GNBR – Of MICE & MEN

Let me be clear. I LOVE Canada. Victoria is beautiful. Canada is unlikely to accept any American immigrants, but I might be interested. However, they need to draw a new map. Vancouver, for example, isn’t on Vancouver Island. It would be like New York City being in New Jersey. The central city is Victoria. And the Victoria airport is in Sydney! And as Jim Gaffigan points out hilariously (here), British Columbia is neither British nor Columbian.

I don’t want to start the trip with a fatalistic Steinbeckish perspective, but my best-laid plans have gone awry. I’ve been enjoying Victoria, rather than putting a bike together, because I didn’t have my bicycle until last night. After arriving at the Victoria airport on Thursday, I got my baggage, but no bike. I went back later, after the next flight, and still no bike. Phone calls, claims, emails, and another trip to the airport failed to produce a bicycle. No one seemed to know where the bike was. It is challenging to start a bicycle tour sans bicycle.

Thankfully, Jessica and Nick followed me to Victoria yesterday (Friday) to celebrate their anniversary, as they honeymooned here, and to see me off. They fought with someone in Denver, cajoled others in Calgary, and miraculously, the bag was found in Denver, but arrived last night. I got it all together, and it seems all is well.

Yesterday, I met the rest of the gang, who are planning on starting the ride today. Two are from BC, two from Germany, one from Quebec, and one from Ontario. We met at the Irish Times Pub. It was fun to be together and hear everyone’s concerns and excitement. After the start, we might never see each other again, but it will be comforting to stay connected and know someone else is on the trail somewhere.

With time on my hands in Victoria, before the bike arrived, I thought more about what to do besides pedaling on this very long ride. I’ve decided to try to accomplish three things each day: 1—make someone smile, 2—engage in a conversation, and 3—provide assistance. Items 1 and 2 likely seem pretty straightforward, but for someone who had to read the book “The Art of Small Talk”, they are challenging. My kids couldn’t believe I organized the lunch for everyone to meet yesterday. Additionally, there are a lot of empty miles of riding, so I won’t have too many chances each day.

Today, I can proudly say that yesterday I made the baggage claim attendant smile. Yes, rather than ranting at him, I engaged in conversation. It was far more pleasant and in the end more helpful than yelling. Admittedly, I told the Westjet person on the phone last night that I wished I’d flown a different airline, but that was engaging in conversation. In any case, I dropped off a Starbucks gift card for my new baggage claim friend in Victoria for my final trip to the airport to pick up Nick, Jess, and the bike. So far on this trip, I’m learning that life is better when I kindly interact with others, rather than react to them. Of course, that’s easy to note as I ride solo off into the woods for four months today.