August 19-24, 2001
In our third year of tandeming, S2 Cycling Team set new goals. After training for our second Seattle to Portland ride (200 miles in two days), we continued riding to be ready for RAW. We did another two-day double-century, from Seattle to Vancouver, BC. called RSVP in early August. All told, we trained about 2200 miles this season in preparation for our first week-long tour.
Saturday, August 18, we packed up our stuff and drove to the coast with our friend Diane Taylor. She was looking for an opportunity to spread her wings and graciously made the journey so we could get our bike and gear to the start line in Westport. We walked through the Westport art festival, saw the end of a fabulous Mariner-Yankee game (Go M’s!) in the office of a charter fishing group, and had a nice Mexican meal before she left.
We spent the night with our next-door-in -Seattle-neighbors, Bill and Sarah. They have a house on the beach and put us up. Cranberry bogs fill their back yard view. Appropriate, since the RAW was listed as “Cranberries to Apples”. RAW, The Ride Around Washington, is in its third year and is sponsored by the Cascade Bicycle Club. This year’s route was a 357 mile journey across the state. The fully supported event boasted 154 riders creating a rolling community traveling from the cranberry bogs in Westport to the apple orchards in Eastern Washington. Each photo can be clicked to view the images larger.