PER·SIST·ENCE in spite of!
Welcome back to SCOTOMAVILLE and what an absolutely fabulous episode this is going to be. I'm so excited we're finally going to get a dream we've been working on a long time. There is nothing like a good little journey with a purpose to expose places in your character where you can grow. We're getting ready for an expedition. We've ordered stuff from Amazon. We're packing things. It's all going in the truck. We are excited. It is finally come time after four prior attempts (this will be number five) to purchase our own Airstream. It's in Albuquerque New Mexico. It's the only one like it in the United States. It was built the week of the COVID-19 shutdown. It's exactly what we want for the price we can afford. Our banker assures us (in fact four of our bankers) that our scores are good. Our financing is set and we are off to Albuquerque.
It's exciting and I'm also wondering why is it going so smoothly because I've been on a few expeditions before.
We're in Baker City Oregon in the northeast corner of Oregon, headed to Albuquerque. We're on our first lunch break and we have butterflies. I mean Angelina is taking a video of butterflies flying overhead.
I have a story to share. During my 2005 Trans-Am I met Glenn Douglas in Fargo North Dakota. He knew all about the butterflies. It's a good omen for us.
In 2005, I had flown to Seattle to spend some time with my son. I started pedaling east from Bellingham, Washington up over the Cascade Mountains. Somewhere in the middle of Idaho butterflies began flying with me. No, not just across my path. They would actually come out from the fields and fly alongside me in one of four quadrants. That was strange because they flew just out of reach right in those four sectors. I thought this really weird.
I continued across Montana. At least a couple of times Sheriff and Police and other law enforcement had said to me; "you be a little careful where you're staying and where you're at because some tensions are going on amongst the tribes on your route and uh we've got a couple of missing cyclists and we just don't want you to fall into any trouble. So you watch yourself you take care that you're under a light and in a safe place when you camp at night."
KEY POINTS
¦ Challenge is normal
¦ Change is hard
¦ AWRNSS of subtle clues will help
¦ Butterflies know
¦ Do not give up
TRANS AMERICA CYCLING
One morning, a weather front had just gone through and it was cold that morning. It was wet as I cycled into Fargo North Dakota. I went to McDonald's for a hot breakfast. As I went in I looked around, surprised that it was full of senior citizens. I mean there was NO PLACE to sit except at a table with an Indian - and you remember I was supposed to keep my distance, but I thought; 'there's plenty of witnesses - it's broad daylight, come on Daniel.'
I got my meal at the counter and I heard the Indian fellow; "hey... I need to talk to you!"
People began looking at me. I turned around to see the Indian gentleman sitting at the table pointing at me. "I need to talk to you," he said. So I thought; 'well okay this is interesting'.
I sat down at the table and we started eating. I asked why he wanted to talk as I focused on what Glen was wearing. He looked like a Walmart greeter. He's had a hat with pins around the brim. His shirt had all kinds of pins and medallions and ribbons and stuff. I recognize some as battle medallions of campaigns. I fumbled for the right question... "Who are you?"
He said; "I'm Glenn Douglas". I dug into his story a little bit. You might know the movie with Nicholas Cage called Windtalkers. Glenn was one of the original Windtalkers from the Korean War. At the time, he was the oldest living most decorated Native American Army Intelligence Officer. Glen had some interesting life experiences.
In the middle of the conversation, I asked; "why do you have to talk to me". He laid the paper he was looking at down on the table. Pointing to a picture of me in the paper he asked; "is that you?"
"Yeah," I said. "And is that you, Glen?"
On the opposite side of the paper was his face. Here we are sitting together and he's reading the newspapers with both of us in it.
We continued talking. Glen wanted to know what I was doing. I shared a little bit on cycling across America, Angelina being in a car wreck, and that I was trying to get the message out...
KARE 5 NEWS CLIP
"On the same day, Lance Armstrong rode into Paris for the final time a cyclist from Seattle rode into the twin cities for the first time. Daniel Comp is traveling cross country on his bike to raise awareness for women in business. The long-time cyclist got the idea after his wife was injured in a bad car crash. She was an entrepreneur and he's riding in honor of her. 'Through peer support and mentoring they all sort of network together and share their business ideas and help each other in business and incredible things are coming out of it. We're trying to bring it out of Texas and up across the Northern U.S.'. Comp started his journey in Seattle just after father's day. He figures if he travels 80 to 100 miles a day he'll reach the east coast by the end of August."
I said; "oh... Glen, you're an Indian!" I still remember that awkward blurt. I get goosebumps on this because it was like the most obviously inappropriate social statement to make out loud. "You're an