Word from the road

[On the road]
[Here come the Cascades - that means mountains]
[Ben dipping his tire in the sound - yummy water]
[Starting at the bike shop]

Hello all (from Joe via Megan),
Ben and I arrived in Anacordes safe and sound on Thursday and met up with Kevin at the bike shop where our bikes were all put together and ready for us (despite the fact that Ben neglected to put his name on his bike box). We searched long and hard to find a place to dip our tires in the Pacific. The entire coast here is surrounded by docks, and very difficult to get down the the nasty water, but we finally were able to to make our way and officially begin the trip (I will post pics when we come across a library).
Our first leg was a short 17 miles to Burlington where we found a motel to stay in for the first night. The weather was fantastic and I got a wonderful 10 hours of sleep.
Friday we got going a bit late, it was a beautiful 70 degree sunny day. We had a reasonably flat 55 miles to Marble Mount, with the snow capped peaks of the Cascade Mountains as a stunning backdrop, reminding us of the hell that awaits. We were able to find a nice $5/tent campground with awesome showers for the night.



Today they expected to climb 1,000 ft. into the Cascades, and expect 4,000 tomorrow. They will bike through North Cascades National park. Joe said they may not have cell service for the next few days, but I will update if I hear from them. They have pictures ready to post for your enjoyment and will do so as soon as they come across a town large enough to have a library.

He hopes you all enjoy his (my) updates and he looks forward to sharing the ride with all of you.