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!