Yeah! The first day of Cycle Washington, and I must say it was a rocky start. All went well this week: planning, prepping & shopping, until yesterday. Yesterday was Jack & my day to run all over the country and pick up our supplies. All went well until Jack decided to take a dive off of the back of the truck. One aide car, 3 hours in emergency, a really big bump on the head and I have never seen such purple in my life. Good news: he's fine. The tetanus shot caused him more pain than the goose egg on his head. Evil goose egg.
So: we kicked off Cycle Washington with Herbed grilled hamburgers with mango salsa and spring greens. Not your ordinary burger! Homemade potato salad and homemade pasta salad, followed with a huge pile of double chocolate chip cookies. Yumm! Aaron and Scott are working with us this week. Good thing: Jack's a little tender.
The weather here is hot: unusually so. The ride tomorrow is a shuttle to the top of Steven's Pass and then a gorgeous ride past Lake Wenatchee, into Leavenworth, (the little Bavaria of Washington), and on to Confluance State park in Wenatchee. This is an absolutely fabulous ride.
So: I was going to spend some time talking about life in a tent. Afterall: we spend around 140 nights a year in a tent. Some of the highlights? Hmmmm...... There is the time I left my tent fly in Hatch, Utah. 4 days until I could fetch it. Of course, it rained during those 4 days. Blue tarps do not substitute for a rain fly. Then, I think the next year, it poured in Torrey, Utah. Scott and I woke up at 2 am to 2 inches of water in the tent. Really sucked. Hey Jim: remember sleeeping through the tail end of the tornado in Fredericksburg, Texas? I know you don't! You had no tent stakes for the tajmajal of all tents, the tables and chairs were flying away, and I had to haul a cooler full of food into your tent to keep you from playing a part in the Wizzard of Oz. And, you did sleep through it! We won't talk about the fact that I was disoriented and couldn't find my tent: thought it got blown away! Then there was the time Aaron and his buddies didn't wake up on time for breakfast in Marblemount, Wa. I collapsed their tent around them. Didn't score points. Or the time in Montana that I zip tied their tent shut. Hilarious. We have seen some pretty amazing tents: the self expanding tent that really didn't want to un-expand. I think it took 4 people to wrestle it into submission. And then there are the air matresses that go into the tents. Queen size, 6 inches high. One rider deamed that that was not enough to ward off the cold. Do you really think putting a space heater in a tent is a good idea? The picture that is shown is what happens when you forget your tent stakes. Scott: happy you didn't end up in the lake! One poor little lassie got blown across the baseball field in Idaho 'cause she wasn't staked down, trying to change out of her bathing suite! Tumble tent. In Arizona the first year I gave up on the tent: 27*F: I slept in the truck. I have been through amazing lighting storms, snow, floods & wind living in a tent. And, no, I did not sleep on top of my tent in California when the staff decided it was tequila night. I was on time for breakfast, so no problems there. My oldest son, Matthew, as I have stated before, doesn't bother with a tent. Piece of real estate and a pillow is all he needs. I haven't had any critters in my tent: but you should have seen me hide in Montana when the skunk was exploring dinner options around 3 am! All in all, life in a tent is not bad. I sleep better than I do at home: and I get up on time! Amazing. Have you any great tent stories?
So: on to Wenatchee. The World Cup final is tomorrow: going to miss it! Dang! But the tour ison and we shall be watching. I will post the recipe for the burgers soon: they are amazing. Looking forward to fresh peaches, cherries and apricots on the East side of the state. Follow us this week! It will be yummy.
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