Saturday, May 31, 2003

Seattle to Astoria, Oregon

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We started our trip with a reception and send off at the HealthSouth Ambulatory Surgical Center in Bremerton, Washington.  Judy Hughes, Administrator and other staff members were most gracious hosts for our send off and we were able to spend some time touring their new state-of-the-art facility that Judy and others there at HealthSouth designed.

Eric Victor, Physical Therapist Administrator, was also there to meet us and wish us well.  Pictured with him is Trish, Jim's wife who is providing support for us during the trip.  Eric is also an avid bicyclist and guided us through the town of Bremerton.  He now has the distinction of being the first guest rider on our cross-country trip.  Without him, we would have been hopelessly lost so he is hereby known as Eric the Navigator.  Thanks Eric for all of your help. 

Bruce's niece Joanna, her husband Aaron Schmidt, and Erin's mother Vickie Schumann, her fiance Andy Laurie who live close by also stopped by to wish us well. 

After a great reception, it was time to start the trip but not before posing as manly men in front of our Ohio Willow Wood support trailer.  

After thanking our gracious hosts at the Ambulatory Surgical Center, we were off on our adventure traveling the streets of Bremerton on our way to Astoria, Oregon. 

Our heartfelt thanks to the efforts of our two support drivers, Trish and Cheryl who provided a margin of safety for us while riding on the highways of Washington.

We headed south through the state of Washington and were amazed at the scenery.  The ride to Astoria went smoothly with the exception of one major hill (which we call mountains in Missouri).  Although Mark and Bruce gave it their best efforts, it was Jim who persevered and conquered the beast, thereby giving him sole claim of "King of the Hill."  Mark and Bruce shall forever the demon incline the "Hill from Hell."

Along the way, despite repeated attempts to get Mark out of the bushes, we were unable to convince him that even though he made a territorial mark in all four corners of the state, he really does not own the state of Washington. 

Along the way, we met many friendly people, who honked and waved in support of our trip as they passed us on the highway.  One couple, in particular, Patty and Bob Moses were extremely friendly and stopped us on the road to offer lodging at their house.  Their kindness touched us deeply.

One of our goals at the end of our first day, was to wade in the Pacific Ocean in an attempt to soothe our tired feet and anoint our bikes in its salty waters.  According to local lore, this ancient ritual will guarantee success for our trip.  We left the beach with sourvenirs of wet sand on our bikes and feet which we promptly deposited in Jim and Trish's van. 

Our thanks go out to Meredy Fullen and Ohio Willow Wood and all of their employees who have made this trip a reality.  Tomorrow we are off to Portland, Oregon so stay tuned for more incredible adventures of the three Amigos.

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