The West Coast Journey Has Begun!

By Luke Zavala
2012 Bicycle Adventurer

Today, we departed Fontleroy Church in Seattle, our host for the last two nights, as we started our adventure down toward San Diego–not before attending a rather interesting church service, though. We had the opportunity to worship with the Fontleroy congregation, as well as participate in a rousing mid-service rendition of the Hokey Pokey…. And no, that’s not a joke. Imagine 80 adults, roughly half of whom are senior citizens, dancing with joy in the middle of a church. I wish I had my camera.

We spent about 45 minutes after the service meeting with the parishioners and sharing about the ride and the work of the Fuller Center. The congregation was INCREDIBLY generous, wishing us well, in addition to filling a bike helmet with checks and cash to donate to The Fuller Center. We even had one member of the church, Al, join us for today’s ride from Seattle to Tacoma.

We had our live send-off via the Bike Adventure website at about 1pm, Pacific Time. Immediately out of the parking lot, we turned up one of Seattle’s awesome hills. Things continued that way until we got out of Seattle proper—up, down, up, down, etc. Things leveled out a little bit as we moved toward Tacoma…much more like the flat, Chicago riding that I’m used to.

Save for a few thorn bushes that jumped out at us, some sticks kicked up by other riders, and a couple of riders who got a little lost (NOT ME, I SWEAR!), things went off today without a hitch. We finished the 39-mile ride at Urban Grace Church in Tacoma, and I just got finished helping make dinner for all of the riders. What a day! Off to spend some time stretching and rehabbing with some of my riding companions, and hit the hay. We’ve got a 60-mile ride tomorrow, and we’ve got to get ready to Smash those Pedals.