Seattle, Washington: A Couple of New Developments

July 19, 2013

This afternoon I joined Aaron and a few of his bike riding buddies on a ride through Seattle to a popular party beach on the Puget Sound. We had a few IPAs from a local brewery, the name of which I don't recall. We grilled some burgers and watched the big orange sun set behind the distant Olympic Mountain range.

While talking about my bike tour, I got some advice from one of Aaron's friends who warned, from experience, that U.S. Highway 2 can be very dangerous for bike riders because of heavy traffic, the speed of traffic around sharp turns, and the fairly narrow shoulders. He suggested an alternate route into the Cascade Mountains on a bike trail that parallels I-90 up to Snoqualmie Pass.

It's difficult to believe that, right then and there, I decided to change the route I had carefully planned over the last six months. The new route will be considerably longer, but hopefully safer and more scenic.

Not only that but anywhere from four to ten of Aaron's friends said they would like to join us for the first day of the ride up into the Cascades, party for a night, and then turn around and ride back to Seattle the next morning.

Dusk on the Puget Sound with Aaron in the foreground and the Olympic Mountains in the background.

Our group rode well into the night. Across the bay is a view of the Seattle skyline. It was truly more beautiful than this picture suggests.

My tour begins tomorrow. I thought the day would never arrive, and if it did, I was sure SOMETHING would go wrong to totally screw it up. Fortunately, I was wrong. Nothing can stop me now!

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