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.