Tires and Tribulations

[Sykomish to Wenatchee, WA; 45 miles cycled]

Denial was not enough to keep the infamous “Day Two Climb” at bay and I awoke knowing what was ahead. What I did not anticipate was waking up to a flat tire on my bike. As I would later learn, this would become a reoccurring theme. The climb that day to Steven’s Pass in the Cascade Mountains would bring us up to a 4,061 elevation over the small course of 15 miles. The climb was the first thing on the agenda, so the uphill trek began before I knew it . After initially struggling, I found a consistent pace that worked for me and decided to pass the time with rounds of my old favorite “The Movie Game” (actor -> move -> another actor in that movie -> etc). Despite the occasional frustration of how-can-you-honestly-not-name-a-Bruce-Willis-movie, the game was very successful!

Ascending to the top of the pass (snow and all!), it was hard not to be captivated by the beauty in my midst. Making it to the top was an incredibly rewarding feeling. With an assured “60 miles downhill” after reaching the summit, I began the descent at high speed only to be met with an abrupt tire pop soon after. Womp.

After remedying the problem, I pressed on until the town of Leavenworth where the team had lunch. This team was rocking a very distinct German theme in which even McDonalds and Starbucks stores were modeled in Bavarian fashion. After marveling in the coolness of the seemingly nondescript town, I fell victim to two successive tire incidents as Wenatchee drew closer. Enough was enough and I was unfortunately “racked” (made to ride in the crew van) for the ride’s final ten miles. The problem was later fixed by inserting a dollar bill into the suspected leak location, a surprisingly common solution.

“Friendship visits” are events in which the team gets to interact firsthand with people with disabilities. In Wenatchee, the former (?) “Apple Capital of the World,” we attended a cookout with individuals from adult group homes in the area as well as local advocates. The local organizers were extremely welcoming and some even marveled at meeting a person from New York. Interacting with people with disabilities was a very positive experience. One person I really enjoyed meeting was Tammy, a sweet woman who broke out of her shyness to tell me about some of her favorites things and her fascination with dinosaurs. We even enjoyed a moment singing along together to a Taylor Swift song (“Teardrops on my Guitar”) on the radio. This event undoubtedly proved all the struggle associated with getting to Wenatchee was worth it.

^ Moff and Tammy