Day 6: San Juan Island, WA
On a journey of 2,000 miles, one should never conceive of the entire distance at once. The sheer magnitude of it all sabotages the mind and freezes the legs. This can be particularly counterproductive on the first few pedal strokes of a half mile, 12% gradient hill, as I discovered Monday afternoon just before crossing into the US. This being the first real climb of our trip, I had devoted the three or four miles prior to mentally preparing with optimistic aphorisms and focused attention on my cycling form. Head up. Elbows in. Knees snapping up. Heels driving down. As the road turned upward at the base of the climb, I pulled myself in tighter, seeing only the two feet of asphalt ahead. Twenty meters down. Then forty. Having been unable to squeeze in much cardiovascular training in the weeks before our departure, I felt elated that I could climb so easily, dancing towards the sky.
And then it hit me.
I saw Mexico. And every twenty-meter section in between. And everything stopped. My bike felt like a loaded 18-wheeler. I did my best to dismount from my bike without falling over and pulled out an energy bar for respite. Jason, taking my break as an open invitation, stopped beside me and we laughed. Tackling this first real challenge thrown in our way, we had stopped, admitted defeat, and began to feel grateful: for the beautiful scenery around us, for the gorgeous August weather, for the health and opportunity to be challenging ourselves in this most luxurious of ways, and for surviving as far up the climb as we had before stopping.
The past few days have been a case study in resilience. Well, for Jason at least. He has been having a few problems with his rear wheel and the weight he’s carrying in his panniers. He’s broken three spokes in two days, which distorts the wheel causing it to run with a significant wobble. As if climbing up hills on a bicycle with fifty pounds of gear wasn’t hard enough, Jason has essentially been doing this with his brakes on. And to be honest, I’ve hardly had to slow down much to allow him to keep up. He still finishes the day with a smile on his face.
We found a cycling shop in Anacortes, WA that kept his bike overnight while we ventured out onto San Juan Island. Claiming the world’s only park designated for whale watching and thousands of acres of undeveloped forest, the island is rich in natural beauty and a haven for cyclists. I plan to ride the perimeter today while Jason heads back to the mainland to fetch his bike. We are staying with a fellow bike tourer on the island who has come from England to cycle the Pacific Northwest. He returned last night after a few too many beers and entertained us with his stories from the road, making use of every British expletive I knew and many I didn’t.
Sunburnt and unshaven, our current plan is to head into Seattle by Friday night. Continue sending your well wishes (best aimed at Jason’s bicycle for the time being)!
Posted on August 30th, 2007 by Derrick
Filed under: Uncategorized
OMG…you guys are nuts!! Brave and ambitious….but CRAZY nonetheless!
Hope your bike is riding smoothly now, Jase. I know as well as you do, how a wobbly bicycle ride feels…(thx again for saving my life circa 1989 when I rode my red tricycle into our swimming pool)!! Love you!
Keep your chins up, boys!
-Jenna
Jason - Don’t let Derrick read this - You got it all wrong, man. Don’t fix the bike. Tell Derrick that they couldn’t fix it. Then you can just ride on his handbars and let him do all the peddling!
You guys are doing great, and are really very inspiring. As things get tough, or if problems crop up, remember what a joy it is to test your soul to see its levels of endurance and courage!
Sean
Hey Jason & Derrick - You are incredibly inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing your stories from the road. I’m in awe of your courage and persistence.
I know that tough times are a part of every worthy journey, so here are a few words for the trail as you go pedaling on:
“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” - Christopher Reeve
I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take another
step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet
another. In truth, one step at a time is not too
difficult…I know that small attempts, repeated, will
complete any undertaking. - Og Mandino
“Your ability to persist in the face of setbacks and
disappointments is vital to all great achievement and it’s always a result of a decision you make. It’s not the
external environment, it’s the internal environment.” -
Brian Tracy
“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is
protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” - Napoleon Hill
“Persistence is what makes the impossible possible, the possible likely and the likely definite.” - Robert Half
“I tell them that if you stay committed, your dreams can
come true. I’m living proof of it. I left home at 17 and
had nothing but rejections for 25 years. I wrote more than 20 screenplays, but I never gave up.” - Michael Blake (author of Dances with Wolves)
“How long should you try? Until.” - Jim Rohn
“Never consider the possibility of failure; as long as you persist, you will be successful.” - Brian Tracy
“Every thought you think, every belief you hold becomes a bio-chemical reality in your body. Any persistent symptom is your inner wisdom trying to bring your attention to an area that needs compassion. - Christiane Northrup, M.D
“Most people never run far enough on their first wind, to find out if they’ve got a second. Give your dreams all
you’ve got and you’ll be amazed at the energy that comes out of you.” - William James
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.” - Sir Winston
Churchill
Hello MAPP grads!
I was thinking about you as we began MAPP.3 yesterday. There were moments of excitement, stories of how no one could sleep the night before the first day of school, stories of why these people came to MAPP. It was a wonderful, inspiring day which I wanted to share with you. Let me tell you one story: Denise is commuting from New Zealand and is interested in many things, including helping others with personal growth and changing public policy about education for her entire country. She said she has felt like a voice crying out in the wilderness until she found MAPP - a community of other like-minded (like-missioned?) people.
I know this bike ride is dedicated to helping others to find these like-missioned people, to come into the MAPP community and learn and dream along with them.
I am inspired by the vision that you are living right now, and I wanted to say thank you.
Keep pedaling! (or paddling!) The ride is going to be a good one.
Warmly,
Debbie
Hey Derrick!!!
I saw Jason’s survivor man video!!!! Totally hilarious!!! Keep them coming!!! I love reading your blog, seeing your pictures, and watching your adventures.
I’m definitely cheering for you and Jason!!!
All I have to say is that it’s soo wonderful that you get to have adventures like this because it’s something I would never do myself But of course you already know I’m wimpy!!!
Happy riding and I hope your bum is fine
Keeping it reeeaaal in the C-T
Grace
Thank you for sharing!
Hey!…I Googled for angie cruz, but found your page about Day 6: San Juan Island, WA…and have to say thanks. nice read.