...One Bite at a Time! Have you ever heard that joke? Well, I was reminded of it on our first day of riding across the USA. We had our first bite of America today (Wed, 23 May 07)! It was slightly larger than I had expected.
It was an auspicious day to start our ride. We heard from Heath Maddox (Tom's son) that the woman who hit Tom last year finally pleaded "guilty" and worked out a sentence with the judge. We're glad to have that behind us! We also saw a bald eagle on the wing on the way to start the ride--another good sign!
We set our destination for the first riding day as Newberg, OR--where Larry Daane lives now. The twist is that the trip was 62 miles--much farther than I had expected for my first day of riding. Maggie and Jim took us to Lincoln City, where we dipped our back tires in the Pacific Ocean right near the Chinook Wind Casino! Just as we dipped, a wave tried to crash into us!
We started on Rt. 18, and Maggie took our stuff to Larry's for us--so all we had to carry was our rain gear and some snacks! As we departed, David asked "Has it hit you what you are beginning here?" I said "Well, today it just seems like a bike ride--but ask me again in two weeks." Since our longest ride so far has been 7 days, I think it will hit me after awhile.
We made it over the coastal range with only about 1000 feet of vertical and a bit of construction, but generally had a good ride. At about the 4 hour mark, my rear told me we were done riding. But we still had 15 miles to go! So we slogged it out, but my rear felt like hamburger meat by the time we hit Newberg...
So the theme for Day 1 was "Butt Burn" and it was not pretty! We met up with Larry at his house and he took us for a fabulous Mexican dinner! Then it took about 3 seconds for us to fall asleep. Dawn cooked us breakfast the next morning and we loaded up to head out for Day 2!
It was an auspicious day to start our ride. We heard from Heath Maddox (Tom's son) that the woman who hit Tom last year finally pleaded "guilty" and worked out a sentence with the judge. We're glad to have that behind us! We also saw a bald eagle on the wing on the way to start the ride--another good sign!
We set our destination for the first riding day as Newberg, OR--where Larry Daane lives now. The twist is that the trip was 62 miles--much farther than I had expected for my first day of riding. Maggie and Jim took us to Lincoln City, where we dipped our back tires in the Pacific Ocean right near the Chinook Wind Casino! Just as we dipped, a wave tried to crash into us!
We started on Rt. 18, and Maggie took our stuff to Larry's for us--so all we had to carry was our rain gear and some snacks! As we departed, David asked "Has it hit you what you are beginning here?" I said "Well, today it just seems like a bike ride--but ask me again in two weeks." Since our longest ride so far has been 7 days, I think it will hit me after awhile.
We made it over the coastal range with only about 1000 feet of vertical and a bit of construction, but generally had a good ride. At about the 4 hour mark, my rear told me we were done riding. But we still had 15 miles to go! So we slogged it out, but my rear felt like hamburger meat by the time we hit Newberg...
So the theme for Day 1 was "Butt Burn" and it was not pretty! We met up with Larry at his house and he took us for a fabulous Mexican dinner! Then it took about 3 seconds for us to fall asleep. Dawn cooked us breakfast the next morning and we loaded up to head out for Day 2!
3 comments:
How exciting! You guys are amazing. I love living through you all...not quiet sure I'm in a place to put my butt through all that...maybe some day. Love you guys!!!!!
Please be careful in all that traffic! Traci, I hope your mother is not reading this, otherwise she may have a huge ulcer by the time you get to Maine!
Hi Traci!
I can't believe that you are doing this. You go girl!! I'll try to keep a watch as you journey across the US. We leave Kuala Lumpur 6/11 and will be in the states until 7/28. I sure wish I could see you. Maybe another time...BE SAFE out there!!
XOXO Debbie Wellman Maddox
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