Cast of Characters:
Dell -- the man crazy and/or gutsy enough to want to bike across the country
Kevin -- Dell's son, also known as the 2nd man crazy and/or gutsy enough to want to bike across the country
Brian -- Dell's son/Kevin's brother, guy who lives in Boise
Colleen -- Dell's wife/Kevin's mom, sag wagon director extraordinaire
Sara -- Dell's daughter-in-law/Kevin's sister-in-law, the one writing this blog
I'm getting a bit of a late start here (I'll blame it on a sick child and some travels of my own -- forgive me, oh internet!), so in the interest of efficiency, I think it's best to compile the highlights of this first week in a single post. Future posts will be a little shorter and sweeter.
May 4th -- The Oregon Coast
The Hanks duo ceremoniously dipped their back tires in the Pacific Ocean and set off on their journey. If all goes according to plan (spoiler alert: it won't, but that's okay), the trip from Oregon to Washington DC will last six weeks. Two dudes, two bikes, a bjillion miles -- piece of cake, right? Well, don't be fooled by the picture above. These two intrepid souls are also towing trailers with all the gear they'll need, including tents, sleeping bags, bike repair equipment, and so forth.
May 5th -- A Strong Start
By day 2, having passed through Eugene, Oregon, Dell and Kevin had covered about 170 miles and climbed over 6,000 feet.
May 7th
Father and son were working their way through Central Oregon. Lots of elevation change, cold temperatures, and 320 miles down.
May 8th -- A Snag
Remember how I mentioned that each of the fellas is towing a bike trailer with all the gear they'll need for this marvelous adventure? Well, through a series of events that I don't fully understand, the bag containing all of Kevin's equipment was lost to the environs of Oregon. Sounds like it was probably Brian's fault, but who am I to say, you know? This was quite a setback, as you can imagine, but actually, it sounds like relatively little time was lost as Kevin replaced the essentials. Still, though -- a bit of a snag. Dell and Kevin found shelter in Boise ("shelter" = Brian & Natalie's house) and prepared to set out on the road again.
May 11th -- Back At It ... Oh, Wait ...
Ready to roll once again, the guys continued across Idaho, facing 30 mph headwinds, but undaunted.
And then ... it was Snag City once again. After making it 40 miles in such conditions, Kevin's bike encountered some, shall we say, difficulties. Difficulties serious enough to prompt his wife, Naomi, to proclaim, "Kevin's bike broke." So that's pretty serious. However, there is hope on the horizon! Colleen is on her way to meet the Daring (and Possibly Discouraged) Duo, bringing along needed bike parts. She'll serve as sag wagon to the guys for the following days as they continue to fight the headwind, just in case they need more assistance. (Side note: I never knew the term "sag wagon" until I joined the Hanks family, but I sure do now. It's basically a support vehicle for bikers.)
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That's all my info as of now, but stay tuned for updates! And for those readers who are able to contact Dell and Kevin via text, email, Facebook, and so forth, be sure to send them your encouraging thoughts and cute baby animal videos.
Best Summary EVER!!
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