Bike Ride from Baltimore to Seattle -- Friday, August 11, 2017

Gas Works Park on Lake Union, Seattle, is our direction for the afternoon walk, and we are surprised to see a message on the sidewalk, "We are the Cure!"     Immediately it makes me think of the fund raisers benefiting cancer research.  Walking farther past this message is one that reads, "Ride strong!"   As we reach Gas Works Park, we see booths for 25, 50 or 100.  It is not clear to me whether that means a rider could sign up to do 25 miles, etc., or laps.  A lap around the lake is 6.2 miles.  Do the math.

We later are overtaken by bikers as we walk across the Fremont bridge, so we know that some of them rode into town, as well.  They had numbered tags on their shirts and logos of "Obliteride." What a great take off on Wasilla AK's husky race called Iditarod.   So they aim to obliterate cancer.

Continuing our walk around the lake, we meet Adriana, who says she spells her name with one 'n.' We ask if she is part of the race, but she says no, that her father died from cancer and she just began wanting to run.  She is in Seattle to visit her son, but lives in Chile, where her grandmother, Adrianna, is not responding well to cancer treatment.  She again tells us how to spell the name -- the grandmother's name has two 'n's.'  We have a delightful visit.

Our loop around the lake brings us to the south end, where we come upon a group having lunch. Their spokesman tells us they rode their bicycles from Baltimore to Seattle.  Names of survivors, or those who have succumbed to cancer, are written in the stripes of their shirts.  

4K on the spokesman's shirt refers to the 4,000 miles they rode.

What dedication!



Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   Friday, August 11, 2017