Thank you's

This trip would not have been made possible in whatever form it morphed into, without the aid, and encouragement of a few people along the way. Despite the many people who wondered why we would ever embark on an adventure such as this (see the next post entitled “The disbelievers”, there were those that helped us prepare without giggling, backhanded comments or humoring. As we continue we’ll be adding to this list…

First and foremost – our outfitters:

Ed from Mighty Riders – set Merryl up with a Surly Long Haul Trucker and all its modifications. He also upgraded Lee’s bike so it could handle some of the hills…scratch that…mountains that we’ve been climbing. In addition, he gave us tips on surviving the trip, how to handle knee problems, spinning techniques and everything we’d need to survive without injuring ourselves. We would never hesitate to recommend him (and every bike shop in Vancouver told us that, underneath his very direct veneer, he truly is the best mechanic in town).

Sean from On the Rivet – Next door to Ed on Broadway, Sean set us up with raingear, helmets, shoes and any accessory you could imagine. He was also incredibly encouraging, and it touched our hearts when he said he would actually miss us.

Further thanks:

Duygu (a former Turkish student of Lee’s) gave us tiny evil eyes to ward off danger and they worked.  The one day Lee forgot to wear hers, she got into trouble. The day Merryl didn't wear hers, she found an industrial sized stapler stuck in her tire and tube.

Kyle & Carla Cupido helped us out with advice on achilles injuries during our stay at the Casino Resort and provided some recommendations.

The Oregon State Parks are so plentiful, reasonable priced and beautiful that we must thank the people of Oregon for their belief and support of their parks.

We are not sure what would have transpired if our support team had not dropped everything and raced down to Washington State to help us out.  Mike was supportive and showed great flexibility for our ever changing plans and ideas.  Being the support team isn’t glamourous except when done by Mike.

We had some great help and advice from a woman named Becki at REI in Tacoma.  She not only knew her stuff about the equipment we wanted to buy but she guided us toward the medical clinic and the doctor that gave Lee the courage to keep riding.