus the Nation. Clean Air-Cool Planet is an example of the many regional groups forming to address climate change, and often setting the goal of meeting the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. As you may know, The Kyoto Protocol was an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (the cause of global climate change). The United States is not a signatory of the protocol. The City of Seattle has been a leader in this area under Mayor Nickels, forming Seattle Climate Partnership and Seattle Climate Action Now. Washington is also active in the Western Climate Initiative and through 1Sky Washington. Focus the Nation is an incredible educational organization. Last winter Focus the Nation gathered students and community members to discuss climate change, a clean energy economy, and solutions for a sustainable society. Community-based networks and solutions-oriented thinking predominate today, and it is exciting to see people of all types come together to solve the problems we face.

Additionally, I view Climate Ride as an incredible and life-changing experience. I have never participated in an event as physically demanding as Climate Ride - I will bike 320 miles from New York City to Washington, D.C. in 5 days (50-80 miles per day). I am also participating in this ride as an individual, which will require me to find strength in myself and to get to know the other riders along the way. While I've traveled many places to meet friends and family, this is the first trip where I am not meeting someone on the other side (at least not until DC!). I'm definitely nervous, but I'm excited and know that I will be proud of myself afterwards. I also know that I will have lots of love and good vibes coming my way from all across the country! There's a big part of me that wants to be the kind of person who can undertake this sort of adventure - this is my way of finding that person in myself. Add in that Climate Ride starts on my 26th birthday (September 20), and I feel like I've found the perfect way to celebrate!

Thank you for your love and support,
Jackie

Off to Hawaii

Today it is supposed to reach 91 degrees in Seattle. Miserable. Tomorrow is predicted to be even hotter. This isn't doing much for my riding. I am hoping to get in a short ride tomorrow morning when it's not too hot and before I leave for Hawaii.

Speaking of Hawaii...I'm really excited to join my family for this trip. We'll be on Maui. On Wednesday we will be doing a zip line, and I have no doubt there will be lots of other adventures. While not exactly cycling related, I think the mental health break will be really good for me.

Dave gets back after I leave. Sad. He's been having a great time in the Virgin Islands, though. Today they are scuba diving off the British Virgin Islands - wow!

More when I return...

Coping without Dave by biking A LOT!

On Sunday Blake, Dana, Laurel, and I rode around Lake Sammamish. We hoped over to the Burke Gilman, went to Marymoor Park, and then moved over to West Lake Sammamish. There are great bike lanes, and Blana and I had done the stretch down to just before Issaquah. When we reached the end of the portion we did for the Seattle Century, I recognized the roundabout I had turned at when I biked to Dave's office. We went along the stretch I had taken on that trip into Issaquah. I pointed out Dave's office as we cut over the East Lake Sammamish Parkway. At this point we had to take to the sidewalk for a bit. Eventually the bike lane picks up again.

Overall the ride was really nice. Just under 30 miles, so a good ride to fit into an afternoon. There are a good number of small hills that help with training, but aren't killer. Overall the route feels very safe from cars. I learned how to properly use my clips on this ride and I'm loving them. No falls yet (knock on wood). We were very quick, which was good for me. I pushed myself to a little faster than I would good by myself. We did the whole ride in just over an hour and a half with an average speed of 15.3 mph. To add to these accomplishments, I found a way to fit by bike in my car only taking off the front wheel - hooray!

I've also biked to work the last two days and I will be biking again tomorrow. Thursday I probably won't be able to, but I plan to get in some miles on Friday and maybe Saturday morning. I'm really starting to feel like a cyclist. Getting in the saddle is becoming easier and easier. Biking to work seems much easier now than it used to - even after a long day of work. It's been interesting to find how much energy goes into riding on the road starting and stopping, merging, etc. Biking to work seems to take so much longer and so much more energy than a recreational ride. It doesn't help that there are a lot of hills to climb after a long day. Given that, finding the ride easier feels like a real accomplishment!

On another note...I figured out how to take photos with the gnome. I rediscovered some useful settings on my camera. Amelie-style pictures here I come!