3rd Place!

Well it finally happened.  For a guy who loves his deep slumbers as much as I do,  I managed to some how convince myself that getting up ridiculously early on another Saturday to trade the pajama's for a race bib was a good idea.  This time though, in a most unexpected way it paid off big time.

Ever since getting into races... No let me back it up a little bit more.  I don't run for speed or first place finishes and have excepted the fact that "1st Place!" will probably never be a title of my blog posts.  I run for peace of mind, my health, and that awesome feeling of accomplishment you get when you get to where you're going and did what you came do.  The mythical runners high doesn't hurt either.  BUT.  As a runner you do focus on the numbers with a dogged obsession.  You can't help worrying about speed, finishing times, and from the very first race I wondered what it would be like to make a podium finish.   Finally on Saturday at the Jingle Bells 5k I got to experience a podium finish: 3rd place in my age group and it was cool!  Kinda...

Yes I got 3rd and that feeling couldn't have been better minus the nausea I always have after sprinting, but that doesn't really tell the whole story either.  After only 3 weeks of training pulling a 27:04 wasn't my fastest 5k nor did I expect it to be.  But I did reach my goal of sub-28 and I managed to race by the high schooler at the end that I had targeted around mile 2.  Sure time is important and hitting a goal is one of the best feelings in the world, but blasting by the person you've gone back and forth with in a race the whole time is that much sweeter.  

So although it was a good race, someone capitalized on my lack of training:  my dad.  At two miles after a quick 8:30 miler I knew I couldn't keep it up he managed to pull ahead.  At first by only a few feet, but before I knew it he was far ahead rounding the bend, out of sight, and I was eating his dust. To be clear he is in marathon shape, but he's never beaten me in a short distance race before so with a heavy heart and a stiff upper lip I tip my hat to him and say well done.

Foot races are a funny thing.  They're kinda competitive but more cooperative and fun.  You're there to have a good time and enjoy the race, but if you suck and drop the ball the fun flies right out the window pretty quickly.  I got 3rd place in my age division, but lost to my dad by over a minute who finished 12th in his but won best costume for his creepy Santa.  You can try to ignore the clock, but at the end of the day its gonna getcha no matter your reasons for running.  As my favorite artist Dave Matthews says "funny the way it is."

Not sure when my next race will be, and pretty sure I'll be taking some time to hopefully get my legs a lot stronger.  My goals for this year are clear though: Quicker 5k's then this, back to consistently beating my dad, at least one triathlon which I've never done before, a couple half-marathons, and obviously the big one:  The Buffalo Marathon.  Time goal for that one:  tell you another time.

A Long Way To Go... (And a possible new member of Crash Burn Racing)

As my heart starts to beat quicker I continue clicking away, zooming in and out, following the path and finally skimming over the finish line at the 26.2 point mark.  Now to be clear scrolling over the finish line on the computer is no where's near as exciting  as it is crossing it in really life, but if my heart rate is any indication, its still pretty powerful.  Looking over the course map of the race now that takes place in 170 days, 13 hours, and 45 minutes might seem a little early to some, but for me its inspiring.  After all I know this city and course very well.  The first 13.1 miles are the same ones that I plodded over 3 years ago in my first half marathon, and the rest of them are in an old neighborhood that I lived in; the exact place I began my training.  I can't help but notice that one leg twists through and does a loop of the park I've run through countless times before, and although its been years since I've ran there, I can still see, smell, and feel the too familiar loop of Delaware park.  Really its such a great course through my old stomping grounds that it should be a sweet mix of nostalgia and closure all at the same time.  The exact relative percentage of each I'm not totally sure of, but I know its going to be:  EPIC.

What is clear is that I'm still a long way from hitting that 20 mile preparatory long run, and even further from this years planned 22 mile long run.  So far my legs are quickly getting back into it, but after a tough run up some of Allegany county's crazy hills and feeling the burn for days later its too obvious how much lays a head of me.

