by Liz

Today we succeeded in transferring ourselves and our carefully selected kit to American soil. So far we think we did well with our packing but time will tell. For some reason in the end I was very attached to bringing a large box of chocolate biscuits, even though it’s out of date, so that came too. 

Two scares came to nothing. Philip was hobbling after a deep massage at work on Tuesday. Not the outcome he’d hoped for but it’s easing now. And the BA website insisted we didn’t have the travel documents we needed and wouldn’t issue either of us with a boarding pass. That turned out to be a glitch with their system thankfully, but it was a heart stopping 15 minutes. 

At the airport I devoured Tristram Hobson’s blog of his PCH cycle expedition in 2018 (thank you for sharing, Tristram!) The ten hour flight was an opportunity to catch up with a few final admin tasks and to enjoy some gorgeous views and a delicious three course meal, with a smile continually on my face and my heart soaring. We’re spending tonight in an airport hotel in Seattle. Thank you everyone for your hugs, calls, cards and messages of encouragement and support. They mean the world to us as we set out on the first stage of this adventure. I’m feeling full of anticipation and excitement as we head for bed. 

Additional Notes

Epsom, Surrey, UK, to Seattle, King county, WA, USA.

Left at 12.30pm. Arrived at about 7.45pm (8-hour time difference).

Weather: Overcast, a cold wind and damp in Epsom. Clear sky and cool in Seattle.

Landscape: We flew over an extraordinary landscape. It looks like frozen sea but the pilot said it was the Canadian tundra. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Things we did: Woke up early and did some admin around my mother’s care while we’re away. We had a pleasantly calm morning’s preparation. I re-packed my panniers so as to have the right things in the hold and on the flight. My panniers weighed 11.5kg and Philip’s weighed 12kg. My hand luggage weighed 4.5kg and Philip’s 9kg. We sorted out things in the house ready to go away for eight weeks, leaving Andrii and Teddy in charge. Olenka and Dan were arriving on Friday. We went for a walk to the station at 11 just for some exercise and fresh air. The taxi came at 12.30 and Teddy took a picture of us outside the front door under the wisteria. The drive to the airport was without event. Check-in was easy, the error message Philip got yesterday about not having the right documents for online check-in came to nothing. We had a peaceful couple of hours in the lounge with nice food and drink. I avidly read Tristram’s 2018 blog of his ride down the PCH, really loved it. We flew business class (air miles) and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, I felt very comfortable and it was sunny all the way, with views over the UK, Scottish Western Isles and the amazing tundra. With the last 2-3 weeks so full sorting out my mother’s care package, I caught up with messages, wrote statements of support for Sasha who lost her job and Andrei’s care company, and drafted the blog post for today. After the meal I slept for nearly two hours then put myself on US time, wide awake and ready to get there. We flew over some incredible snowy mountains then landed at 6.10pm local time. I wondered how the airport staff, few of whom were white, were feeling about the current political situation and their future. It was a sunny evening in Seattle and the airport was very quiet. We took a courtesy bus to our hotel and went for a lovely sunset walk. Back in our room we posted today’s blog, which I wrote on the plane, finished Helen Coates’s flatbreads and finally headed for bed at 10pm local time (6am UK time).

Towns: Epsom. Seattle.

Lunch spot: Airport lounge – a selection of savoury and sweet food from the buffet.

Dinner: Delicious smoked salmon and trout with prawn and salad, amazing lamb with celeriac gratin and vegetables, then warm chocolate, walnut and orange cake with vanilla sauce. All so good.

Wildlife: Birds on our walk.

Plants: We noticed the season was exactly aligned to ours in the UK – daffodils just over, cornus coming into flower etc. Azaleas and acers in many gardens.

Things we saw: The front gardens didn’t have solid fences but chicken wire mesh instead. We puzzled over the long house numbers (eg 15809), admired well tended front gardens and saw and heard unfamiliar birds we need to identify.

People we spoke to or saw: The cabin crew who were fascinated by our expedition. The slightly scary immigration officer. Friendly shuttle bus driver and reception staff at the hotel.

Incidents: It’s always slightly nerve wracking going on a cycling holiday, having the right kit is so important, so I was concentrating hard. Teddy’s a sensitive lad and was anxious about our leaving. A Seattle immigration officer said we would need to give up the bananas which we had picked up in the airport lounge at Heathrow. I semi-jokingly asked if he would like them (not wanting them to go to waste) and he (semi-jokingly?) asked if I was trying to bribe him. I was more careful after that as we got hauled aside to have them taken off us, sitting in a queue of slightly unnerved suspects waiting to be called. All our bags were x-rayed. They were nice though and we were allowed to leave afterwards with everything other than the bananas.

Shopping: A beer from the hotel snack bar.

Accommodation: An excellent, big double room at the Hampton Inn (paid for with Hilton points) at SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport).

Today’s sound: Birdsong on our walk.

Today’s smell: The aroma of dinner on the plane.

Special moments: Today was the anniversary of Dad’s death. Philip was very gentle and we avoided the tension that we sometimes get on big travel days. This is Philip’s first bike tour other than the mini-tours we did with the girls when they were young. We did really well as finishing final preparations and leaving home can be stressful. The flight was pure pleasure and anticipation. Just after waking up, when I went to the ladies, one of the stewardesses asked me what was taking me to Seattle, and once the word was out we were treated like minor celebrities – it was very sweet and encouraging.

Positive experience from my journal: Being so comfy in business class, the food and privacy, and our evening walk.

Appreciation from my journal: Managing the time difference so well.

Blog comments from my mother and her carer Jennifer, Helen C and Piers.

Social media comments from Kira Browne, Barbara Ferris, Moira Hamilton and Julian Freeman. Barbara: ‘The biscuits will be great 😊🤗 xx’. Julian: ‘Have a fantastic and safe trip. Hope all goes well’.

Mementos: Boarding pass and menu. Hilton room key holder.