A Trailer That Towed Me

With the days now warm and long in the Pacific Northwest, how can one not look towards the mountains and islands, and dream of adventure? This was my inspiration two weeks ago when I was struck by the idea to take a bike trip to the local isle of escape, Bainbridge Island, located just a 20-minute ferry ride from Downtown Seattle. Nestled in the heart of Puget Sound, this destination offered exactly what my wife and I were seeking for a weekend getaway: a break from the city, a slower pace of life and wineries-a-plenty. "We could camp out, and borrow a bike trailer and tow Luna and our gear!" I exclaimed to my wife who was laying in bed, settling down for the night when I was struck with the inspiration. I was excited by the prospect of a new outing together and the idea of riding bikes to escape the long queue of cars boarding the Bainbridge ferry. And because I would tow a trailer, Luna, our dog could join us on the trip, too!

"Can we talk in the morning?" Sophia asked in an understandably exhausted tone. I can't blame her. Even my excitement surprised me for this hour of the night. After a few more minutes of searching on my phone for Bainbridge parks and destinations, I retired for the evening.

The following morning, my search continued and I found camping options at Fay-Bainbridge State Park and secured a bike trailer engineered for children, but equally capable for towing dogs--borrowed from a running buddy. Lastly, I figured out a biking route that my wife Sophia felt comfortable with (less loud, dangerous highway, more scenic road). Sophia and I were going on our first overnight bike outing!

On Saturday morning, Sophia and I, with Luna in tow, departed for our mini-vacation. The weather was pleasant as we glided downhill towards the Ballard Bridge, and onto the trail leading to the ferry. While Sophia's picked up a flat in her front tire just a half-mile from the dock, we still made it to the ferry in time to buy tickets and board. A little after 9:30 a.m., our ferry pushed off, headed for Bainbridge. We were on our way.

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After docking, Sophia and I walked our bikes to the local bike shop located just up from the road from the dock. I swapped out Sophia's tube and replaced her worn tire at a local bike shop. Once her ride were fixed, we loaded up on food at the Town & Country supermarket, then set out for Fay-Bainbridge Park.

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Our trip

Without boring you with the play-by-play, we had a great trip! I discovered how exhausting it was to tow a trailer loaded down with 90lbs of dog/camping gear/food. How tired you ask? Like so tired my wife was biking circles around me while I huffed and puffed my way in granny gear up the rolling hills of Bainbridge.

We visited the beautiful Bainbridge Vineyards Winery where Luna romped with the founder's 11-month-old puppy.  Later we also sipped wine at Eleven, an understated winery that was staffed by the approachable storytelling manager Mike.

Camping at Fay-Bainbridge was a the perfect choice. The park overlooks the scenic and calm waters of the Puget Sound. While we were just a few miles from our home in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, the song birds, towering trees and scent of pine needles mixed with the salty air made us feel much, much further away from the bustle of the city.

For an adventure that rang up to around a $100, I highly suggest giving this ride a try. We loved it!

Budget: Ferry - $18 Camping & Firewood - $25 Wine Tasting - $20 Dinner & Snacks - $30

Northwest Passage with Team Fly by Night

At just before 12:30pm last Saturday, I crossed the finish line with Team Fly by Night to complete the Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay. We were tired, sweaty, and in one case, fighting stomach issues after a recent trip to Mexico. Despite this, we completed the 168 mile relay course! And we did it in a respectable 26 1/2 hours.

It felt like much further in the past, but it was just the morning before when our team met up at the Northgate Park n' Ride in Seattle to count our gear and begin this adventure.

After making sure we had enough head lamps, reflective vests and food, 12 runners piled into a minivan and an SUV, and headed north to the relay start in Blaine, Washington.

Over the next day, teammates in each van took turns running legs of the race lasting 3-9 miles, while runners in the other van rested and ate.

Now to be honest, my squad, van 2, started our day pretty relaxed.

Because we were running second (slots 6 - 12), we first stopped in Bellingham, baked cookies at a teammate's house, napped on plush couches and watched Ferris Buelers Day Off on a 50'' TV. This was all while the other van of Fly by Night teammates hit the start line and began the run southbound in 85°F weather (guess life just isn't fair).

baton ragnar wrist band

We killed a few hours at Kelly's house, then headed to the first exchange point for a safety briefing and warm-up run. After getting confirmation by cell phone that Joe, the last runner in van 1, was just under a mile away, we crowded the hand-off point. Kelly, our next runner, stood bouncing with energy, yearning to go.

