STP

We finally headed out from the start line near UW a little after 730am on Saturday morning, after sitting in traffic for over an hour. We split the 204 miles into two days, making it 127 miles to Vadar the first day. Mike (Joy's husband) provided exceptional ride support & met us in Vadar with their huge trailor & a dinner that definitely made the top five list of best meals ever.

There was a few hiccups on the first day. Near mile 25 Jerry broke a spoke & we had to wait for the support vehicle to take him to the nearest repair. And what would a big event like this be without Liza taking a tumble!? Around mile 70, I hit the lip of the trail wrong & went head over bike. Thanks to my experience with mountain bike tumbles, I executed a very nice tuck & roll. I only have a few bruises to show off & my wonderful husband fixed my bent handlebars.

The weather was gorgeous with very little wind. The best riding of the entire trip was late Saturday. We were all tired & had another 20 miles to go, but we left behind the crowds in Centralia & we were riding through rolling countryside. The evening sun was so beautiful on the grass fields & I got to moo at cows. :)
Getting on our bikes Sunday morning was painful for all of us--thank God for Advil. We crossed the Columbia River into Oregon on the Lewis & Clark Bridge. The southbound lane was shutdown as a seemingly endless stream of cyclists crested the bridge & joined the highway on the other side. I wish I could have gotten a photo of it.

We crossed the finish line just after 1pm, 30 hours after leaving Seattle. We had spent over 13 hours in the saddle & averaged about 15 miles an hour. Amazingly enough, not one of us got a flat tire on the entire trip!
Jerry, Joy, Levi & I all agreed it was a great trip, but if we were to ever do it again we'll hammer it out in one day on tandems!

As I was riding to raise money for Heifer International, I attached a sign to my bike & received some cheers & encouragement along the way. There was a few times when I was tired & pained, but I kept thinking how my struggle was nothing compared to the struggles of the families that Heifer is seeking to help. And thanks to my family, friends & co-workers, more of these poor families will receive help! I am still collected pledges, but so far my ride has raised over $2,000 to support Heifer's important work! Thanks to all for your pledges & encouragement.