In previous seasons my weekly goals for marathon training have been modest, maybe (or probably depending on who you ask) even too modest.  So this year I broke away from the tedious training I was used to (something like 2 easy 3-5 mile runs, 1 speed day of about 5 miles, and one insane long run per week) and created a newer much more dynamic training plan.  I think my maximum mileage in training for Phili hit maybe 38 miles, this years culminating "hell week" as I so loving refer to it as hits an intimidating 48 miles possibly even necessitating 2 a days.   Last week I could barely walk after a total of 16 miles and my longest run so far has topped out at 5 miles.  But its coming, slow and steady for sure.

Driving home this point early last week I managed my first 3 miles on the treadmill, my longest continual run up to that point.  For me it felt great and nothing could dash my good spirits after a good walking warm down.  In 2010 it had taken me ages to get to this point, and after a year hiatus I was back at it in a little under a week.  I couldn't remember the last time I had been able to run for over 30 minutes at any given time, but it felt amazing as I could feel myself sliding back into my old routine feeling the accomplishment of finishing a run, the aches of a modest distance, and the light headedness bordering on a runner's high.

Finishing up my cool down, my girl friend and newbbie runner Magan hopped on looking to see what she could do on the treadmill.  Now in truth she had ran all summer really getting into it, but had never timed herself, calculated any mileage or really even cared to.  I pulled up a comfy couch and got lost in netflix until quit some time had passed and I realized I was freezing from the dried sweat.  Walking over to see how much time she had left she managed to grunt out the fact that she was almost done.  Not realizing how much time had passed since I got up I casually glanced down at the mileage counter and my jaw dropped:  4.0 miles...

Never Again!

For the last 365+ days since I attempted a marathon the same thought has been going through my head:  "NEVER AGAIN."  Ever, ever, ever, ever... But then last week like a magical switch something changed rather quickly.   I started thinking about training again, realized the scale wasn't doing me any favors, thought about my health and well being, and realized it was time to start thinking about getting out there one more time.

For anyone who doesn't know me you might be questioning why after the last marathon I'd give up all that I worked so hard to get to.  Well its a simple story really and one that's been repeated countless times by countless other runners.  I was in the best shape of my life in November, 2012.  I was doing long runs of 18,20, and 22 milers in frigid conditions waiting anxiously for the big pay off.  Running with a buddy from work, I had even managed to get a PR for my half marathon and on the day of the Phili marathon I was feeling quicker, more trained, and even better tappered then ever before.

The first half of the marathon was just incredible.  I went through the old neighborhoods seeing what can only be described as classic Phili.  But around the end of the 13 mile mark when the full marathoners kept going and the halfer's happily called it a day something started to feel wrong.  Really really wrong.  I had to slow down and figure out what was up because with the training I had been doing 13 miles should have been nothing.  Consulting my watch after the event I now know the dreadful mistake I made:  I went out WAY too fast pushing myself to do sub-10 minute miles for most of the first half.  The second part of the marathon is a tale told over and over again by inexperienced runners, yet I somehow foolishly thought of myself as experienced after completing one other marathon almost a year before in Rochester.

My legs refused to run.  My mind refused to walk.  The result wasn't pretty.  For about 3 hours I chugged along at what can best be describe as a shuffle to finish the race (I WILL NEVER DNR!!) but the damage to my soul, body, and pride was done.  The pain was excruciating but the results truthfully cut much deeper.  My finishing time: 5 hours (!) and 15 minutes.  And while many tried to console me into believing that the fact was I finished it, I knew it was a race I could never be happy about.  In the end it wasn't fun, and I'm determined to not let it be my final soiree with marathon running.

Honestly though that's not the only reason why I've taken out my old running shoes and blown the dust off them. Recently my father was unable to run his self-proclaimed final marathon of his career after a family emergency.  I can only imagine the feeling of training so hard and not even being able to run so without hesitation I knew I had to step it up.  For one thing, it gives me a great excuse to get out and keep running with him which is by far the best memories about running I will ever have.   For another, I feel its only right to honor my sick family member by making sure I'm in the best health possible as well.  And who knows, maybe this time we can even raise money for the marathon in the hopes of giving support in the fight against this awful disease.

Will the next 6 months hurt?  Without a doubt but I know if I can stick with it, I can make this one count and replace the total disappointment experienced in Phili with one more epic run.  It all started in Buffalo back in 2010 with a half marathon and a deep desire to get those bumpers stickers, and on May 25, 2014 it will end there too.  Buffalo Full:  Here I come!!