In a blink of an eye, Joe screamed around the corner, crowds cheered and Kelly took the "baton", an organge slap bracelet labeled with the Ragnar logo.

Bam, she took off. Kelly's 5'1' frame soared down the road.

Van 1 would now get a few hours to rest and drive to the next hand-off point. Meanwhile me and Van 2 began leap frogging Kelly to make sure she had water and food, and that she stayed on course as we pushed south.

Team Fly by Night did this for the rest of Saturday and through the early hours of Sunday. Runner after runner would hop out of the van, strap on a head lamp and beat a path into the darkness. It felt like some crazy game.

I started my second leg, a downhill trek of 5.4 miles, at the groggy hour of 3:15 am. While I promised myself that I'd hold a steady and slow pace, the excitement of the night got the best of me, so I furiously chased the bobbing white and red lights in front of me (runners from other teams). My pace sped up from 9...8... then 7 min/mile as I burned downhill.

Night exchange point

The descent was taking its toll and by the time I reached Deception Pass, my quads were numb. Finishing this leg was the only thing in my mind.

As I crossed the Deception Pass bridge, the ground was lit only by my headlamp and the full moon. This was probably a good thing. I'd be too scared to run if I could see the dark water far below the narrow bridge walkway.

Just before dawn, my van got to La Conner High School. Some of us grabbed showers, while others slep on the floor of the gymnasim. The sight of hundreds of bodies laying on the floor was surreal--a cross between a camping adventure and an emergency shelter.

After less than two hours, our team woke, dressed and prepared to receive the baton once more. Luckily everyone was healthy and energized. As we had done before, we met Van 1 and the runners exchanged the slap bracelet. The race for us was on once more... south to Langley.

At a quarter to noon on Saturday I received the last handoff just east of Rt. 525, the last 4.8 of our 168 mile relay. This leg would finish the race.

Unlike my previous routes, I had some elevation to contend with, with a big hill just before I entered town. I pushed hard and was coated in sweat as I entered Langley. Shirtless, I dodged tourists on the sidewalk and closed in on the final mile.

A few hundred feet from the finish line, my teammates Heather, Bob, Kelly, Catherine, Joe, Michele, Mike, Natasha, Ed, Molly, and Ted joined me and we finished the relay together as a team. A perfect ending.

The Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay was an amazing journey with Fly by Night. We met wonderful people, saw beautiful parts of Washington and traveled hundreds of miles by foot. Incredible.

We'll be back next year!

In the meantime, I have bigger things to worry about. Below is a video from our Northwest Passage journey.

[Youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIhB6GuHF2U"]

Walk to NYC – Day 2

After 18 hours and 19 minutes of walking, split over two days, I finally limped into upper Manhattan. I was tired and knew I wouldn't be able to make it to my final destination, Grand Central Terminal in time for my bus to Philadelphia. Defeated, at the 143^rd Street Station I took a #1 train downtown. Out of a 65 mile walking adventure, I failed just four miles from my destination. Shoot.

The day before, my brother and I had left from his home in Newburgh, NY in search of an adventure. Mike came up with the idea to walk to Grand Central Station, and since I’m someone who can't turn down a challenge, I took him up on his offer.

So, just like that. We strapped on our backpacks and hit the road.

Our first day of hiking ended earlier than anticipated. The June heat and distance was taking a toll on both of us. Mike seemed particularly dehydrated, so we stopped after 25 miles (out of a planned 30 for our first day). Outside of its bone-chilling (and much appreciated) air-conditioning, our motel in Peekskill was a dump. Luckily, we didn’t stay long.

Mike and I started our second and last day of the trip at the painful hour of 4:30am. As the sun rose, my feet felt strong, but I started to realize the challenge ahead. Today we needed to walk ~41 miles–farther than I’ve ever traveled on foot in a single day.

We followed along Route 9 and Route 9A, again paralleling the Hudson River as we cut further into Westchester County. Luckily, the weather was noticeably cooler than the day before, with temperatures rising into the lower 80s. A cloud cover also helped to mute the blistering sun that had scorched us yesterday.

As we continued south, the town names started rolling in faster and faster: Buchanan, Croton on Hudson, Ossining, Briarcliff Manor, Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, and Irvington, and on, and on.

