Week 1 - Made it to Idaho - 450 miles

Hello Family and Friends!

I just completed my first week on the bike trip. We flew out last Saturday and spent 2 days hanging out in Seattle and met up with family. We then officially started the trip Monday out of Anacortes, a seaside town where we touched our bikes to the Pacific Ocean. We are taking the Northern Tier Route, a well established route that starts in Washington.

Thus far this trip has been everything I hoped for and more. However this was the most challenging week of my life both mentally and physically. We climbed a series of mountains this week which made traversing through Washington state one of the most grueling weeks of the trip. Physically, I reached my breaking points multiple times during this week. Climbing up the mountains such as Washington Pass was grueling, to the point where even on the lowest gear I was moving at a snails pass comparable to walking the bike. Mentally, it can be difficult to stay positive at times knowing you have so many more miles to cover in addition to the boredom that accompanies biking 7+ hrs a day. However, my body is adjusting to the high mileage and I am finding different things to listen to while riding. My riding partner John "Ironman" Sullivan has been the perfect match for me always being positive, taking leadership with navigation, and pushing me everyday.

Besides the beauty of the landscape, one of the greatest parts of the trip is the people we've met. Countless times while trying to repair a flat tire random cars would pull over and ask if we needed help. Strangers would come up to us in grocery stores and ask about the trip. Drivers consistently provide adequate safe to pass on our side, and opposing drivers kindly wave to us giving us support. Most notably, John and I have been tapping into a couchsurfing type community called Warmshowers that allows bikers to stays with hosts for free. The wonderful hosts we have met so far who have housed, fed, and allowed us to shower:

Susan Ernsdorff - Twisp, WA - Provided us a room to stay and taught us how to play kubbs (an game of wooden blocks played by the Vikings)

Scott Greene - Omak, WA - Scott Provided his basement for John and I, a night of conversation, advice for the road ahead, and breakfast in the morning.

DiAnne and Boyd Hewitt - Republic, WA - DiAnne is a postmaster and Boyd is a mining manager who provided us 2 of the most comfortable beds I've slept in. We ended up taking a last minute rest day in Republic, and the Hewitts graciously offered to host us for another night. They made one of the best dinners I've had in awhile: smoked ribs/grilled asparagus/potato salad and filled the night with conversation.

Angela Barton - Colville, WA - Angela and her family live on 470 acres of farmland with over 300 animals. The family graciously offered us a glimpse into farm life and allowed us to meet all the animals (and even milk a goat!)

Also huge shout out to Susan who graciously drove us from Seattle to our start location.

Today we had a 100 mile day from the outskirts of Colville, Washington to Priest River, Idaho! Next stop will be Montana! No worries if you skipped all that^ a bunch of pictures from the first week below.