Over a couple days preceding and including Memorial Day Weekend, Sarah and I went out on tour, crossing a large chunk of Washington State east to west, on the North Cascades/Hwy 20.
It was our first multi day trip together, and it went smashingly well.
The ride was no pansy fun ride to the coast, this was five mountain passes in five days. 15,000 feet of elevation work over 350 miles. It had rained for two weeks straight before we left, and it rained a little every day but one. Oh that first day? We started with wandering Spokane looking for our ride then an hour car rid north and then a 105 miles. All fully loaded. Hell, we both brought stuff we never even used, some of it laughably inappropriate. Moby Dick? Who brings Moby Dick? I brought two pedal wrenches, buying the second at the last moment not sure if I had packed mine and too lazy to dig it out in the bike shop.
The route was my job, I managed it fairly well using Adventure Cycling's Northern Tier route. I was really impressed with their maps, on top of the sheer bulk of data they cram on a page, they are in color and are printed on heavy waxed stock so that they will survive getting wet and days in your back pocket or handlebar bag.
All in all it went very smoothly and I was impressed with how strong Sarah is, yet still very easy to travel with. This girl seriously has the patience, and engine, of a saint.
Flash forward a week and she asks me after dinner tonight if I ever get a post-adventure let down. I told her that " oh my god yes" and I think it put her at ease it a little.
Seriously though, the first week back from a bike tour will be a roller coaster. Like most, I'm usually quite ready and willing to get off the bike for a day or so after a long tour. Coming back to work is usually busy, and if you've planned it right can be a springboard opportunity to success. The downstroke is when you're legs stiffen back up and you realize you don't _get_ to ride your bike all day, there is no mountains to climb, just the usual mountain of bullshit. This slips into a particular funk of whocaresfuckitthisisnt biketouring usually by the next weekend. It won't clear it up until you take a long ride and follow it with a reminder of how great Seattle can be; slide into warm booth and a cold local beer paired with great food. Reliable as the tides, this cycle rolls upon returning from a tour every time.
The weird thing is, with these post-partum depression bits, I don't get them from other vacation-y trips. I don't have any sort of this problem coming back from Mexico, for example. Even today, a week in town, I'm already looking at bike touring magazines with a hungry lust for road in my stomach.
Looking forward, the next bike tour is largely pre-arranged and should bean entirely differnt kind of fun. 40,000 people on bike or supporting bikes kind of fun. Oh yes, I get to know the fun that is flying into Omaha, I'm going to Iowa. RAGBRAI is the last week of July. I hear great things about this huge week long group ride, I can't wait. Between now and Iowa, I have an 8 day hike, a trip circumventing Mt Rainier with Sarah. This is her big hike, that she's been lusting over for way too long. She largely already has it planned out, its just on me to make it work with the day job and be in shape to go.
Its nice to know that I've found myself with someone who craves the same flavor of adrenaline. The only downside to this heavy regiment of adventure is that by Labor Day I'm largely out of vacation/sick time, so it looks like I'm working through Christmas/New Years again. Know what? I'd have it no other way.
