Port Townsend, WA to Brinnon, WA - 36 miles
Tan is a funny guy. For about an hour this morning he complained. "I don't like to ride my bike. I didn't want to come on this trip. I'm not getting enough rest." We went as slow as he needed, took lots of breaks and tried to remind him of his previous enthusiasm. Nothing worked. Eventually, I offered him a sandwich which he accepted. It was just an open face peanut butter and honey, but that sandwich was magical. His attitude completely changed for the rest of the day! It was a good thing too, because today was a long day of riding. This evening when Stephen told us that the options for tomorrow were either a short day at 28 miles or we could go all the way to the next camp site at 59 miles, Tanner was cheering for 59. His slump was obviously due to a lack of energy, which the sandwich remedied, but in the moment he couldn't pinpoint the source of his discomfort. I wonder how often I blame a seemingly obvious culprit that really isn't the main cause of my troubles.
Some of you may be wondering what we are doing about school. We have home schooled our children for the last 3 years. It definitely has it's challenges, but it's always been the right choice for us. Although we didn't bring any curriculum books with us on this trip, we have continued the boys' education. This morning, they had a botany lesson and counted the rings of various stumps to determine the age of the trees. Later, when we stopped for lunch, Tanner found a book lying on a table and helped himself. I forgot to mention a few days back that they spent most of Monday morning reading books as well. If their schooling during these next few months doesn't amount to much, at least they are learning some great life lessons. And besides, we did school all summer, so I guess you could say that we are taking a fall break instead of a summer break.
Today, we climbed a mountain. 4 miles up and 4 miles back down. As we were coasting the downhill side, we saw a pair of cyclists struggling up on the other side of the road. Stephen called out, "It's SO worth it!" We don't know the specifics of the terrain on this trip, but we know at least that for every mile we climb, there's a mile we get to coast down. Even if we don't make it all the way to Mexico, I hope that our boys look back on this day and know that they can do hard things and that the hard times are always worth the effort.
I saw the cutest advertisement stuck to the side of a general store in an obscure Washington town. To protect the identity of this adorable entrepreneur, I cropped the phone number. You'll have to travel to Quilcene if you're looking for such services.
