Big Ride Day

Photos from Day 2

I slept uneasily for most of the night and awoke about 4:30 to the sounds of people taking their tents down and packing up. I can see that it's going to be a challenge to deal with the different sleeping schedules people have. Overall, today was another beautiful but very challenging day. We spent the first 40 miles of the ride rolling through beautiful mountainous countryside and farmland. The early weather was gorgeous, making the first part of today's ride was the most enjoyable of the trip so far. I rode easily and chatted with the other riders I came across. It's interesting being thrown into an experience as intense as this one with a bunch of people you don't know. In these first few days, many friendships will be forged. On this day, I met Molly, a woman who lives just 20 miles from where I grew up in PA. I also met Doug, a chiropractor from San Jose (originally from Canada).

After our mid-way checkpoint, we began another grueling ascent, but this time into a strong headwind as the temperature went over 100 degrees. Not fun! These first two days have certainly tested our collective "mettle" and left some people wondering if they would make it to D.C. (including me!) By the end of the ride, we had entered the high desert of Washington, which is very similar to the scenery I'm used to in Nevada. Tonight we're camping by the Columbia River, which is one of the windiest areas in the US. After an excellent dinner served by a local restaurant, we were about to settle in for the night when the winds really started to roar like I have never seen before! Many people's tents were literally flattened by the intense winds, which seemed to be blowing at least 50-60 miles per hour. Fortunately, my tent is so far holding up pretty well, but stay tuned tomorrow!

This page modified November 25, 2000