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August 10th 2008
Seattle, WA to Sequim Bay State Park, Sequim, WA 60.9 miles.
Day one and so far no problems. Not too surprisingly I got a later start than I wanted. I had to appease my millions of fans, by getting the web site up and running and then sending out mass emails to let everyone know that I was leaving. That kind of dedication takes time. Why do I do it, you may ask? For you, its all for you.
My sacrifice meant that I didn’t get pedaling until 11 am. Of course Today was supposed to be a fairly easy day, so I wasn’t too worried. I started by riding from my apartment in Seattle to the Edmonds ferry dock. Simple and straight forward. The first 10 miles were on the Burke Gilman in fact. Once at the ferry terminal I bought my ticket and was ushered to the front of the line. In your face motorists. The wait was about 15 minutes and then we loaded onto the ferry, again I got to go first. We pulled away from the dock and made a smooth crossing to Kingston. Finally I was escorted off the ferry first in line again.
I really like the Washington State Ferry system, they treat you(meaning me) like royalty. I can only hope the rest of the trip will offer me more opportunities to be so well respected. After I left the terminal the riding got to be a little more strenuous and lot more trafficked. Again it was not much of a problem because the shoulders on WA 104 are comfortably wide. Before long I was pulling into Port Gamble, where I decided to take a break and take some pictures. Right away I notice how beautiful Port Gamble is and why so many of its buildings are on the National Historic Registry. The town overlooks Puget Sound and the city park makes for a nice spot for a wedding. I deduced that using my keen eye for scenic beauty and the fact that a wedding was taking place. I wisely kept to my side and wandered over to an informational sign.
I should probably explain, if you don’t know already but after several hours on a narrow bike seat parts of your clothing tends to get bunched in places not meant for that much fabric. It is customary to adjust every time you stop and get off the bike. Well I was absent-mindedly readjusting my shorts when I realized that the Bride was standing just behind me with her Father and both were waiting for her cue before proceeding down the aisle. Note to self, when readjusting…anything, make sure you are more subtle or less public. Now I don’t know what tradition is in a moment like that, and I don’t know if a strange cyclist sticking his hand in his butt crack on your most special day is considered good luck or not, but I’d like to think so. Either way I’m sure it was a lovely ceremony.
done
Of course I didn’t stick around to find out. The rest of the day I struggled a little bit more with the climbs that seemed to go on forever, but eventually I rolled into Sequim Bay about 6:30pm. 60.9 miles after I started. A good place to end a good first day. From my campsite I can look up, (from this computer!) and watch the sun go down over Sequim Bay. I think I can consider that good luck no matter what.
Maury
