My niece Cece and nephew Freddy help launch my ride.

Today begins my Northwest bike tour. I left Seattle on my fully-loaded rig and will be pedaling for the next three weeks. Exactly where? That’s to be decided. For the first leg of this trip I’m headed north to Vancouver, British Columbia, then ride the ferry to Victoria to circle back to Washington state. If all goes well, then I’ll head south to the Oregon coast. But the best part about this trip is that I’m not following any set schedule. It’s a delightfully odd feeling for a guy whose sisters nicknamed him ”planner boy” to go wandering on a bike. Many thanks to my partner Beth for allowing me to head off on this cycling adventure, and to my sisters Kris and Ellen for hosting my family in Seattle the week before my trip began.

Gasworks Park: one of my favorite views of Seattle.