In the map above, the path presents itself a bit too tiny for words but gives the country a sweeping view of what 4200 miles looks like.
Bill and I spent the good part of the other day pouring over the maps. Maps of every variety. Paper and interactive mostly. In the interactive map, found here, we zoomed way in to walk ourselves over what turned out to be about the 1st 800 miles, laboriously - yet excitedly - highlighting the paper maps of Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and stopping at Nebraska as we ran out state maps. Without the GPS of a smartphone (don't even try folks, he refuses) the comfort of a paper map, cut into odd pieces that will get trashed as he goes, feels best to us both. And the fact that the trails are not all completed made following connecting routes on a map a bit more serious.
When Bill lands in Seattle he'll be going west to La Push, who knew it was still 150 miles west to the ocean? Well, we did, but now we're even more knowledgeable. And then the trails zigzagging through the city of Seattle look epic. If you love to bike, it looks like this is your town. I was getting quite jealous until he left the city and it looked like soon the terrain would become mountainous.
After we were done, I felt kind of exhausted but Bill was elated, and even with him being a bit overwhelmed, he seemed more ready than ever.
My first impulse is to plan every mile for him but he has specifically relieved me of that, insisting that there is always someone to ask and it will work out. And of course, he's right.
Today we go to get his 1st vaccination. So off we go.
Thank you all for caring about him.
3 comments:
will he ride his bike to the coast in Wa. or try to get a lift? i have family in the Seattle area. Making no promise, i would gladly contact them to see if they could facilitate a ride, or perhaps even a place to sleep?
will he ride his bike to the coast in Wa. or try to get a lift? i have family in the Seattle area. Making no promise, i would gladly contact them to see if they could facilitate a ride, or perhaps even a place to sleep?
Dear Robin, thank you so much for this. He's taking a train to downtown Seattle and staying close by the first night, then hopping a ferry to go dip his tires in the ocean. Honestly, it's so sweet to have people offer but because he wants to be more spontaneously seeing how far he gets each day, we literally will have no idea when he'll arrive somewhere til right before. But the thought of your family being open to a weary traveler is so sweet. Perhaps the bog being in real time will alert some of you to possible places as he gets closer. He'd absolutely love to stay with people and exchange massage for a bed, shower and maybe a meal. That would be his favorite thing. So if you talk to them be sure and tell them that.
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