A four-thousand-mile bicycle trip gives you plenty of time to contemplate the universe, life, and love. For Lou, turning fifty meant it was time to re-evaluate everything. So the ex-ski bum from Vail has a custom bike built, and he heads off from Steamboat Springs, Colorado, on the trip of a lifetime. At this time, Lou has no ties to a job or family-and his relationship needs time to settle. It was time to embark on the bike tour he had always dreamed of. As cooler fall air teases gold from the quaking aspens, he looks north, toward the national parks of the West, across the Cascades to the Pacific Northwest, and down the California coast. Three months later, he's in Palm Springs, California. With countless hours spent pedaling his Jamison Coda, he has plenty of time to review his past. His is a life story peppered with hilarious escapades from the early days of Vail and Aspen, when those colorful pioneers created their own folklore along the way. For Lou, whose future was uncertain when he pulled out of Steam-boat, his time on the road brings it all into focus. Solo cycling gives way to a journey of romance. Ten years after his epic journey, Lou returns to the Pacific Northwest, this time with his wife, Mari/Moe. Together, they reflect on how they have boldly shaped their dreams into reality and reinvented their lives as inn-keepers in Tulum, Mexico.

SHIFTING GEARS

A Journey of ReinventionBy MARI PINTKOWSKI

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2011 Mari Pintkowski
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4620-1735-5

Contents

1. PEDDALING TOWARD SIXTY.............................................12. TIME TO PACK FOR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.............................173. THE LAUNCH: BACK ON THE ROAD.......................................214. ADVENTURES IN BIG SKY COUNTRY......................................335. MEETING THE PAST, FACING THE FUTURE................................446. HEADING FOR THE FAR NORTH..........................................517. KALISPELL, WHITEFISH AND PLACES BEYOND.............................638. RIDING THE RAILS WESTWARD TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.....................729. IN THE SADDLE AGAIN................................................8010. ISLAND FEVER......................................................8511. WHEELING THROUGH NORTHWEST CANADA.................................9412. BACK IN THE USA...................................................11313. RIDING TO THE RAIN FOREST.........................................12814. CALIFORNIA, HERE I COME...........................................13715. RECOVERING AND REUNITING..........................................15016. STAYING ON COURSE.................................................15517. SEVEN YEARS LATER: THE WEDDING....................................15718. THE THIRD THING...................................................16319. TRAVELING IN TANDEM...............................................16720. NORTH OF THE BORDER...............................................17421. PACIFIC NORTHWEST.................................................19422. SOUTH OF THE BORDER...............................................20123. FOLLOWING THE MARIPOSA TRAIL......................................20424. APPENDIX..........................................................209

Chapter One

PEDDALING TOWARD SIXTY

My Polish-American, jack-of-all-trades husband and I are turning sixty this year. The upcoming passage has led to much discussion and reflection of what we want to accomplish in our lives and just how our past has influenced our thinking.

One steamy night under a whirling fan in our casa in Mexico, we begin to talk about the path we have chosen that led us to a foreign country, many miles from friends and family, simply allowing the elusive butterfly to guide us as we traveled south from Vail, Colorado, to Tulum three years ago. I smile slightly as I begin to speak to Lou, "Where are you going to get the inspiration for the next sixty years of your life?"

He disappears upstairs and comes back carrying a large, white plastic box. I recognize it as one of Lou's treasured possessions that has survived the many moves he has made in his adult life. He lovingly sets the box on the table and taps the top with his knuckles. He slowly opens the lid and whispers, "I have opened this box on occasion in the past when I needed inspiration, confidence, optimism and joy."

"Sounds like this is a good time to revisit what's inside, Lou."

I sit uncharacteristically still as he speaks with the air of a storyteller.

"The pictures and news clippings from my youth bring back memories that awaken the stories in my mind," Lou says solemnly.

As he hands me the first picture, his description begins to transcend the barriers of time and space and makes me feel like I am with him as he is running down Vail Mountain. His lean five-foot-eight frame had a bronze glow, hinting that being outdoors was more than an occasional happening. He leans over and explains, "What's not in the picture is that I am betting my ski-buddies that I can run down Vail Mountain from Mid-Vail and beat the gondola to the bottom."

"Lou, you said you were betting against your buddies. Tell me more."

"What else did one do in the summer in the small ski town of Vail in 1967 except sit on the Red Lion deck sucking down a few beers while watching the gondola go up and down? One of our favorite topics in the winter at après ski was how many runs you made from the top of the mountain to the bottom that day. This made me remember how my thighs burned non-stop down Riva Ridge and how good it felt to push myself to be the first to arrive at the lift."

"Sounds like a bit of boasting, or beer talk to me."

"Maybe, but we all knew that the only thing that limited the number of runs we could make in a day was the speed of the lifts. That's when I got the stupid idea that I could run faster than that silver bubble that traveled up and down the mountain on its cable. Of course, now we had to find out. We were all in a state of anticipation when we boarded the next gondola car to Mid-Vail."

"The intense expression on your face in the photo tells me this was more than fun and games for you. What's the rest of the story? I want to know more."

Lou explains that in his youth, he had an obsession for challenging his strengths against himself and others. "More often than not, I didn't think about the physical damage that I could, and often did endure during these challenges. On that particular day, we rode the gondola up to Mid-Vail, and after placing our bets, I headed down the mountain at a pace I thought I could maintain while keeping an eye on the gondola car that my friends were riding in. I was trying my best to keep up. It did not take long to realize there was no way I could beat the gondola unless there was one of the all-too-common power outages. No such luck! Do you think that I gave up and took the catwalk around the grueling Pepi's Face which later became the finish line of many international ski events? No, instead I went straight down the mountain to the base where I knew my amigos would be watching from the Red Lion deck. When I got down the mountain, all I could think of were my screaming knees and burning thighs that kept me limping for days."

"I bet everyone still cheered you on and toasted with a cold beer in hand even though you failed at the attempt. Lou I can't help but ask, was this about them or you?"

"I would have to say a little of both, but I think it was more about the feeling of satisfaction I got from pushing myself to the limit than pleasing the crowd."

I set the picture down on the table, and wonder what I would have done. In minutes Lou hands me another photo. This one is smaller with scalloped edges and is almost a sepia color. I have to adjust the light to see that it is Lou as a young boy proudly standing in front of his family's brick-front house on Packard Street in what is now a suburb of Detroit, Michigan. His hand rests proudly on a Schwinn Hornet bicycle. "That's a beauty, Lou. It is bigger than you are. Did you get it for your birthday or something?"

"It was a hand-me-down from my brother, and my sister before him. I wasn't proud! I was elated to finally have wheels. This gave me the opportunity to reach beyond my immediate neighborhood and finally be able to explore the boondocks like my older siblings. I will never forget the exhilarating feeling I had on my first ride as I took off from my house and eventually bumped down a dirt road all by myself. In fact, Moe, the bike gave me the opportunity to earn money with my paper route."

I think back to my youth and respond, "I remember when my brother had a paper route. It was a lot of responsibility, but I don't recall that it was much of an adventure."

Lou sits down and a very serious look crosses his face. "I had the best corner...