Seeing the world through the eyes of a walker (or runner) means you see things so much more vividly than if you were speeding along in a car, or riding a bicycle.

We passed landmarks like the home of the first African-American Millionairess, Madam C.J. Walker (1867-1919) and the first golf course on the continent (1686).

As the miles rolled past us, Mike and I were making progress towards our goal of reaching Grand Central Station. Unfortunately, this was not without a toll.

My brother started to show signs of discomfort as we passed mile 40 on our trek. Finally, at Hastings on the Hudson he told me he couldn’t go any further. Mike had work the next morning and couldn’t risk further injuring a serious cut that had developed under his foot. Mike told me he was done.

“Shoot, you know what this means” I joked. “This means we’ll have to do this again together another time!”

After we deciding to try the trip again together next Thanksgiving, I hugged Mike and he got on a train headed back home.

I took a moment to rest, then continued the walk south. Now I was going it solo.

The rest of the route cut through the dense urban streets of White Plains and Yonkers. I was warned by locals about the “sketchy” areas up ahead, but guessed that my sweat-soaked clothing and disheveled hair made me the scariest looking thing around.

I just kept plodding forward. One foot in front of the next.

My walk passed high-rise projects with courtyards littered with trash, children cooling in water from open fire hydrants, and emaciated prostitutes trailing what looked to be well-fed pimps.

As I crossed over from Yonkers into Manhattan, I had hoped that I’d be magically rejuvenated. Unfortunately when the moment came, no such bolt of energy arrived. I had covered 37 miles since that morning and my feet were smashed to a bloody pulp (I didn’t have the courage to look).

Despite the pain and my sluggish pace, I continued south and made it to 143^rd street in Manhattan. It was now 6:00pm.

I had been traveling for over 12 hours today and realized that I wouldn’t be able to stumble the remaining 100+ blocks, and still make my bus to Philadelphia where my Aunt was waiting to pick me up.

I realized I would have to quit. My walking journey was over.

I took a moment to grieve my failure, then headed down into the subway.

I made it to the station in time to catch my bus. My Aunt greeted me when I rolled into Philadelphia two hours later. While I wasn’t able to finish my walking adventure, I  had a great time with my brother and got to see a lot of amazing sites along the way. Mike and I will attempt the walk again soon.

In the meantime, this experience has reemphasized for me the idea that people can find amazing adventures everywhere. I know I did.

-R4C

Totals:

• Miles Traveled: 61.84
• Time: 18h:19m (over two days)
• Calories Burned: 6,011
• Altitude Gained: 7,000+ feet

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10YNK3E826o]

Find Adventure Anywhere

"Wait, what do you want to do?"

I was sitting outside a coffee shop in Seattle talking on the phone with my brother in upstate New York.

"What if we left my house and just walked to New York City?" suggested Mike.

I was surprised. My brother wasn't the sporty-type, but he did have amazing endurance from over a decade in the Army.

"Whoa. That's... that's like 60 miles."

Mike corrected me.

"No, actually, it'll be more like 64 or 65 ...and I want to do it in my work boots. It'll be like I just left my house on a stroll and we'll land in Grand Central Station on our second day of walking."

"So, what do you think?"

After taking a moment to figure out a route using Google Maps and searching for a town to stay in overnight, our plan was set. "Yeah, let's do it!"

So, next Saturday, June 5, my brother and I are going to start this adventure (this is a great story about another walking trip). I share this because I believe we can find adventures anywhere and for any budget.

From a running commute to work, to strolling on a local beach at daybreak, life-changing experiences are just steps from our door. Best of all, you can create these adventures for yourself, without the burden of race registrations or time trials. Just go and be awesome.

Hiking the great peaks of the world is an amazing feat, but it doesn't come without huge costs. A small fortune, tens of thousands of pounds of gear and dozens of sherpas are required to put just a single man or women on the top of a Himalaya peak.

This is an adventure, no doubt. But I believe you can find similarly amazing experiences closer to home, too. Whether you're in Seattle, L.A, Miami, or even Newburgh, NY (my hometown), a rich, active life is just around the corner.

If you too believe you can find adventure anywhere, add a story in a comment below.

As for Mike and my walk next week, I'll be sure to post photos and notes from our trek as soon as I can.

-R4C