. . . . . One week from today I leave for Seattle and the start of bicycling across the country for the Rotary Foundation.  I'm getting excited.  I originally signed up for this trip three years ago and, of course, at that time thought it something in the future, which it was.  Now it is here.  There are 47 cross-country riders from 25 states and two from the United Kingdom.  The oldest rider is 71, while the youngest is 18, and in case you are wondering, I am neither.  It also looks like 33 male and 14 female riders.  For the past few weeks we have been sharing e-mail with each other, and it appears to be an interesting and diverse group of riders.  We start from Everett, Washington on Sunday, June 18th, and finish the tour on the 19th of August in Boston.

The ride is a tour and not a race, so individual riders can proceed at their own pace and stop to see sites of interest along the way.  The only requirements are that riders leave camp in the morning by 8:00 a.m. and be at the next camp by 5:30 p.m. that day.  The Cycle America (CA) staff make arrangements for meals during the week.  These are usually prepared by local churches or service clubs in the communities where we stay for the night.  The normal nightly camping sites are at high schools, universities or campgrounds.  These sites usually have the important features of shower and cafeteria facilities which can accommodate from 50 to 100 riders.  Most riders sleep in tents on school or university grounds.  The meals mentioned above are breakfast and dinner, while lunch each day is a picnic-like affair set up by the CA staff at the approximate mid-point of the day's ride.  They usually try to find a park or other nice facility as a site for lunch.  A sag vehicle is with you during the daily rides to help with any particular needs of the riders.  In addition, a couple of bike mechanics are on the tour should one's bike need attention.  In the evening after dinner a short meeting is held to discuss the events of the day and to preview the next day's ride.  Each day riders receive a map outlining the intended route with highlights of what one should try to see en route, along with the best coffee and ice cream shops.  The route is actually marked on the pavement by a CA staff member.  Routing is done the day before, so the expected road conditions are very current.

I realized through e-mail correspondence that I have ridden with one of the cross-country riders before, when I rode with CA across Ohio in 1997.  He is a meteorologist from State College, Pennsylvania, and he will provide a weather report each night for the following day's ride.  He has promised great weather.  Also, each night there is a session on bike safety, which is constantly stressed during the tour.   Fellow Rotarians have sometimes asked me what I am doing about makeups.   I have found thirteen Rotary clubs which meet during the day I am biking through their areas, and I hope to be able to attend some of those meetings.  For example, on June 21st there is a breakfast meeting at Wenatchee, Washington, which I'm planning to attend, as we will be spending the night of June 20th in Wenatchee.  There is an additional story about Wenatchee which I shall share with you in my first week's report.  I am planning to send in a report on a weekly basis providing I can find internet access.  There will be a couple of laptops on the tour, but that does not guarantee access to the internet.  I have set up a hot mail account for sending and receiving e-mail.  Should anyone be interested, I can be reached at bobhunt356@hotmail.com.     To be continued . . . .