Yes, have the Tyvek jacket. Here it is.
After four hours on a bus, I got to Seattle. *The lady seated next to me was going on her 14th Seattle-To-Portland ride. *She was an example of how tattoos don't age well. *I'm sure the coiled snake in barbed wire on her calf was *****in' when she was a hot blonde twenty, but at fifty it looked like something to biopsy. ***
In fact, most everyone I saw on the buses and later at the University of Washington dorm - convenient Friday night lodging - was on the older side. I'd say the 40s to 60s y/o contingent outnumbered the 20s and 30s group by 8 to 1. I would say that, for young singles looking to meet and mate, road cycling looks like a loser activity.
Our bikes followed on a truck. *There were six or seven buses and a like number of trucks. *Most of the bikes were new aero monocoque carbon fiber machines. *There was another vintage Peugeot on "my" truck. *A 1980 PXN, which was a very high end model back in the day. *The owner (stout older gentleman) and I stood around and geeked out for awhile. There were also two very fast looking Bachetta carbon fiber recumbents. *The rider of one (attractive 50s-ish lady) was the owner of Coventry Cycle Works, the recumbent and trike specialist in town. *She told me that coast-down tests show these bikes with their lay-down riding position are so aerodynamic that a fairing provides almost no benefit. *I guess I won't see those bikes once the ride goes.
The buses dropped us at the University of Washington campus, from where the ride leaves tomorrow morning. *I'd forgotten what a beautiful campus this is. *Kind of like Cal Berkeley with ferns and rainforest. *I found my dorm room for the night. *Two beds, two desks, two closets, a view of the football stadium. *The dorm rooms are in clusters of five, each cluster having its own bathroom, lounge and balcony. *In the hall there are tiny, closet-like rooms marked "typing" and "study". *It looks like kind of a fun place to spend a year or two.
Tonight I get to eat dorm food! *My room came with board, apparently. *I'm sort of looking forward to it. *I only brought one book, "The History Of Early Rome", a small paperback crammed with dense, dull print, guaranteed to provide reading material for a lifetime. *Some all-you-can-eat D hall food will be a nice break from life on the Tiber.