Bostonian Denis Beaudry is starting his cross-country tour (100 mi./day) from North Seattle 7 a.m. Saturday, 5/22.
Want to meet this worldwide cyclist (Iceland, Morocco, Finland, Alaska Highway, other European sites, I forget where else)–who is nonetheless humble and personable–and help give him a warm, Seattle send-off?
Join Denis on his first 18 of 3,100 miles, get a taste of the glory, and show him a little cyclist camaraderie.
NOT AN OFFICIAL RIDE OF or AFFILIATED WITH ANY CLUB, group, organization, religious sect, political wing, Mah Johngg game, quilting circle, poker club, business, grassroots movement, or anything else. NOT INSURED.
But if you want to come, here’re the stats:
Meeting time: 6:45 a.m., THIS Saturday, 5/22
Start: 11556 17th Ave. NE, Sea 98125–bright blue house at the SE corner of NE 117th St. and 17th Ave. NE
Destination: Highway 2
Distance: ~18 miles one way from my house, depending on route; find your own way home again.
Speed: I don’t know. Contact if you’re coming, and find out (see below).
Contact: cindyri@q.com, (206) 367-6750
Other info: I’ve spent the whole day with him, and he’s been nothing but fun and easygoing. He’s an interesting guy, but he’ll listen to you, too.
Meet Denis: He “ain’t in Boston anymore.”
After a fine dinner I went to bed last night at 10:00 Seattle time….1:00 A.M Boston time.
Tomorrows plan is a trip to REI, a bike check, a short ride, and more food.
Cindy warned me that she’ll probably sleep in, and I warned her that I’ll probably be awake at the first sign of light. At 5:30 A.M., I was wide awake.
At 6:30 I took my bike out for a test spin. My destination was a Starbucks……I wanted a coffee, a muffin or three, a look at the local newspaper, and a taste of the local public flavor.
It took me all of three minutes to find the first Starbucks.
I walked in, took a look at the coffee selection, pointed to two muffins, and asked for a medium regular coffee.
Though the man behind the counter was friendly, so friendly I thought he was auditioning for a part in a movie, he couldn’t decipher my Boston accent nor did he have any idea what a ‘medium regular’ was. I in turn couldn’t understand his Seattle accent nor his line of questioning. After a moment or two of pregnant pauses I did figure out what a ‘grande’ was.
But the rest of the line of questions were a blur. My facial expressions and ‘huh?”s, along with my accent put the man on guard that I was probably a foreigner….or maybe even a terrorist. And though he managed to keep his smile pasted we were at a standstill and I was ready to start the process over with a ‘give me a hot and black in a paper cup please.’
But we both survived unscathed and I got my two muffins and something that looked like a medium regular coffee….
I sat in the Starbucks for two hours reading the paper and studying the landscape. While sitting there three different people either said ‘Hi’ to me or asked me something about my bike parked outside. Being from Boston I looked at them with suspicion. We don’t do that in Boston. We keep to ourselves. I thought the people could be the undercover community police so I was careful with my replies. I didn’t want to raise any red flags.
I watched the traffic and the people coming in and out. I did notice as many Volvo and Subaru hatchbacks as Ford and Chevy SUV’s.
I ain’t in Boston anymore.
One street sign said ‘Arterial speed 45 mph’. And I thought I was smart when I figured out that ‘arterial’ meant rotary. But Cindy staightened me out when she said that ‘arterial’ refers to the main road I was on….
I’m ready to go…..I’m all cranked up.
Cindy is sending out an e-mail inviting local riders to join me on my 18 mile trip out of Seattle to route 2 tomorrow. That would be nice to be accompanied on my trip out of the city….
See ya….
Denis
Cindy – did you see him off? Sorry I missed this. It seems he departed from your house? How do you know him? Garth