Southpark, Tukwila, Puyallup, and PowerHouse Brews

Day 5's uniform shirt has "Keep Calm and Roll On" printed on the front, a fitting slogan for one of our major sponsors 'The Here and Now Project.'  This is my good friend Kenny Salvini's organization which helps create connections between members of the Spinal Cord Injury community. Today was a calm and efficient day of rolling South through the great state of Washington with new friends.  We met up with Matt Marks near the SeaTac Airport before beginning our journey.  I have been good friends with Matt since the day we met at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz back in the Fall Semester of 2004.  We would also be joined throughout the day by friends and fellow face drivers Kenny Salvini and Jesse Collins.

We picked up where we left off yesterday and took the Duwamish Trail to the Green River Trail and the Interurban Trail.  Today was a chill day.  We had long stretches of uncomplicated and safe routes.  At times we could see the straight paved trail for miles without a single bend.  For much of the time we did not have to deal with the stress of cars and drive ways and drive thrus and red lights and the general hustle and bustle of city life.  But while we were avoiding the hustle our support system was hustling to get us what we needed.  Within less than a 3 mile stretch we received a new and improved umbrella, a bicycle helmet and uniform shirt, gave an in person interview for radio, and met up with the Tukwila Mayor for a quick goodbye.

The Crew

Around mile 8 of Wednesday's journey we had the pleasure of meeting Anne and Fred, who were on a stroll on the Green River trail. Anne was in a power chair! She's the first fellow chair wheeler we saw that wasn't already associated with my ride. That was a major highlight of the day! Keep rollin', Anne!

About halfway through our day we met up with my friend Kenny and had delicious Jimmy Johns Sandwiches delivered by my mom.  For the next 10 miles we moved through cornfields, skate parks, baseball fields, basketball courts, bridges, rivers, bald eagles, green herons, families, lovers, runners, aerosol art, and all types of workers taking a well deserved break.  This is what multi-use pathways are all about.

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We met up with my good friend Jesse in Altona and finished our ride with 3 face drivers, 4 bicyclists, a runner, and a few paparazzi.  The last few miles of our day were not as protected from traffic, which meant negotiating freeway on and off ramps, getting comfortable moving in the thin slivers between moving cars and immovable barriers, and placing our faith in the humans behind the wheels of each car. This last section was made easier by the ever present majestic beauty of Mt. Ranier in the distance.

Wheelin'

We ended the evening at the PowerHouse Brewery in Puyallup, where my personal favorite beer was the Strawberry Shake IPA (and I usually don't care for fruity beers).  We are once again spending the evening at Kenny's house and we are looking forward to a good night's sleep and an exciting tomorrow.

Day Four: Woodinville to South Park; Chairs, Directions, and Beer

Well that was a long day. We were happy to be joined once again by Denise for the start, and later joined by fellow chair-wheeler and route advisor extraordinaire Joe. It was great having them along, experiencing some real distance in their chairs.   There were some battery issues… sorry, Joe! Once in Seattle, we had the pleasure of the company of Shannon, who showed us around the excellent urban trails. Today really drove home the reality that there are so many people in wheelchairs that need access to safe transportation.

On the excellent Samamish trail in downtown Woodinville

We also spent some time with King 5, who recorded a segment on my ride for the evening news. I must say I’m not used to this kind of “rock star” status, but it’s worth it to bring attention to this cause. The support we’ve received from everyone is very encouraging!

The trails were great, but I must say downtown Seattle was tough to navigate in my chair. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re trying to bring attention to the lack of accessibility, in which case I would highly recommend the services of at least two very competent cyclists as sidekicks.  Thanks, Josh Blaustein and Josh Sutcliffe!

We had some directional issues today, losing time and adding miles backtracking after missed turns. It’s not easy trying to follow a series of turns while in traffic. Fortunately we had the assistance from strangers and friends who have been following our journey along the way.

