Did the McClinchy mile ride yesterday, hosted by B.I.K.E.S. Club of Snohomish County. This year it was a 34 mile out and back memorial ride to Oso, the small community devastated by a mudslide around this time last year. As I set out on my recumbent, one of the volunteers pointed out that my kickstand was still down. Then she asked if I happened to be Laura. Now, I'm always conspicuously different than the other cyclists at any organized event ,and I tend to mention it a lot here, so it was a sure bet she was a TE member. And that was how I met our own MMQFC!!
The ride turned out to be a soaker! I was tempted just to stay at home, but I had already paid for it and it was a special event, so I just decided to suck it up. The route stayed mostly on highway 530, which I didn't care much for, since Sunday seems to be a good day to hitch something to a truck and roar down the highway going 20 over. When I got to the mile wide debris field, I found I was overwhelmed by my emotions. It really made me feel small and powerless. And grateful and sad. A lot of things, actually. There was a food stop at the restaurant that still remains, but I was so miserable and wet I decided to skip it and head back asap. That might have been a mistake since I hadn't been drinking or eating at all up til then. I started feeling horrible cramps about 3 miles from the end. I arrived back at the start feeling very crabby, but a cookie made it all better.