Now things were really getting started. We were really excited when, after all the long preparations, we finally arrived in Seattle, Washington. Customs went smoothly, and our bikes arrived at the same time as we did. We spent the first two days at a friend’s house in a Seattle suburb. Jet lag had us out of bed early, which meant that by around 8 a.m. on the very first morning, our bikes were already fully assembled and ready to go. But we weren’t quite ready yet! We took two days to “se(a)ttle in,” during which we went into downtown Seattle, ran some errands, and finalized our plans for the first part of the trip.
On the day we set off, we were awake again by 5 a.m. and thus began our first day of cycling in the early morning. At first, we took it easy, cycling gently up and down through the suburbs. We rode past countless houses with wooden porches and large parked cars. These cars would accompany us for a long time during this first week of cycling—though we weren’t aware of that yet. Full of motivation and enthusiasm, we pedaled hard to move our rather heavy bikes. We were overjoyed, but we also felt a sense of respect. We sensed that what we had set out to do was truly a huge undertaking and that many kilometers, countless ups and downs, and many sweaty hours lay ahead of us. Lost in thought, we cycled side by side, unsure whether we were the only ones feeling this way or if the other person felt the same.
The first week has passed, and we’ve successfully covered the nearly 300 kilometers between Seattle and Portland. Riding along rivers, through vast forests, and over grassy hills made our cycling hearts race. We cooled off in the ice-cold water where fishermen were casting their lines and found shade under towering Douglas firs. While a heat wave is currently raging in Europe, it’s already been getting hotter and hotter here as well. We were able to enjoy pleasantly cool weather during the first few days, but now it’s very hot, and the risk of wildfires—even in the states of Washington and Oregon (which are known as “rainy states”)—is high.
It gets especially hot on the highways (where, alongside four lanes of traffic, there’s actually room for a bike lane, aka a “cycling path”), as large pickup trucks and trucks pass you. Here, you have to show mental strength to block out the noise and just keep pedaling.
In Portland, we’re able to stay with friends again and get to know each other better over dinner together. Along the way, we’ve already heard many amazed comments, words of encouragement, and countless “Have fun! Safe travels!” wishes. By the roadside or at campsites, we easily struck up conversations with locals or were even invited right away to join the campfire at the campsite.
Today we’ll plan how the route continues and how we can best avoid traffic—at least to some extent. Until then, we’ll keep this quote from John von Düffel’s *Das Wenige & das Wesentliche* in mind: “Meaning in its most primordial form is direction. […] To have a direction is to be part of a story.” Let’s see where our story will lead us…
