It started as a whim. “That Seattle-to-Portland (STP) ride was always there…” I told myself. Then a friend said she’d ride it with me.
OK, now I have no excuse.
After RAGBRAI last summer, I wanted a similar experience without sullying the Iowa trip memories. Hmmm..what about tacking on a trip to the San Juan Islands?
Really?
I mentioned the idea to my rugged presentation expert and…bingo.. I had another associated trip. How to work them together?
So I pulled out the calendar and targeted 16 days in July starting July 11. Takes in STP (7/15-16) and then the Islands (7/19-22). It’s official: it’s on the wall!
This trip is a variation of the pie-beer-and-pasta-from-church-ladies-in-Iowa experience of RAGBRAI. This trip is about those new -age islanders –it has been, after all, 30 years since I was on Orcas Island –and encountering new folks and traveling with an old friend.
This, too, is about focusing on me and the world around me for my mental health. this past years and this colossal breakup have made a mess of me. As the TV ad for the amusement park says “I liked meeting me.” That’s my goal, anyway.
I’ve also come up with an idea to make this a fund raiser for my local coffee shop, Well Grounded Coffee. They celebrate their staff, formerly incarcerated women and those with addictions. That’s worth riding for. And maybe I could get the attention of Subaru and Bike Mart along the way.
So look for updates and posts leading up to and during and after this adventure.
Thanks, Jody.
Relentless
*sailboat photo courtesy of Jaclyn Thomas Maynard
