All Is Well That Ends Well

After reading Tour Divide racer Reuben Kline's report of significant snow pack on a pass near the Idaho-Wyoming border I decided to pull the plug on my trip. Today needed to be the day to start shipping, but with my very recent snow-mud experience in northern New Mexico I have no delusions about what this first-hand report means. If it takes a young warrior 5 hours to do what he expected to accomplish in 2, then an old teamster with a load like myself might not get through at all. That would leave me stranded. If I survived, then my wife would kill me. It is a no win situation.

The snow is bad news, but by the time I would get there then there would probably be a lot of mud too. I dealt with that back in March on my Ignacio Chavez Grant shakedown, and I dealt with it crossing Brazos Ridge last week. No thank you!




Before I read Reuben's report I was researching options such as the cost of driving up to Montana and back and also the cost of renting a car to drive. Just the fuel costs would be between $500 - $600 round trip. If I rented a car and dropped it off in Helena it was going to be between $1200 - $1500 total with the fuel. I can have plenty of fun in New Mexico for that much money, and I won't get stranded in the snow and mud.

So after I dropped my wife off at her workshop at UNM this morning I went downtown to the Greyhound station to initiate a refund. The lady at the counter was ready for a confrontation about the 20% charge on the refund. Instead my response to everything she said was: "That's fine." Finally she said, "Why can't everyone be like you?" I think it might be because I am literate. I understood the fine print and took responsibility for the possible consequences of my choices. Her other customers looked a lot like many of my students, and they aren't about to take responsibility for anything. I'd love to be able to take a few of them out in some of these conditions where no one is going to enable them. Maybe even teach them how to be winners instead of lazy losers. Unfortunately, our society is not geared that way.

So, now I need to reassemble my bike and BOB trailer. I also need to do an inventory on my left over food and other supplies. All is well that ends well! Peace.