Another thing to consider when designing means of accessible transportation is the condition and smoothness of the road. Lots of bumps are really hard on a person’s body when traveling by chair. While frustrating and exhausting, I’m happy to report that spirits remain high with the whole team and we’re all having a good, if crazy, time.

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This leg of the journey was not without it’s casualties, however. The umbrella, which my mom thinks made me look like I was a hot dog cart, blew backwards for the final time. A big gust in the middle of downtown Seattle blew the umbrella inside out and broke several spokes. If anyone has one to spare, you’ll find me on my way to Puyallup. The sun was a little harsh, and I was glad the final miles were mostly in the shade. We had to cut it a few miles short after a long bumpy day. So my mom picked us up at the South Park Library and took us to The Odin Brewery for a much anticipated meal and beer.

Odin Brewery not only offered the promised libations, but also great company as we were joined by my good friend Jesse. We also had the unexpected pleasure of being introduced to the Mayor of Tukwila, Allen Ekberg, and Peter Kwon, a council member of Seatac. We talked a lot about making living communities more accessible to everyone, and I was happy to hear they were very supportive of such initiatives!

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The day ends at the house of another good friend, Kenny Salvini. Life ain’t so bad, sitting around eating S’mores and retelling tales of the day. See you on the road!

RIP, Umbrella

Day 3: Arlington to Woodinville; Friends, More Miles, Beer, and Beer

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Today’s route started off with the remaining 20+ miles of the Centennial Trail which was much appreciated.  You could say the first half of the ride was uneventful, just the way we like it.  A few miles before the trail ended we stopped for lunch (delivered by super mom), a chair transfer, and most importantly the addition of Denise.

My friend Denise rode a few miles with us which we all enjoyed.  Even though Denise’s time with us on the road was short, she would join us later at the breweries.  Yes, brewerieS.

Before we could get to the breweries we had about fifteen miles of road to navigate.  The road varied from poor with no shoulder to excellent with a shoulder resembling the multi-use trail we started the day with.  Regardless of the road we were on we all felt the drivers were very courteous and patient.

Paparazzi!

The highlight of the day were the two breweries we visited after the riding was done.  We first visited Triple Horn Brewery with a great atmosphere and some fantastic shirts for my Joshs, compliment of the brewery.  While at the brewery Denise rejoined us for the festivities.  Also, Kayleigh King from Nelson Boyd Attorneys along with her family joined us.  Kayleigh has been instrumental in our blogging and social media efforts.  Kayleigh and her entire family were a delight to meet and spend time with.

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As luck would have it Dirty Bucket Brewery was within rolling distance from Triple Horn.  Was this really a lucky coincidence, or are we just really good at planning?  Triple Horn offered a refreshingly subtle porter in a lively and roomy atmosphere, while the Dirty Bucket was a small, quaint brewery with a delicious coffee oatmeal stout.  The owner was extremely generous and picked up our tab and provided two shirts for the crew.  Just another illustration of how everyone we meet has been extremely supportive of our journey.

Done!

Day Two: Anacortes to Arlington; Tires, Umbrellas, and of course Beer

After catching a few winks at the hotel, it was morning again way too soon and time to resume our journey and my longest distance effort ever: forty miles. We got started only a few minutes behind schedule on the beautiful and well-used Tommy Thompson Trail in Anacortes, where within less then a quarter-mile one of my cycling companion's (Josh Blaustein) tire tube popped! I and my other cyclist (Josh Sutcliffe) continued on, leaving Blaustein behind to change out his tube and catch up. The Tommy Thompson Trail was beautiful! Nice and flat, with great views of the water and a flock of Great Blue Herons. Dodging the occasional broken shell dropped by gulls, we reached the end of the trail and were ready to start using the umbrella since I got a little more sun than I wanted yesterday. That lasted for about half a mile before a giant gust of wind turned the umbrella inside out while crossing a busy intersection, because episodes like that require an audience. The road ahead was in the shade, fortunately, so we put the umbrella away and rolled on.

