Originally posted: January, 2016

The summer of 2013 was the first since age 13 that I did not have a summer job. Instead, I was home, alone, with my two yahoos.

One night in June, I was driving over the pass from Jackson. I saw a reflector and headlamp bobbing its way over Togwotee in the pitch of the night. It was like the first time i saw a road runner… i instantly knew that dude was racing in the Tour Divide!

as soon as i got home, i looked up the race. sure enough, the leaders were coming through Dubois. I followed the blue dots somewhat obsessively and drove the wee peeps up Union Pass most days for a few weeks to cheer on the racers. it was a healthy distraction from the chaos in the cabin

I reported on the race to everyone in town who did not particularly care. i would say “Can you believe they are doing this?” “Incredible! Covering some major miles of intense and burly terrain” “They are riding MOUNTAIN BIKES from Canada to Mexico and they come right through here!”

A friend commented that i’d be doing the race someday. i was not even feigning humbleness when i retorted that i surely would not. that the Tour Divide was way outside my capabilities. it had been a good 8 months since i had even brushed my hair…how could i possibly get my act together to pull off a feat like that. ever.

then the fall came. and the challenges of staying home with the wee peeps mounted and mounted. i had to do something to change my perspective because there was not much i could do to change my situation.

I drove across the country with Uncle Jeffro and the peeps to meet Quinn. I mentioned it early on. as in, i just said out loud that maybe i might could do something like that…someday…

and then it burned inside my brain. when i brought it up sheepishly to Deep Woods, he replied that i would crush it. and that was enough.

i said on our wedding day, that i have been standing on my tippy-toes reaching for the stars as long as i’ve lived. his confidence and faith in me launched  me to a place where i can gather the stars in my arms and nothing seems out of reach. Deep Woods made this happen for me.

by the time i returned to Wyoming in the fall of 2013, it was decided that i would be riding the Tour Divide in 2016. the year i turn  40. i began whispering the words to whomever would listen.

and little by little, the whispers grew louder as i grew stronger.

and now it is 2016. the “Grand Depart” is less than six months away. i will be lining up in a sea of unfamiliar folks on June 10 to attempt to pedal my way to Mexico.

since the day it was decided that i’d give it a go, all of the challenges that i’ve faced seemed more manageable.

the mantra “From Canada to Mexico” tumbled inside my cranium each time i was called awake by a cry in the middle of the night. each time i had to peel poopy underwear off a child, each time a tantrum or melt-down occurred…and lasted and lasted, each time i cleaned up vomit from either a kid or a dog, each time i travelled alone with the wee peeps through the airports or in the car, each time i longed for someone to come and visit us and break up our loneliness, each time Deep Woods was gone for work and we were on our own, each and every time the going got a little tough, the mantra tumbled…and now it is close to polished.

physically, i am a joke of a competitor. i ride when i can, i ski when i can, i charge up hills when i can, and i yoga when i can. most of those activities happen with my homies. i pull them, i pack them, i carry them, i endure them…and they have most certainly made me stronger. several occasions on skis, bike, and foot, i have been using my reserves to make it to the top of a hill while both wee peeps were hysterically crying and carrying on. i put my head down and trudged, repeating with each pedal stroke or ski glide…Canada…to Mexico…who else is training like this?

Rocky. that’s who. Rocky.

the wee peeps will be with my family in the east for the 30 days i am on my bike. we’ve had to “train” for that too. since deciding on the race in 2013, the peeps have journeyed to the east coast 5 times. they know, love, and are comfortable with everyone. they are excited. i recognize that what i’m asking of them is a big deal. and i am over-the-moon with gratitude that they are all willing to help. we will all be growing as a result of this endeavor.

there are other magnificent outcomes as a result of making the race a goal…the first long term goal i can ever recall setting.

in order to raise money for the event, i became “credentialed” as a yoga instructor, a SPIN instructor, a personal trainer, and a health and wellness coach. now i have a little business…and big plans for the future of it.

and…gulp….i am attempting to sell my artwork.

that leaves me  feeling so vulnerable that it takes my breath away.

and so i ask for help.

and i’ll accept whatever it is you might be willing to offer….sign up for a yoga class…take a SPIN class with me…commit to a 6-week wellness program with Frontier Fitness…purchase some greeting cards…buy a painting…order a t-shirt…lend me some skymiles…come on over and hang with the wee peeps while i go for a ride…visit the wee peeps while they are in the east…tell me you think i can do this…follow my dot…

my etsy site: dreamyourlife (just click on it!)

address: PO Box 313

Dubois, WY 82513

From Canada to Mexico,

becki