Thank You!

Before we move along any further, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those who helped us out along our journey thus far. From Chicago to San Francisco, we have experienced nothing but the sincerest hospitality from those who willingly took us into their homes and gave us not only a safe place to stay but also full use of their household amenities.

Since before we left the Hartford Area there has been one individual who continually and enthusiastically gave us advice, guide books and outdoor gear as to maximize our experience out west, he kindly utilized his fabulous networking skills on a moments notice and gave us the royal hookup for both Seattle and San Francisco. Ladies and Gentlemen, Lester McGuire is a saint!

If it wasn’t for Lester we would have never met up with Corey, Natasha and Nola. (Hope I spelt your names right) Without ever having met in the past, these wonderful people offered us full use of their beautiful house in Seattle while we did some sight seeing and geared up for our Mt. Rainier summit bid. Their generosity allowed for an extremely pleasant visit to the area and left us with a good taste of all the wonderful things the Seattle area has to offer. I hope you guys decide to head to New England some time so we can return the favor.

Knowing that you’re heading into one of the most raved about cities in america is pretty darn exciting, but knowing that your visit will also allow some time to catch up with an old friend just makes it that much better. Needless to say Portland, Oregon was everything we hoped it would be, but having the infamous Tuuli Hakala as a personal guide in the city for four days made it even better. As if seeing Tuuli in the city that she now calls home wasn’t enough, her roommates, Rubin and Michele are also super cool and even let us barrow some bikes for the duration of our visit. Thank you all for a wonderful visit.

After a nice hike along The Lost Coast in Mattole, California, we thought it would be worth stopping in San Francisco for a couple days. Once again Lester pulls through and hooks us up with Frank, a man whose name is associated with many tales. With only a couple hours notice we were all set with a place to stay in the city along with a couple bikes and a map marked with all the hip places to check out. I now see exactly why Frank’s name is held with such high regard. It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and sleep on your floor.

Seriously everyone, we can’t even begin to express how thankful we are for all the hospitality we have received in the past few weeks and what a pleasure it has been to meet every single one of you. If anyone ever needs a place to crash in CT, either Joe or I will do all we can to help.