LIES!!!

(Top two photos retrieved from Google Images)

Previous Trip Log

Just thought I should write this stuff down somewhere.  A previous log of my journey's so I can organize the new blog!

Summer 2013:

An adventure on two wheels to the countries of Central America... No wait that was last summer! With 8 more weeks and an expired passport I'm going to try and see as many sights as the good old USA has to offer. With a motorcycle from 1980, a tent, and 3 goals in mind: travel, food, and budget, I'll show you states from my own imaginative perspective. Como se dice "Fingers Crossed?"

Distance traveled- 8500 miles

Places I've stayed this summer:

Norwalk, Ohio (Awesome cheap hotel: Norwalk Inn)

Chicago, Illinois (2 nights)(H)

Bagley, Wisconsin (C)(And 1 tornado!)

Okoboji, Iowa (C)

Platte, South Dakota (C)

Wall, South Dakota (Welsh's Motel)

Badlands Nation Park, South Dakota (C)

Buffalo, Wyoming (C) ( Took 90 to get to Buffalo ha!)
Yellowstone National Park, Canyon Campground (C)
Helena, Montana (C)
Ritzville, Washington (C)
Anacortes, Washington (CS)
Seattle, Washington (Hostel 2 nights + CS 2 nights)

Portland, OR

Oregon Coast,OR

San Francisco,CA

Yosemite National Park, CA

Las Vegas, NV

Grand Canyon National Park,LV

Fort Hood, TX (Hotel with my Brother)

Memphis, TN (CS)

THEN HOME!!  Sorry but I lost track of my last few destinations!!

H=Hostel

C=Camping

CS= Couch Surf

Summer 2012:

Distance traveled- 7,500 miles
Places I've stayed:
Binghamton, NY (CS with friends)
Charlotsville, Virgina (CS)
Goose Creek, South Carolina (CS with family)
Tallahassee, Florida
New Orleans, LA (2 nights) (H)
Houston, Texas (H)
Killeen, Texas (A billion nights)
Austin, Texas (2 nights)
Marble Falls, Texas
Laredo, Texas
Monterrey, Mexico
Zacateras, Mexico (H)
Aguascalientes, Mexico (H)
Guadalajara, Mexico (3 nights) (H)
Morelia, Mexico (H)
Mexico City, Mexico (5 nights) (H)
Queretaro, Mexico (H)
Guadalajara, Mexico (3 more nights) (H)
Zacatecas, Mexico (H)
Monterrey, Mexico (H)
San Antonio, Texas
Killeen, Texas
Dallas, Texas (3 nights with Ian) (H)
Memphis, Tennessee (2 nights) (CS)
Nashville, Tennessee (H)
Covington, Kentucky (CS)
Cleveland, Ohio
Current Location: HOME in Alfred, New York

* CS= Couch Surfing
H= Hostel

C=Camping

Trading in the wheels for feet...

Last week marked a pretty big anniversary for myself.  Exactly 1 year ago I had my hopes and dreams totally swept out from underneath me in a crushing personally defeat of epic magnitude.  I'm referring to one of the darkest moments in my past:  The Philadelphia Marathon of course.

After training with my new running partner Dean for months I was faster then ever.  I had scored a personal best at the Niagara Falls Half Marathon with a smoking 1:57.  Now that may not seem fast to many (or maybe most), but for a man 5'10'' well over 200 pounds who had a long history of deep loathing for running that was pretty quick!  A little less then a year before that I had also achieved a commendable full marathon time in Rochester at 4:37 so I thought I had the experience and the speed this time to blow the doors off Philadelphia.  But fate is a fickle fiend and that didn't happen.  I finished all 26.2 miles but it was a painful retched experience that I've had nightmares about ever since.  In fact I've probably run less then a total of 10 miles in the last year because of it, so I know getting back into it won't be pretty...

Getting back into it?  Yep thats exactly what I'm going to try and do.  I love the sport, love the endurance and mental toughness it takes, and love how personal running is.  It's truly a practice in escapism and I have a new running goal.  One more marathon.  New shiny medal: Get ready cause here I come!

