On the Road Again

I am typing this as I sit in my tent, camped out on the lawn of a school in Port Angeles, Washington. I am here with 199 other cycling enthusiasts but I'll wager that I am one of the few who opted to drag along their laptop. I justified the extra weight with the fact that, as a digital photographer, a laptop provides the best way to offload images from my Compact Flash memory cards. I could use another portable storage device such as a Flashtrax, but I like the fact that the laptop offers additional uses - such as the ability to write this blog entry.

Of course, the downside (besides weight) is the fact that I must always be on the lookout for power. It's like I feed on electricity, always keeping an eye out for outlets to plug into. Right now I have 80% of my battery left, which gives me another 4 hours. As I will be more out in the boonies over the next three days, I plan to "stock up" on electricity at an internet cafe while I upload this blog entry.

We started our ride yesterday in Bellingham, which is just shy of the Canadian border. While most people camped out at the start line, my family and I stayed at Hotel Bellweather in the Waterfront district. This hotel has it's own dock and many guests boat in to spend the night. It also has one very expensive room with three levels in a mini lighthouse; it comes complete with a butler.

We opted for a "regular" room but even it was so nice that we decided to stay in and order room service for dinner. And whoa.. was it ever delicious. I felt like I was having my last meal before the execution - a slow torture over about 400 miles to the Oregon border. Hopefully the photos will be worth it. Here are a few from these first 147 miles:

I share more details and pictures next time...

Comments

[Dale Sherwood]

I like the full color shot of the bike next to the train, but the other is nice too.
I didn't care for the color of the sepia tone.
I like it when it's more of a redish brown sepia!
Maybe it's just my monitor.
Looks like you are having a blast out there Jim!
Such great shots along the way, thanks for all the tips! :O) Dale.