77 miles

We stayed at Deception Pass State Park last night. We were on the road by 8:30 am. We made a lot of stops early on—Mocha Joe’s for some yogurt and snacks (and a celebratory *disgusting* mayo shot, in honor of Victor), a sporting goods store for Danielle to get a tarp/makeshift rain fly, Skagit Cycle Center to adjust her derailleur, and the post office, so we could both mail things home. I like the idea of mailing myself souvenirs so that there can be some continuity for me at home when I return. 

We spent some time on the highway, which was pretty comfortable with a generous shoulder. The majority of the day was spent on the gravelly Cascade bike trail, which was loose in places, but fairly flat and the scenery smelled good. We had to cross a small creek at one point, and I gouged my leg with my bike doing some awkward maneuvering, but I managed to keep my feet dry; the water wasn’t very deep. We passed lots of cows, horses, and fields of yellow flowers. I never get tired of seeing mountains in the background.

I thought about how a lot of men in particular seem to find great purpose in being helpful. It also occurred to me that doing this trip with Danielle is likely going to become a part of us both for a long time. Doing and sharing difficult things with the people in your life feels like a vital activity.

Today around mile 65, we got to the top of some very challenging hills and stopped to rest and check in. We were both getting to our physical limit for the day. We commiserated about how tired we felt, then headed onward. A few minutes later as we were (at long last) flying on the wings of gravity, a car passed us with a cheery beep, and both the passenger and the driver waved excited fist pumps at us out their windows, cheering us on. I waved back, grinned, and felt actual tears coming to my eyes. It was such a simple gesture, but it meant so much that these strangers saw us and were moved to encourage us on our difficult day. In my exhausted state, the emotions hit me hard, and I was grinning and crying like a maniac the whole way down the hill for miles.

 My watch tan is coming along nicely. Tomorrow, we’ll do Washington Pass.