Seattle

A view from the Edgewater Hotel Lobby 

Edgewater Lobby 

Our team celebration at end of the Northern Tier 

My day off in Seattle has been interesting and busy. Saying goodbye to the Northern Tier riders and meeting the new Pacific Coast riders all in one day was bittersweet. The new team has more seasoned (old) riders than the last ride. All seem to have experience in doing long distance bike trips. My morning began with a trip with Adam to the original REI. It’s huge and seemed overly expensive. I did need to buy a repair kit for my tent poles which they carried. I then picked up my bike from the repair shop. I felt like the shop charged me a fair price for the amount of preventative maintenance I had done on it. After that Adam and I went to the famous Pike’s Market. It, as usual, was packed with tourist. The line was a mile long to get a coffee at the original Starbucks. I’m glad I had had a gallon of coffee earlier in the morning. I did get a great bowl of clam chowder at a little restaurant further away from the maddening crowd. After returning from lunch we met for our Pacific Coast orientation. There we reviewed safety requirements, map reading and bike maintenance. We also began to become acquainted with one another. Some of us went out in the evening to a Mexican Restaurant to celebrate Kelly’s birthday. She was our route leader on the Northern Tier and has elected to continue on as a rider for the Pacific Coast. Before retiring for the night I sat in the Edgewater Hotel’s lobby and watched the ships sail by as the sun set over the mountain peaks in the distance. It was a fitting end to a busy and exciting day.