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Published: September 2nd 2008
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Hello again folks!
Thanks for all your supportive messages. It makes such a difference. I have never done this travelling lark before but every now and then I think of all my nice, normal, lovely friends and family in the UK and it makes me smile very broadly.
So, I am now in Bellingham, the northernmost town in the US (on the West side, anyway).
But first let me tell you how I spent my last day in Seattle. I had a nice leisurely morning (it really is a great hostel - so friendly - if you ever find yourself in Seattle I highly recommend 'Hostel Seattle'. It's quite small and the owners Lee and Nancy make a great effort to know everyone's names and take an interest in what you're up to). And then I took myself off to the nearby Farmer's Market which was very colourful with all manner of different veggies, fruit and flowers for sale, as well as cakes, cookies, cider, and lots more. I enjoyed strolling around there and I partook of a very tasty pizza from an enormous outdoor wood-burning oven, where coincidentally the dough was being made by Emily who also
On the train to Bellingham
And in case any of you have forgotten what I look like :-) worked in my hostel; pizza-making was her second job! I also bought a punnet of beautifully sweet, juicy blackberries, and then stopped for a tea and cookie and a good book-reading session in a nearby cafe.
After that, I re-visited the locks where I had been the previous day, and lay in the botanic gardens there listening to some live jazz that was being played in honour of the Labor Day weekend. The band was great so I did enjoy whiling away my time that way.
Back in the hostel, I packed up my panniers, said goodbye to the hostel folk and cycled to the train station in Seattle to pick up my ticket. After that I had a quick early two-course dinner in an Italian restaurant which was delicious, and then made my way back to the station. My experience of getting on a train with the bike was my best ever. The train staff did not act as though you were being awkward and purposely trying to annoy them by bringing your bike with you - on the contrary, they made it as easy as possible for me and even helped me get the bike on
Watching the sun set
out of the train window the train and carry my panniers. The train was super-comfortable and I shared my carriage with only one other person. The route was beautiful, skimming the water's edge for much of the way - really, it would not have been possible for the train to be ANY closer to the water. And, the sun was setting and I was looking out of the train towards the West - perfect. On arrival in Bellingham, it was already dark but I had my google map print-out and my bike lights, and it was only a couple of miles from there to my Travelodge where I was booked in for the night.
This morning I rose early to cycle to the bike shop in Bellingham where I knew some of the other cyclists were picking up their bikes (which had been shipped) and sure enough, there were several be-helmeted people sorting out all their gear. So here was my first glimpse of the people I am to spend the next 6 weeks with. Well, 4 of them anyway (out of a total of 14). These 4 are all older than me by some considerable margin, and all American, but (I shouldn't say
but) they all seemed friendly. Despite this, it wasn't the most pleasurable experience all being together for the first time with the bikes - everyone was checking out everyone else's gear and making comparisons with their own, which I found very disconcerting. It was just like queuing up outside the exam hall and feeling that everyone else had done more revision than you! But they were really positive and supportive on the ride. The cycling itself has been a bit of a shock to the system which could be (probably is) my own fault for 'winding down' my training, er, a tad too early. We did 75 miles today, and my legs were TIRED by the end, but hopefully have been warmed up again now, so the only way is up!
Anyway, we cycled all the way up to the Canadian border, which was not on our agenda but something that some of us felt we might like to do, just so that we can say, on reaching the end, that we have 'done border to border'. So I'm glad I did it. As I couldn't be bothered to cycle another 7 hilly miles to get to the campground
And finally
This is what the Canadian border looks like tonight, I have booked into a cheap hotel instead with Nita, the other lady, to make the most of my final opportunity to sleep in a proper bed. Tomorrow, all I have to do is cycle to the campground to meet the rest of the group and have 'orientation and dinner' in the evening. Then the 'real' cycling starts on Wednesday. Please all send me your best speedy thoughts!
I think I'll leave it there for now, as this entry has become a bit long. Will write more at my next opportunity!
Lots of love xxxx
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Amy Grain
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Great to hear all about the start of your adventures whilst I sit here at my desk in sunny Cardiff. Hope the 'real' cycling goes well!! Lots of Love, Amyx