The first day was very long. I got up at 5:30 am to catch a 7:15 am flight to Seattle. It took an hour to put the bike together in the Seattle airport, partly because I only had one small multi-tool, which was designed primarily for use in emergencies.
The first day of riding I thought was going to be relatively quick, just 40+ miles. It took a very long time. Part of the ride was on the I-90 bike trail. While there is a fence pedaling along side speeding trucks was an experience. Google Maps not only used the I-90 bike trail but for parts of the route had me go through the woods. Maybe if I had a mountain bike the route would have made sense but on a road bike the woods were a huge slog. Part of it was slow because I kept getting lost. The entrance to the bike path at times was quite obscure.
I also took care of my first flat of the trip. Luckily, it wasn’t mine. I passed by a stranded cyclists named Emily and helped fixed her bike. She rewarded me with a Clif bar of energy shots, which came in handy over the next 24 hours.
I made it to the hotel in North Bend, Washington just as the sun was setting. My speed was pretty low, but I got where I needed to be.