On the Road Alone Again...

It seems like not too long ago I was happily writing fire side at Yellowstone National park, but so much has really happened in the last few weeks between here and there that I find myself struggling to begin.  I know I've been a little silent on the writing recently, but I want to just chalk that up to the amazing company I had.  Yes that's in the past tense.  I dropped her off at the end of her part of the journey today at noon at the airport.  We were both a little stressed with the whole flying thing, and I even managed to get a little snappy because of it.  Truth is though we really had the best 8 days ever.  We were perfect traveling companions balancing out each others extremities, and adding to the overall experience immeasurably.  No doubt her plane is landing as we speak, and though I already miss her, I can't help but think about the incredible part of the trip we shared.

Portland was absolutely amazing.  I picked Magzy up at the airport at 10pm so we walked around the city the next day for ages, though we could have easily spent a few days in the gorgeously clean and quirky city of roses.  And a bed of roses it really was as after getting two incredible doughnuts from the world famous Voodoo doughnut shop, we then made our way to the second biggest bronze statue in the US: the Portlandia.  With her hand reaching downward towards the onlookers you could really almost feel like she was reaching out for you saying "Yeah Portland is weird, but stick with me and I'll show you what makes it great!".

After that we took the last suggestions from my friend Iaen who we unfortunately didn't actually get a chance to see, and made our way to the breathtaking International Rose Test Garden.  This was by far the highlight of the day as it was nothing but hundreds of rows of the most beautiful roses I've ever seen.  Having over 100 different varieties it had the perfect color, shape, and scented rose for even a non-flower lover like me, but at the end I was truly converted.  Set in a spectacular park on the hill the views were incredible, the roses enchanting, and the end of our site seeing perfect.  Sure 8 or so hours in Portland was by far not enough time to truly get to know the city, but it was just enough time to fall in love.

We left that afternoon to make our way to the coast taking one of the most scenic drives through the most perfectly groomed fields I've ever seen.  An hour or so later we were there.  On the pacific coast ready to head south and see what the famed Oregon coast had to offer.  Now I know I tend to use this phrase a lot but to say it was anything other then epic would be an injustice.  Winding our way down the coast we fell in love with each and every mile, twist, and cliff all the more excited to be sharing it with each other. 

On the ferry ride from Anacortes to the outskirts of Seattle I managed to get a hot tip from a couple on a bike much like mine on a free campsite.  Since starting the trip one of my goals had been to do what I call Bandit camp, and in the dark around 9 o'clock we actually managed to find the dirt road pull off.  Quickly setting up camp to my surprise Magzy refused to do anything other then head to bed.  To be honest and fair seeing the spot in nothing but pitch black was by far the creepiest thing of the entire trip.  Every sound made us jump, and not knowing what was around us in the woods even 10 feet away due to the total dark didn't help at all. 

To our immense surprise we woke up the next day to by far the most beautiful campsite I had ever seen with no one around for miles except cars rushing by in the distance.  It had a beautiful waterfall and creek running through the site, and on further inspection we found numerous other areas were people had previously set up camp as indicated by the fire rings made of stones found in the forest.   This was rustic amping at best, and I even celebrated by taking a bath in the frigid pool formed by the waterfall. 

The next day we made our way further down the coast completely blown away by the sheer magnitude of the cliffs, the endless ocean, the waves crashing hundreds of feet below, and the immense beauty of it all.  Finally later that day we found a decent priced motel that was surprisingly clean despite its appearance and spent the night in comfort after roughing it Bandit camping,

Now in the last post I indicated another disaster, and at the time this seemed to be by far the worst more from the timing then the break itself.  We woke up the next day, packed up the bike, but on starting Saphira to get her warmed up I instantly felt the throttle cable snap!  Calling local shops I found no help from them as it was the 4th of July, they couldn't get to my bike for a week despite my desperate pleas, and they couldn't even get the part delivered by Monday (one day before we were supposed to be 850 miles south in San Francisco when Magzy was supposed to leave).  To say the very least I was scarred shitless, finding my only sanity in beginning to take apart the bike and keeping moving.  It was at least a three day drive, and being stranded in the little town for Magzy's entire trip was not something we wanted either. 

