August 26, 2023, 0 miles, 0 feet climbed
Tomorrow my newest bike ride–from Seattle, Washington, to the Mexican border, begins. I tried to ride America by Bicycle’s version in 2021 but it was cancelled due to insufficient interest. Interestingly it was not due to COVID, from which we were just beginning to recover, though that might explain the lack of interest. The route, supported by Bike Adventures, a British company, adds to the front by beginning in Seattle instead of Astoria, Oregon, and to the end by going all the way to the border south of San Diego instead of stopping in Costa Mesa, California.
We have 17 riders, hailing mostly from the UK excepting 1 Canadian and 5 from the US, plus two guides–Dom and Steve. Bob Mountz, whom I’ve ridden with on my last two rides–ABB North in 2019 and Crossroads in 2022–is one of us yanks.
If you’re thinking about joining this tour in the future, stay tuned for my wrap up when it completes. The amenities differ in significant ways from the other tours I’ve done and you’ll want to take those differences into account in making your decision. Rather than call them out over the course of the tour, I’ll wrap them all together in my Epilogue, hopefully published quicker than my Crossroads epilogue.
Melanie and I arrived on Wednesday afternoon and did touristy things on Thursday and Friday, including the Chihuly Exhibit and Gardens, Museum of Pop Culture and Space Needle at the Seattle Center and the Woodland Park Zoo. Meal-wise, Pizzeria Credo in West Seattle was the highlight and there were some duds as well. Melanie flew home on Saturday, reporting very long TSA security lines. I dropped her off plenty early and yet her flight was beginning to board as she arrived at the gate.
