Today has been four years (?) in the making. It was four years ago today that I left Seattle for Boston, a trip that was 47 years in the making. Now we’ll do it again!
Four years ago I thought the coast-to-coast ride was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. After two years had gone by, I found myself thinking about that trip more and more. The pandemic helped. I rode alone that first year. Alone on the road my mind tends to wander. Now and then I check in to see where it has gone. More and more I found it going to times on the road in the summer of 2018 – and I didn’t just relive the best parts. Summer 2020 was to be the swan song of Cycle America. Since that ride was canceled, 2022 became the last roundup. I started to think about doing it again, and here we are – leaving Seattle today.
Day 0 (Saturday). Breakfast in the hotel lobby, meeting other riders including several old friends from 4 years ago. People from Ontario (Canada), New Zealand, UK, South Africa, Bosnia, Australia, Netherlands, Vermont, Minnesota, Arizona, Texas, Iowa, New York, Massachusetts , Michigan, Maryland, Virginia, California, Oregon, Washington – and that’s just what I can remember so far. I have seen the bottom half of more faces today than I have seen in a year and a half. Already I have the cold weather clothes out. It is colder today in Seattle than anywhere across the country 4 years ago. I didn’t bring the too-warm sleeping bag. I will find out tonight if that was a mistake.
Half-fast Cycling Club 