I know full well that there are a lot of bad people in the world, or good people who do awful things depending on how you look at it, but that day the awesomeness of the  human race proved itself to me yet again.  Two brothers volunteered their help and expertise and in no time using countless zip ties, Teflon tape, and other unusual methods we finally managed to connect a Honda something or other throttle cable to my Suzuki.  Since then I've traveled about 800 miles and my Frankenstein bike has worked perfectly!  When no shop would help me despite the promise of a good sizes bonus, we managed to beat the odds and rig something up.   Too cool.

As you can tell from the beginning of the post we made it to San Francisco, and had an incredible time exploring the somewhat dirty yet beautiful city.  We gorged ourselves on fresh sea food, we had our minds blown in the Bayside Aquarium, and walked endlessly around checking out the sites.  Their was a few parts to the city that even I wondered if we should be walking through, but overall it was incredible.  Getting Magzy to the airport I couldn't help but feel that although it was sad, a better time just couldn't have been possible.  Even the breakdown gave us an extra day to hang out and witnesses the moat spectacular 4th of July fireworks shows we've ever seen.  Sure it got a little difficult at times but at the end of the day thats what adventure traveling is all about.  If mount everest would have come equipped with a handy set of stairs what would be the excitement in making it to the top?  We made it to the top of this part of my journey, looked out at what we had both accomplished and realized that there was so much more to come, both for me in this journey and in our future.  It was an incredible time all around, and I'm pretty sure by the end I made good on my promise that it would be worth every single dollar.  Hopefully I won't find any comments to the contrary after I post this at my next hostel in Las Vegas, but I'd wager everything I have left that I won't. 

Highway 101 for Two!

July 6th, 2013
Fortuna, California
Distance traveled: 4030 miles

It's been 5 days since the lone motorcycle rider for truth and justice (our just good times, beer, and food!) has picked up his riding partner affectionately referred to as Magzy and in case you couldn't tell from the excessive gap between posts, it's been a wild ride but more to come on that topic later.

Before I picked her up from the Portland airport and before I stayed at any of my friends houses the long silent stretches of riding eating and sleeping had begun to wear on me.  For anyone who doesn't know me I love to talk, so much so that I will talk to pretty much anyone I see whether I know them or not.  While I believe that sometimes silence and thoughtfulness can be good, most of the time you'll find me rambling on about something or other most likely ad nasuem.

Enter Magzy.  For the last 5 days I've had someone to share each breathtaking site with, each winding cliff side switch back road, and each joy of success and frustration with trouble and just as I suspected she's a perfect traveling companion. She keeps me calm when I'm annoyed, keeps me on my toes with her jokes, and the almost child like amazement in her eyes when we see something incredible around almost every turn makes the experience that much better.  All of that without even mentioning how I even briefly considered turning around after I found myself missing her immensely. 

On top of her arrival this has been some of the best/craziest 5 days of the trip.  We've seen and experienced so much: Portland, the Oregon Coast, bandit camping as I like to refer to it as, and oh yeah.  My bike broke down big time!  Another disaster story is right around the corner but for now I should probably start getting ready as we have a four hour drive to Magzy's final destination on the trip: about 3 days in San Francisco.

The City With a Little Something For Everyone: Seattle

Jun... I mean July 1st, 2013
Portland, Oregon
Distance traveled: 3465 miles

It seems like every so often on a trip you find a place that's hard to leave, and for the first time this trip that place for me was the city of Seattle.  Chicago was easy to hit the gas and leave behind, and all the other stops along the way though exciting, I always get the itch to get back on the bike and head out normally after a day or so but that wasn't the case at all with Seattle.  It really seemed to have a little something special for everyone, and despite the few shady encounters with some of its more "diverse" people, its definitely the nicest city I've visited so far.

After moving from my hostel out near Seatac to my friend Dave and Ana's place downtown we were quick to hit the streets to see some pretty cool nightlife after an interesting but sweltering ballet performance in an impressive abandoned warehouse.  Taking the train back we eventually found ourselves in a bar/club where we were pounded by the impressive driving rock progressions of a( band called Indian Wars (though we really questioned the sincerity of the tambourine player!).

