Seattle ... day one riding ... July 15

Seattle, WA to Tacoma, WA

Staying at Urban Grace Church

39 miles today, average pace 13.1 mph

Rolling hills most about 9% the worst 13% (but nothing more than about 1/2 mile)

West Coast, we are here! Watch out for us and give us plenty of room, please. 

Today I lost my cool a little bit. I recruited a rider, Al, from our host church to ride with us to Tacoma, and I was following him when a car passed us and then turned right into a shopping center right in front of Al. He didn’t know the car was turning because he was alongside the car and to the back. He did manage to hit the brakes before running into the side of the car, and then grabbed the car to keep himself upright and hung on as he rode the car thru the rest of the turn, where the driver finally stopped the car. The good part about this was that the only injury or damage was that the handlebars needed to be straightened. The bad part was that I raised my voice very strongly to the driver. (The good part about that was I did not cuss, and I did apologize to her for yelling at her once I knew that Al and his bike were OK.)

The rest of the ride for me was uneventful, just some rain to deal with and the effort made to stay warm enough in it. One other rider had a fall, with a swollen ankle and some road rash.

I’m finally learning how to find retail stores thru Google and to map them to see how to get to them. Funny what wanting a chocolate malt will encourage one to do! So, off 6 of us went for a 1.2 mile walk, one way, to get our ice cream. To Baskin Robbins no less, and I was not expecting much after my experience with the other chain on the East Coast ride that did not even have malt. So I got my chocolate malt, a large of course, and asked for two straws. It passed the two straw test with flying colors, as I was able to use the two straws as a spoon to scoop up the malt, so the thickness was outstanding. Taste was very good, just a little heavier with the malt would have been even better. Consistency also was outstanding. They used real ice cream, not soft serve. 

***So, Baskin Robbins’ malt in Tacoma, WA gets a 9.5, and thus has set the standard for the rest of the trip! I was very impressed. Now I have to find another Baskin Robbins to see if the chain has any consistency.

Peace ...