Orientation in Seattle

I flew out to Seattle on Saturday morning after being taken to the airport by my good friend Keith Kahil. Since I've been here, the past few days have been filled with making new friends and talking through many rules, policies and procedures. There's a lot that goes into 28 college students treking across the country. We've learned about everything from the rules of the road to learning about certain disabilities and those who we'll be visiting along the way. It has been a blast getting to know the other guys on my team. They come from all over the country. A majority of them are still in school but a handful have graduated college like me. It's really fun that eventhough we are so different, we have our fraternity and passion for people with disabilities in common.

Today (Tuesday) we had a 22 mile practice training ride. This gave us an opportunity to ride together and get used to traveling together. It was really fun and somewhat envigorating to get in pace lines and draft off one another. When you're traveling at speeds around 15-25 mph, it really makes a difference making sure you're behind the cyclist in front of you and switching who's in front. The bad part is that it was 50 degrees and raining...thank you Seattle.

Tomorrow we leave from Seattle's Olympic Scultpture Park after a sendoff from friends, family, and former Journey of Hope riders. We will also enjoy a nice breakfast provided by the Porterfield's, the family of a young man who was killed riding in the Journey of Hope in 2000. It will truly be a special morning and a good start to an unbelieavable summer. Destination? 70 Miles to Skykomish WA. It's finally here and here I go! D.C. here I come!