While the music and drinks were great, by far the best part of that evening was the people watching, a reoccurring theme of the city.  The nightlife on Capitol Hill seemed to draw in every type of person from the LGBTQ community in the midst of celebrating Pride, to the dingy grunge rocker with the almost mandatory dirty denim jacket.  Everyone was dancing, drinking, smoking (legal here recreationally!) , and the vibe of the city that night couldn't have been more fun and laid back.

The next day we made a straight line to the holy grail of farmers markets (which are my favorite places to go): The Pike Place Market.   They had everything and I tried as many things as I could paying for some, and sampling others in total happiness.  I tried an oyster shooter, fresh smoked salmon, crab cocktail, $18 per pound cheese (!), nectarines, cherries, the founding spot of Starbucks, and the famed tossing of the fish.  They had everything and it all tasted amazing.  Without a doubt I could have easily of spent the rest of the day and then some there but we had more to do and see.

From their we took a short water taxi ride to West Seattle and made our way to a busy beach full of people enjoying the unusual heat wave of 90+ degrees.  Though hot as it was, the water turned out to be on an entirely different schedule as it was ice cold.  Me and Dave managed to dunk our heads and swim for a bit but only with a total dedication to beat the heat.  But we did it when no other adults would, just kids, and hanging out on the beach of the Puget Sound was great.

The next day we did more of the same loafing around the city at the laid back west coast speed this time making our way down to a  sandwich place at Pike Place, and another beach this time only a few blocks away.  The water being a lake here was much more enjoyable and soon enough I found myself swimming up to a huge boat with thoughts of piracy racing through my mind, watching planes land in the water not far from me, and jumping off a low bridge into the water like the other kids there.

By far the coolest part of Sunday though was the massive crowds of people coming out for a gay pride parade bigger then any parade I've seen before.  For anyone who hasn't been to a Pride parade of this magnitude let me paint you a picture.  Besides your usual floats put on by supportive local businesses and organizations helping the community, on the more exotic side it had naked people on bikes (some with body paint, others without), men dressed as dogs on leashes, a leather pride section which I'll skip the details on, and even a crowd goer in a speedo who pulled down his shorts in front of us showing two cheeks sporting massive gashes from a group with whips who had just walked by.  No doubt while the intimidating men with whips were parading by he must have stuck his naked butt out there to see what it felt like, and he got a double dose in return.  I can only imagine his unhappiness later in the week every time he goes sit, or stand, or move, or...  Ouch!

There couldn't have been a happier group and getting to experience the almost rabid celebration of how far we've come as a society really was a heart touching moment.  Ever day it seems like we move just a little closer to equality for all in every aspect of life, and in times full of turmoil and compromises its progress and celebrations like this that reminds us of what we have to fight for as human beings, and remind us that we can truly change when we want to. 

All in all my time in Seattle was perfect.  The first two nights I got to relax, and then I got culture, incredible food (fried oysters and chips for dinner one night), swimming, great weather and awesome sights.  I was almost sad leaving the city today for the short 180 mile drive to Portland, but the fact that I would be picking up Magan in just a few short hours and having a travel companion for the first time on the trip gave me the drive to push on!  Goodbye Seattle, Dave, and Ana and thank you for the amazing hospitality.  It's been epic, but now on to Portland and the mythical highway 101!

Disaster: The Black Hose!

June 28, 2013
Seattle, Washington

After meeting up with my best friend from high school Luke I found to my immense satisfaction my trip reaching an all new peak.  He even agreed to help me rig up the face shield on my helmet for emergency situations as the plastic attachment thingy had fallen off somewhere about a thousand miles back (and I have a habit of keeping everything in the hopes of fixing it!).  So I go out to move my bike at around 10:30pm with all these cars flashing their lights at me.  A simple fuze must have blown and I was dangerously left without a headlight.  Not normally driving at night this was the first I had noticed, now moving my bike only a few blocks but breaking a number of laws in the process as it was dark out. 

