I was focused on getting to my destination. On the bike all the
fun was on the road and I had a difficult time stopping some
days because the ride was so delicious. Slow and steady – I
unapologetically embraced my inner dorky turtle!
I made it to the Washington State Ferry dock in Anacortes on
August 7th (my 9th day on the road), and traveled to Friday
Harbor with my wonderful hand holding, chaps-teasing friend.
I spent 5 days on the island visiting him and his family while
working out repair issues on the bike – time for new spark plugs,
an oil change, a professional chain adjustment… All well worth
the wait because it gave me time to rest and regroup. The
owner of Beast Custom offered me advice on an alternate route
back to Colorado and told me the road I had taken was one of
the most challenging in the country.
I left the island on August 12th and headed
South on I-5, hitting more rain south of
Seattle. It would be that way, combined
with miserable road construction and more
wind, on and off until I made my way to Bend,
Oregon. From there the route brought me
through bucolic southern Idaho into arid
Utah where the silent desert landscape
engaged my heart in an unexpected way,
giving me access to and appreciation for
the dream I was manifesting. Who knew
I’d be so delighted by filling stations out in
the middle of nowhere (they functioned as
grocery store, café, pub, post office, town
square and in one case, as a regional
archery supply center), but they offered
welcoming respite and connection to small
rural communities that were far more
intimate than anything I found in larger
cities – they were so happy I stopped by!
I was dazzled by the colors of Moab and
the winding roads into Gunnison, traveled
once again over the Continental Divide
via Monarch Crest and swiftly into another
deluge in the Buena Vista area. That final
showery day on US-285 cleared up in
Jefferson and I continued safely through
Evergreen, Morrison and home to Boulder
on CO-93, grateful for my good fortune
and the opportunity of a lifetime. If it wasn’t
for the family I love and wanted to return
to, I could have imagined staying on the
road for months, but 21 days of loving
and caring for only me provided a joyful
beginning for the happy life I share with
them now.
The 3,600 mile journey only had the
possibility to occur because I gave
myself permission to dream, took it just a
little bit at a time and didn’t allow fear to
sabotage the enjoyment of it.
I wasn’t the girl you would have pictured
on a bike, but I am the woman who
healed her life on one.
www.thunderroadscolorado.com
May 2015
Thunder Roads Magazine® Colorado 27