Packed Up!

Yesterday was packing day and all I'll have to do is throw some final things in an tape up the boxes.  Em scored bike boxes for me before I got here.  Thanks, Em!  It turns out one of them fits perfectly inside the other, so my bike has double protection!  Perfect!  So Meg, the seasoned international cyclist that she is, helped me pack up my bike with tender loving care.  Well, "helped me" really translates to "she packed it up and I watched".  I'm so thankful to have had her help.  Nerve wracking as it will be to check this box on the plane, I know that it is packaged as good as it can be without having a hard case for it.  (A hard case would be pain since I'd have to ship it to Gothenburg, Sweden, my final destination.)

I also got to witness the magic of Em working on the lathe.  The bowls she's making are amazing.  I want a cupboard full of them!  The ones pictured here are made of Black walnut that she scored at a job site.

Chillin' with Em and Meg

The last couple of days have been filled with friends, food, and flowers.  Seattle is in full bloom and the colors and smells experienced while walking around the university area (where Em & Meg live) are amazing.  I met up with Meg on Friday for lunch down on the water at a place called Agua Verde.  Yummy yam tacos!  Yesterday, the three of us drove down to Brady to cheer Meg on in a bike race.  The weather stayed nice (that doesn't mean that the sun was shining, it just means it wasn't raining) and after Meg raced, we posted up as corner marshals on corner number 4 of the 18 mile circuit.  The three of us quickly became known as "The Peanut Gallery" among the other volunteers.  It was a good time watching the different fields cruise past and laughing about whatever we could think of with the other volunteers during the frequent lulls in race activity.  FYI: cycling is not a spectator sport (unless it's a crit)

Today, I'm working on packing.  I have to do my final check on equipment and get my gear into two boxes and ready to check on the plane.  That's going to take some coffee.

On the Road

After much duress, I finally got completely moved out of my apartment and into a 10’x10’ storage unit.  Well, everything fit except for my 5 bikes (one of which, I have with me).  Some obliging friends took them in and gave them shelter and security in their garage. (Thanks, C&A)  I checked out of my apartment (after being reminded that I was not going to get my entire deposit back if I didn’t clean the oven), ran errands around town (forward mail, return Bresnan‘s modem, return all borrowed items to various friends, etc), and then left  town, bound for Seattle.  The drive was uneventful except for the downpours I experienced along the way and almost falling asleep at the wheel (after nodding off, I got Rihanna to keep me awake.  That's right, I said Rihanna.)  Once I got close, I stayed on the phone with Em and she guided me down the interstate, through town, and up their street where she ran out in front of the car to show me that I'd arrived.  Classic.  I’m now nestled into the loft of a cute little chalet in Meg and Emily’s backyard.  What a great way to start this journey.  I should also note (wait for it) that this is my first time to Seattle.  I’ve looked down on the city from the summit of “The Mountain”, but this is actually my first time here.  It’s humid and there’s lots of spiders.

Moving out

Tying up lose ends with GrizzlyMan, packing, cleaning, and testing out my new camp rest?  I'm hoping to leave town on Thursday morning for Seattle.

I'm so thankful to have had the support of my dad and sister for the GrizzlyMan.  They proved to be invaluable help to us in executing a successful event.  Cohen was such an incredible volunteer coordinator that I think everyone on the planning committee has decided that she is now required to return each year and help us out.  Dad was so great to have at the finish line.  Not only was he keeping track of racers and checking their names off the list, he was asking them if they had a good time and how their race experience was.  That was great since the rest of us were busy checking passports and entering data in the computers.  Thanks for the help in getting me moved out too.  I'm really close now!

Blogging?

 

Late Night Packing

This is a test. This is only a test.  I'm hoping to keep a blog going while I'm in Europe, so I figured I'd give posting a shot.  I was up late last night performing my OCD pre-trip ritual of spreading things out on the floor and checking them off my list (Excel spreadsheet, actually) of necessary items.  Planning for this trip has been quite a dance.  Multitasking between packing/planning for this bike tour, planning/directing the GrizzlyMan Adventure Race (which happens in two days), and moving out of my apartment and into a storage unit has proved challenging.  So, no more time for this post!