July 15th Seattle to Anchorage
My horoscope said I would experience amazing events of synchronicity- whether that was predictive or I just started looking, we will never know. What I do know is that when you travel, you become more attuned to how the fingers of fate start locking together.
For instance, I was on the flight to Anchorage sitting next to a man that I thought was annoying. Who can say what tipped me off..the high squeaky timbre to his voice, his caveat about his snoring that may occur, the fact that he was taking too much of the armrest? Under normal circumstances, I would have avoided all interactions with him, but something in me decided to open up. I was taking photos of the mountains from the window when he asked me why I was coming to Alaska. I said in my typically obtuse and understated way, "I am biking around for awhile." Then he told me about his son, who rode from Kodiak to Haines a few summers ago. We chatted until we landed and I was so impressed that the person in the next seat over had so much to offer me on a topic that I needed so much information about. It was very inspiring!
I suppose any one that has traveled has their own synchronicity tales. They occurred to me often during the next two weeks, and in rather undercover ways that I only noticed by looking back at them. When the rain started coming down in sheets just before the Thompson Pass in to Valdez, I was stubbornly riding along determined not to stop NOR complain. A camper was parked in the pull out of the road, and I briefly stopped to have some water. Just then a woman popped out of the camper door to ask me if I wanted some hot soup. My first thought was no, but feeling that was rude, said yes begrudgingly and went inside their steamy camper. I never felt so claustrophobic in my life, and remarked to myself silently about the benefits of fresh air and travelling alone (without a bickering spouse). After a sandwich, cookies, hot soup and water, I continued on up the pass. It turns out that meal was the last one I had until the following afternoon and I was thankful for their kindness.
Other events came along in the form of unsolicited rides (when I didnt want to cheat!) through construction and up gravel hills and extra cups of coffee. I didn't want any of these handouts, but looking back they had their own value.
I remember the couple that appeared in front of the Cooper Landing cafe to tell me not to keep riding east up the Sterling highway because there was absolutely no shoulder and I was sure to die. That didn't stop me from considering it for over an hour, yet I eventually did turn back around and head to Seward. It was a little more than coincidental when I saw the same couple at a taco stand 3 days later in Anchorage on their Friday night taco-date night. They were so pleased to see me alive! Liz said it's a small town, maybe even a small state, which runs contrary to the fact Alaska is about half the size of the continental US, but we will take her word on it.
So, you just never know what links will lead you down the path youre supposed to be on. Oftentimes I force (Robert will tell you that) my will upon the outcome. It reminds me of another time when I got off the ferry in Cordova in the pouring rain, with the intention of riding 50 miles to the Child's Glacier at 6 PM. Surely, that would not have been enjoyable for more than 15 minutes, yet I stubbornly got out my cycling clothes and put some Safeway grocery bags over my socks. I was stuffing my feet back in to my wet sneakers, when the ferry/state parks woman asked me over to her house to stay the night and see "what the weather was going to do." It was there that she showed me a kayaking video, "Nanook of the North" and added to my knowledge about the area. I resisted taking the help, yet it was exactly the food for thought I was hungry for- fascinated by the arctic circle and reading about kayaking there, I was considering THAT as my next long distance adventure.
To be sure, Alaska was calling to me and I did follow. Even while I was there, I don't know how I ended up there, or why, knowing next to nothing about the entire state, and then here I was riding 600 plus miles by bicycle on my "vacation." Who knows? Maybe I should stop thinking so much and just tap in to the intuitive callings that are already screaming at me? Or maybe anything can make sense when you look back it?
For instance, I was on the flight to Anchorage sitting next to a man that I thought was annoying. Who can say what tipped me off..the high squeaky timbre to his voice, his caveat about his snoring that may occur, the fact that he was taking too much of the armrest? Under normal circumstances, I would have avoided all interactions with him, but something in me decided to open up. I was taking photos of the mountains from the window when he asked me why I was coming to Alaska. I said in my typically obtuse and understated way, "I am biking around for awhile." Then he told me about his son, who rode from Kodiak to Haines a few summers ago. We chatted until we landed and I was so impressed that the person in the next seat over had so much to offer me on a topic that I needed so much information about. It was very inspiring!
I suppose any one that has traveled has their own synchronicity tales. They occurred to me often during the next two weeks, and in rather undercover ways that I only noticed by looking back at them. When the rain started coming down in sheets just before the Thompson Pass in to Valdez, I was stubbornly riding along determined not to stop NOR complain. A camper was parked in the pull out of the road, and I briefly stopped to have some water. Just then a woman popped out of the camper door to ask me if I wanted some hot soup. My first thought was no, but feeling that was rude, said yes begrudgingly and went inside their steamy camper. I never felt so claustrophobic in my life, and remarked to myself silently about the benefits of fresh air and travelling alone (without a bickering spouse). After a sandwich, cookies, hot soup and water, I continued on up the pass. It turns out that meal was the last one I had until the following afternoon and I was thankful for their kindness.
Other events came along in the form of unsolicited rides (when I didnt want to cheat!) through construction and up gravel hills and extra cups of coffee. I didn't want any of these handouts, but looking back they had their own value.
I remember the couple that appeared in front of the Cooper Landing cafe to tell me not to keep riding east up the Sterling highway because there was absolutely no shoulder and I was sure to die. That didn't stop me from considering it for over an hour, yet I eventually did turn back around and head to Seward. It was a little more than coincidental when I saw the same couple at a taco stand 3 days later in Anchorage on their Friday night taco-date night. They were so pleased to see me alive! Liz said it's a small town, maybe even a small state, which runs contrary to the fact Alaska is about half the size of the continental US, but we will take her word on it.
So, you just never know what links will lead you down the path youre supposed to be on. Oftentimes I force (Robert will tell you that) my will upon the outcome. It reminds me of another time when I got off the ferry in Cordova in the pouring rain, with the intention of riding 50 miles to the Child's Glacier at 6 PM. Surely, that would not have been enjoyable for more than 15 minutes, yet I stubbornly got out my cycling clothes and put some Safeway grocery bags over my socks. I was stuffing my feet back in to my wet sneakers, when the ferry/state parks woman asked me over to her house to stay the night and see "what the weather was going to do." It was there that she showed me a kayaking video, "Nanook of the North" and added to my knowledge about the area. I resisted taking the help, yet it was exactly the food for thought I was hungry for- fascinated by the arctic circle and reading about kayaking there, I was considering THAT as my next long distance adventure.
To be sure, Alaska was calling to me and I did follow. Even while I was there, I don't know how I ended up there, or why, knowing next to nothing about the entire state, and then here I was riding 600 plus miles by bicycle on my "vacation." Who knows? Maybe I should stop thinking so much and just tap in to the intuitive callings that are already screaming at me? Or maybe anything can make sense when you look back it?
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