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This stretch of road-rolling lasted twenty-eight miles. I must say the conditions were less than ideal: many miles on highways with little to no shoulder and steep drop-offs. I'm very happy to report that the drivers were polite and passed us with plenty of room.

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As the day wore on and got warmer, we thought we'd give the umbrella another try. Thanks to Blaustein's ingenuity, we managed to make it work which really increased my level of comfort. We pulled over in someone's driveway for adjustments (and a few mouthfuls of chips and salsa, as one does), and the person who lived there came out to check out what was going on. We chatted for a while before continuing, finding out later that she's now following our journey!

We found a great place for lunch, recommended by a few local cyclists and our new driveway salsa friend, called The Rexville Grocery. The sandwich (and beer) was very tasty, but I was really impressed with how accommodating the owner was. I continue to be blown away by how friendly those we meet are; perhaps it's the wonky umbrella?

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After miles through farmland and winding forested roads, crossing the green Skagit River twice, it was time to swap chairs before I used up my battery. The transition takes a little getting used to, but like a NASCAR pit crew my team got me back on the road in no time.

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Not too far past my previous distance record (thirty miles), we found The Centennial Trail for the last nine miles of the day. What a treat, especially after so much time in car traffic! We cruised along, tired but happy to be in such a lovely environment. It was so much quieter than the road, which was very convenient for my 6:30 call-in to KSQM FM, when I give listeners my daily live updates. Just as we were wrapping up the conversation, I looked up and saw what could only be interpreted as an omen: a big flag with the words "Craft Beer" written on it. Not one to argue with fate, we rolled into the Whiskey Ridge Brewing pub for some delicious libations. Bonus: new shirts for the crew to wear tomorrow!

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Tonight I'm staying at my good friend's house (also named Ian) and am really looking forward to getting some rest. So would my mom, who put a little over two-hundred miles on the odometer of the van (with one minor run-in with The Law) taxiing our stuff to-and-fro. So with that, good night and see you on the trail!

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Day 1: Port Angeles to Anacortes; Boats, Pigs and Beers

  Day 1 began with family giving us (myself, Adam, Josh S., and Josh B.) an energetic send off as we boarded the Coho to Victoria, Canada.  Thank you Blackball Ferries for comping our rides.  Once we arrived, we were moved to the front of the line which got us through customs quickly, and we were able to start putting miles on the chair/bikes.

Navigating through downtown Victoria presented our biggest challenge of the day trying to find the start of the Galloping Goose trail.  Once on the trail, it was smooth sailing all the way to Sidney.   Some highlights along the road included multiple honor-system produce stands, very large and  happy (rolling in mud) pigs, a very impressive remote control airplane show, and a tasty lunch at Harvest Road Farm to Table Grill.

Along the trail we met many friendly people interested in our journey and also eager to share knowledge about the trail and specific points along the way to keep an eye out for.  Once in Sidney we met a local woman, Mary Lynn and her dog Gracie and spent time talking about the ride and why we are here.  She was very sweet and wished us luck on our journey as we said goodbye.  A few minutes later she returned with a generous cash donation.

After lunch and a quick tour around Sidney, we headed to the ferry dock to get ready for our ride to Anacortes. While waiting for the ferry we met a woman from France who told us of her brother’s injury and how he has stayed active in his chair.  She also gave us a cash donation and wished us a safe trip.

After the two and half hour ferry ride we arrived in Anacortes.  We were met with a very warm welcome at Rockfish Grill & Anacortes Brewery where we had a nice dinner and some samplers.  You would think we were rockstars.  The owner gave a significant contribution to our dinner bill and gave the riders free shirts which will be on display as we ride tomorrow.  Something else that made dinner and beer taste extra special was a surprise visit from our friends and trivia teammates Terry and Tammy for Port Angeles.

It's late, and tomorrow is going to be twice as long in miles. Southward from here.

Enjoying the ferry ride

Moving to the head of the line in Victoria

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