El Mariachi Rises

 Picked up El Mariachi from JC at Rebound today.  On a mystery of motivation, El Mariachi has been rebuilt.  Same frame but new forks, new rims, new drive train and a revived spirit.  So it is hanging out in the garage waiting for a return to glory... maybe just a ride to Mexico would satisfy the spirit.  2013, 2017 a hiatus until 2021 and we can journey back to the divide.  All healed - ready to go.  All to say, the spirit is ready to go, will work on the body but that is secondary to spirit.  We'll just let the mystery be how El Mariachi was rebuilt, rising from the ashes is almost prophetic.  More anon.

Back to the Well

Finished the 2017 Tour Divide at 12:56 in the morning... still Canada Day in British Columbia so I was pretty stoked to say it was my Canada Day project.  This year's tour was different, a little bit harder, a little bit longer and certainly a lot hotter.  It's a very interesting place to be, both spiritually and physically.  Hard to describe but easy to feel.  More adventures are sure to follow.

Time and Space

I was riding along the Warm River in Idaho again and still thinking of our Peter, his wonderful laugh and how he would love to be kayaking this river.  Five years on and it still hurts and may even be more difficult to reconcile.  That's the time of which I speak.  The space has not really changed but that day it looked different in the sense of sentiment.  An optimistic river bubbling through the mountains.

A few minutes later I crossed another river and saw some folks fly fishing and there was a gentleman in a quad.  I waved at him, he waved back and I continued on to the next intersection where I took a much needed physical and emotional break. Soon after I stopped, this gentleman pulled up in his quad and smiled.  I could see a cane in the back off the quad and I noticed he had trouble speaking.  So I started right in, telling him about the trip and working with hand signals to answer his questions.   He had recently been hit by a stroke and speech was a problem.  Regardless,  we did our best to communicate and the interaction ended with a hug.  I still think about that day and that moment.  I often wonder if his name was Peter.

Beautiful places-Beautiful people

Just pay it forward.  I came down stemple pass last night in the dark and was thinking that the campground was down there somewhere.  Suddenly, I saw a beacon flashing and cowbells ringing.  I come around the corner and Barbara and John are waiting for me with welcome arms.  Not only the welcome, they have the cutest cabin all outfitted for td riders.  Called "Lost Llama Lodge" as they have llamas wondering.  All they ask is for riders to pay it forward.

Whew - pretty nice to know there are such beautiful people - they are living in a "Beautiful Place".

Sleeping out - the best part

Glad to be getting out of the Rockies.  The reroute was  burly.  Looks like another night out in the nemo tent.  Works like a charm to keep me dry.  Woke up with the birds.  The world's most beautiful wake up.

Bike Packed - time for some schoolin'

Hey there - the bike is all packed except for some small little items, like food for Friday and Saturday morning.  I rode into Banff and checked out what was happening at the TD Central (Banff YWCA).  It was pretty busy with folks assembling bikes and doing some test rides.  It seems that the biggest concern is for bears.  This is good - awareness is a start and I believe there will be an information session for those who want more info as well.

The real reason for the trip to Banff was to visit Ms. Reid's Awesome Grade 3 class!  What a treat, we had a lot of fun talking about how I will sleep, how much food I can eat and so much more.  They are doing a unit on "data analysis" and are they ever sharp.  They will track my daily distance, avg speed, avg moving speed and one enterprising soul wants to track how many litres of water I will drink.

The best was setting up the tent and them checking out the bike.  As I ride the divide and find myself lounging in my Nemo bivy tent, being the object of their data analysis will provide motivation to get up and get going.

Imagining and longing

Rosemary Lee and Lisa Downing 

On Wednesday, May 31, 2017, I rode up and met Lisa Downing and Rosemary Lee an hour or so into their Tour Divide.  They both have unfinished business with this ride and by all accounts, I believe they are going to finish that business.

They left 9 days earlier than the "Grand Depart" so they are getting the full snow and "hike a bike" treatment. After 4 days, they are rolling into Whitefish Montana and from watching their progress online - it has been epic.

The Friday before Lisa left, we had a coffee at the Good Earth Cafe in Canmore.  Sitting outside in the beautiful afternoon, our conversation covered the technical details of the ride (Bikes, Route, Gear, Food, camping out, should I bring bear spray, etc) but it really focused on the mental component.  Hoping that all the physical aspects fall into place, it's the headspace into which a person needs to go in order to enjoy the experience.


Here's what we came up with - imagine the journey, then enjoy it and be there.   Listen to yourself, the people you meet and most importantly, listen to the landscape.  It's beautiful.  Long to be out there - it comes to an end too shortly.