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By Scott Stoll
10.14.99
Dick and Ingrid are a retired couple bicycling
the Pacific Coast this summer. After a ferry ride to Alaska, they
started their bicycle trip in Seattle, Washington and are traveling
south to San Diego, California. This path, though scenic, is difficult.
The Coastal Mountains rival any other mountain range in North America
when it comes to bicycling. And the weather is cold and wet. Dick
and Ingrid mentioned several times in their correspondence that
even Alaska was warmer than the fog enshrouded coast.
"Lizzy May has logged almost 8,000
bicycle-touring miles on the back of Ingrid's bike." |
Needless to say they are an amazing couple. They
served as a source of inspiration to me several years ago when I was
struggling with my own bicycle journey from coast-to-coast. Through
a fortuitous series of encounters, they urged me forward when I lacked
the faith in myself to continue. The first time we met face-to-face
was at an ice cream stand on the back roads of Kentucky. Dick didn't
hesitate to buy me a root beer float, which after pushing a ninety-pound
bicycle through the mountains was a godsend. Anyway, this was their
second trip bicycling across the country. Dick said, "I thought I
was done and then thisÉ." Dick rolls his eyes and inclines his head
towards Ingrid. She patted his arm and said in a German accent, "I
know, dear. You can say it - this thing you married is making you
do it all over again. Scott, I tell him that we have to do it. We
don't have much more time and this will be the last trip." "That's
what she says," Dick said. "Don't worry, honey, I promise." "I didn't
know what I was getting myself into when I married her," Dick said
affectionately. Dick and Ingrid's path trailed mine all the way to
Seattle and I came to think of them not only as role models but as
guardian angels. Two years later, when Dick and Ingrid's journey along
the Pacific Coast Highway brings them to my house in San Francisco,
I tease Dick, "I thought Ingrid promised that was your last trip."
Dick rolls his eyes in manner reminiscent of our time in Kentucky.
"Ah ha!" Dick says and turns toward Ingrid. "Ah ha. Did you hear that."
"This is the last big one, honey," Ingrid says nonchalant. "The last
big one?" Dick says. "You know. There are other places we must see,
but this is the last big one. I promise." "You heard her. She says
she promises." I laugh. Dick doesn't fool me anymore -- I know these
trips mean just as much to him as they do to Ingrid. Note: Dick and
Ingrid are currently finishing their bicycle tour in Southern California.
Check back next month for an update on their trip. |
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