We ran to the store and fixed the issue, came back and fixed my helmet all while trying to hide the embarrassment of my somewhat shoddy gear.  Saying goodbye but promising to meet up the next day I start the bike, but notice a long black hose coming out of the engine.  Knowing no hose should be there much less hanging off the bike I curiously reach down to touch only to real back in the realization that it's not a hose at all... My hand was soaked as its oil now shooting out of my bike in a steady stream 5 feet covering the ground, the garbage cans, and ironically the recycle bins as well.  In total shock and fear I turn Saphira off to diagnose what appears to be an immense possibly game changing problem.

Pulling gently I manage to remove the oil gauge by hand and without twisting that my dad had carefully reinstalled after its last habit of spitting oil.  To my complete amazement the solid brass extension that used to be there had sheared completely off leaving most of it inaccessible inside the engine block.  Fearing the worst we rigged it up well enough to get it home, ran to the gas station again this time for more oil, and by pure chance I managed to make the 30 minute drive back to my hostel arriving with one boot soaked in oil.  Knowing there was nothing I could do more for her at that hour except worry, I retired with terrifying thoughts of having to buy a new bike, being stranded less then 5 days picking my girlfriend up in Portland, or an exhorbinant repair bill to retool the block and get the broken piece out.

After a good nights sleep I got back to it, this time looking to fix the problem for good with some JB weld and some sort of cap.  The only problem being that if the JB weld didn't work I'd have an even bigger mess on my hands.  So I made my way to the closest Napa Auto parts store and that's where I met my angel of salvation Angie.  She told me that there was a simple tool called the Ease-out that would get the broken piece out and less then 5 skeptical minutes later it proved the case.  In all of probably 30 minutes we had it fixed with the amazing customer service there as my  mechanic skills are certainly sub-par.  For only $11 my baby was fixed, full of oil, and back on the road. 

Now I have no idea how that solid piece of brass broke, but without a doubt if not for the incredible customer service at the Napa close to Seatac my day could have been a whole lot worse!  So thank you to everyone there for your help, I couldn't be more thankful!

Today I'm leaving the peaceful atmosphere of my hostel Second Home Hostels and making my way into Seattle to stay with my buddy Dave from college.  It should be another awesome reunion as I haven't seen him in years and will finally get a chance to explore the city's marvels and hopefully another chance to experience some incredible food with the money I save couch surfing! 

Espresso Hut Anyone?

June 27, 2013
Seattle, Washington
Distance traveled: 3285 miles

After a brief hiatus I do believe I'm back!  I'm not going to lie I was exhausted.  Everyday more so then the last no matter the sleep I got the night before, with every ride in one of the most impressive regions in the US being that much more draining.  Thankfully though a couple days ago I managed to run into a friendly face up in the stunning Anacortes, Washington and that really helped build up some more steam.  But I'm skipping past a little bit here and getting ahead of myself so let's see where's I left off...

... Well after writing for a couple hours I've some how managed to lose all my work so here's the highlights for your enjoyment:

-Met a couple in Montana who showed me some amazing hospitality, was sure the husband was going to chop me up with a chainsaw, but proved to me you can't judge a book by its cover.

-Relaxed an extra day before a gargantuan 400 mile ride through the incredible mountains of Montana and North Idaho finding a ghost town motel to shack up in for the night in Ritzville, Washington.

-Road what should have been an easy 180 miles through pouring rain in the stunning Cascades but couldn't enjoy it at all due to the freezing temps and soaking down pour.

-Had an awesome time with Krissy (finally someone i knew!!) and the couple she rents from having the meal of a life time: lamb burgers with beats and piled high with other fresh veggies.  Spent too much time with her at a bar, paid for it the next day, but relaxed and went for an amazing walk.

-Left yesterday as to not overstay my welcome and went on another epic ride through the islands, a short ferry trip, and then to my cozy hostel 30 minutes south of Seattle.

Now I think that about sums up the last few days in a short but concise easy to read fashion.  Although Seattle seems like a pretty amazing city I haven't had a chance to check it out yet at all.  Yesterday I had the incredible luck to meet up with my long lost best friend in high school who I haven't seen in 11 years, but as fate would prove its all encompassing will once again disaster struck...