Thanks to our Seattle hosts Chris and Karen!

We were very lucky to have a last minute offer in Seattle for a place to stay. Chris and Karen opened up their home to us in the wee morning hours for a place to stay. It was the perfect place for 5 tired, hungry, smelly guys to relax. (2 were so tired they didn’t make it into the house until later that morning).  The sunrise was beautiful over the Sound. Mountains poked out behind disappearing fog, and passenger ferries still glowed in the dark. The house had an amazing view and a balcony where Steve took some chilly morning snapshots.

We obviously had different schedules, but the time we did spend with the Kalzer’s was fantastic. We got to meet two of their kids, Katie and Jeff who were very welcoming as well! (I don’t know many teenagers who would be OK with 5 strangers taking over their house for a few days! And Katie even had the ACT exam that weekend!) But the kids were delightful. Pepper, their dog provided the wet wake-up kisses. We got to sample some local brews from Red Hook Brewery and Chris grilled up some tasty chicken, along with a pot of pasta to load up on fuel the night before our first ride out of the city. The morning of the inaugural ride, we were treated to some pancakes to start off right.

We owe them a huge thank you for their hospitality, and will certainly remember our sunny Seattle experience. It was a great jump-off point for our adventure, and a huge morale boost after our long, arduous journey from Denver. Nothing beats hot showers, great home-cooked meals, and good conversation. Thanks Chris and Karen!