There were parts that were beautiful: riding the stretch of trail between Yelm and Tenino and the rolling hills between Winlock and Castle Rock; parts that were terrifying: riding along the busy highway with no shoulder after going through Tenino; parts that were majestic: riding over two suspension bridges--the Longview Bridge into Oregon and St. John's Bridge over the Willamette; parts that were *really* tough: being on a large, heavy bike that's not really made for long road rides, the Puyallup and Vader Hills and finishing up day one knowing I had to wake up again the second day and ride another 100 miles (with a blister on the back of my leg where my bike shorts had rubbed my leg raw--OYE!); parts that were annoying: the general cyclist attitude is not as supportive and awesome as that of runners; parts that were impressive: one-day riders, the 2 guys who were on skateboards, the Winlock Egg ("World's Largest!"); parts that were joyful: conversing and laughing with my dad and the great group of guys from my parents' church that I rode with, eating orange creamsicles at the halfway point in Centralia, seeing Adam and Ben then feasting on spaghetti and sleeping like the dead at our overnight stop in a gorgeous backyard field in Chehalis; and parts that were so, so satisfying: the pride, strength, inclusiveness and joy I felt crossing that finish line to the cheers of my boys, husband and mom (with VooDoo Doughnuts to share!). I am so blessed by my tribe and the support and love that surrounds me in all of my endeavors. There were tears.
With all of that, the best part of this crazy endeavor was riding with my dad. Honestly, the chance to share this experience and achieve this with him, an eight-time veteran of the ride, was the only reason I did it. I will cherish this time with him always.
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