I know we usually think of BunnYHawking as a group event for social interaction with other like minded individuals. But this was one badly needed solo mission. It was great to flex the new frame and gain some long shot perspective on an extended road trial / shakedown.
The first leg: Georgetown to Kenmore- We have all done this at one point or another. Remember Log Boom Park? so uneventful, but so easy to kill the first fifth of the trip. I wasn't even warmed up by the time I hit "Kenmore Lanes". (Which reminds me, Blaise says "BowlinGHawkS needs to happen")
Second Leg:Bothel, Everett, Marysville- This got hard. Not because it was hard yet physically, but honestly... I don't know exactly. Its bad urban suburbs to worse rural ones. Lots of traffic, lots of gated communities, lots of wannabe gated communities, to low end track homes with names like gated communities to just shit holes. I did stop for two hard shell tacos at TacoBell in Everett. And Brandon was with me in spirit. I could feel his presence as I passed some Boeing buildings. Once I was over the Stilguamish the ride started to resemble what I was envisioning.
Third leg:Marysville to Mt Vernon- Some of us went to Mt.V for the twolips ride. The Skagit is so open. I did all three hours of it while listening to Ira Glass drone on and on about some stuff I couldn't concentrate on as some pain was starting to set in. I was expecting to do this section very fast. My perception of it was that it would be flat. Its not. It always goes a little bit up and then a little bit down. I also thought there would be no trees. The route I took went past some very old family farms and much of it was in the shade of ancient cottonwoods. The temperature was perfect and it was beautiful. I wasn't much past half way but it was hurting bad. (not good hurting like later). I felt much better as I passed the welcome to Mt. Vernon sign. I stopped at the coop and had a Thai Curry Wrap. I sat down for about 15min. and calculated the miles remaining.
Fourth leg:Mt. V. to Bellingham.
I thought about bailing on the trip and calling in the sag wagon as I was riding up to Mt. V. Everything was hurting it a really strange way. But something about being in town on the beautiful day eating carbs wrapped in carbs and realizing that really all I had to do was ride to Golden Gardens and back renewed me. It wasn't like I steeled my resolve or gathered my determination, I just felt better and wanted to keep riding. Funny, I don't think I was warmed up properly until that moment. Stuff still kinda hurt but I didn't care. Things just got more and more beautiful and more and more profound as I traveled north. Then I hit the Chuckanut. I got nervous as the road started to rise above the bay. I thought "Now you are going to suffer in these hills." but I didn't. I just stretched out on the bike dumped all my gears and twiddled up the steeps and absolutely bombed the drops. I was so elated to look out on to the sea that there was barely time to feel any sensation but well being. The ups and downs were perfect with the sea air. I was in the longdance. I was seeing god. I cried openly. I was dimly aware that my feet and asscrotch were dead numb and that probably wasn't good. So I stopped. I unvelcroed my shoes and ate some goo on a non-turn-out-shoulder on the last hill before the decent in to Fairhaven. I didn't know this was the last hill. The goo was like new blood. I climbed the last hill and dropped like a stone to the cool floor of the ocean. Fairview was a blink. And then Bellingham. I went the wrong way on State St. Got energized on Holly at exploded up to Broadway. While checking the address for Greer and Ariah's place I had a weird conversation about Her Majesty the Gravedigger with a semi-homeless guy who asked "how many gears you got there?". He said he wanted a fixie. I told him I had to go.
I saw the Volvo and turned in sharply. Before I knew it I was getting a hug in a driveway. It felt very strange to be finished.
I'll admit I was resistant to the concept of becoming a real adult. Turns out its the coolest thing ever. Your friends turn in to super elegant hosts in fancy apartments that serve wine in real wine glasses and converse about topical subjects ranging from athletic performance to the emergent days of punk rock while seated around hand crafted tropical hardwood tables or lounging on custom upholstered built-in settees.
