Bike America Day 0: Crying, Clouds and Cod

I'm in Seattle and it is cloudy here. See above for evidence. It seems like much longer than 16 hours ago that Josh dropped me off at BWI airport. We were both nauseous and kind of quiet most of the ride but, as soon as we pulled up to the airport, I started crying uncontrollably. It was the weirdest thing. I will see Josh in a week so it wasn't so sad to leave him. I was just waiting for the moment when this all hit me and I guess that was it.

We said our goodbyes, I boarded the plane and had an uneventful flight to Seattle. I got off in this unfamiliar city and found my way downtown via light rail. I had about 4 hours to kill before my parents would meet me by car.

 I stopped in Seattle Coffee Works for some "earthy" coffee and a sandwich. It was only 1:15 Seattle time but, on my internal clock, it was past 4 and I was starving for lunch. While I waited for my coffee, a pilot named Ed commented that I looked like I was ready for some good touristing with my backpack and big camera. I told him about the bike trip and he was "in awe" of me. We talked for a while and he asked me to send him my blog.

After finishing up, I spent a few hours wandering around Pike Place Market, the location of the famous Seattle fish market. It was also full of crafts and local produce. I wasn't in the mood to shop but enjoyed the experience.

Endless supply of smoked salmon. This is my heaven.

Check out the steep incline on the right. Who knew Seattle was like San Francisco #2?!

The one other thing I knew I had to see, being so ready for touristing, as Ed pointed out, was the space needle. My handy iPhone let me know that it was just a mile away so I made the walk and saw more of the city streets on the way.

About twenty minutes after I got there, my parents showed up and I hopped in the car. We headed back to Pike's Place and ate at a seafood restaurant recommended to us by my uncle. My parents were eating all fancy but I went with straight carbo-loading: fried cod and "chips". All the food, especially my dad's fresh local salmon, was delicious.

We wandered into the very first Starbucks store there ever was and then came to our motel.

And here we are. Our bikes are ready to go and our clothes are laid out for the morning. It's only 8:30 PM pacific standard time but I'm ready to brush my teeth, read about the terrain and weather for tomorrow's quick 44 miles and then cuddle up in the last bed I'll sleep in for a while.

The long journey begins tomorrow and I more excited than ever to sit my but on a bike seat and pedal my heart out. Seattle was a friendly, and bike friendly, city but I'm ready to ride away from the clouds and into the middle of America! Here are some bike photos I snapped in the city today.