Day 1: 77 miles and sore legs

Today we headed east out of Seattle, beginning the first of the 4,000 miles we will travel. For the last four days we have been training as a team, learning how to ride well and communicate better. Surprise, it rained all four days during training. While being in training we got to work with some people with disabilities, all of them adults who had numerous disabilities ranging from down syndrome to mental retardation. It is amazing working being able to get to know them, after talking with them you begin to realize the abilities that they have. It was a surprise to hear that many of them hold jobs and own apartments. I will try to get some pictures up from that event.
The Bike today was difficult, no one said it was going easy heading up a mountain pass. We had a police escort out and the vans have been helping alot to keep us safe and get us water and snacks at our stops. We had about 4 flats today, I unfortunately blew a tube as well. Today was a great test for the team. There was alot of teamwork involved, its very good to see everyone working well together, our pace lines were tight and the communication was great. Tonight we stay in Skykomish, town of about 200 people. We are staying in the local high school/middle school/elementary! Tomorrow we will make it to the very top of the pass and then head for Wennatchi, another 80 miles!