July 21: Every Day on the Road is a Good Day

Every day on the road is a good day. That being said, some days are better than others. I had hoped to spend a leisurely day on the bike today, as I only had about 275 miles to drive between Grand Banks and a small town near Grand Falls – Windsor in the center of Newfoundland. I intended to explore the Terra Nova National Park and stop somewhere for lunch. However, when I got on my bike this morning, I discovered yet another equipment failure, making it necessary for me to spend several extra hours traveling to the nearest dealership instead. This was a good day for me to practice having an attitude of gratitude.

This is my eighth summer cross country trip and my third one riding solo. Since I’ve found its common for equipment to break, I’ve made it a habit to pack extras of most essential items such as gloves, goggles, phone cords, luggage straps, phone screen protectors, fob batteries, seat screws, and a face shield among other items.

I also have back-up plans for essential systems. For example, after losing the ability to charge my phone in the Mojave Dessert last year I decided to add two additional charging systems to my bike so that I could continue to navigate even if my primary system failed.  

This summer my trip planning is really being tested. Over the last three days all three of my phone charging systems have broken. I replaced the phone cord plugged into my bike’s USB port, replaced the USB battery adaptor powering my wireless charging system, and have made an appointment for a dealership nearby to install the replacement cord for the phone cord wired to my battery.

In some cases, when back-ups are too expensive to carry with me, I will replace items as needed when they break. This was the case with my phone and electric gloves when they were damaged during my Dalton Highway trip.

I had hoped that I could avoid replacing any additional high-end items, but this morning discovered my electric jacket was no longer functioning. The good news is that I had seen the jacket I needed to fit the pigtail on my bike when I was at the Harley dealership in St. Johns two days ago. Also, since today was going to be a short riding day, I did indeed have the four extra hours needed to make the detour to St. Johns.

I have learned that I can’t change all the unexpected or unpleasant things that happen in my life. But I can change how I think about them. Although I didn’t get to rest or explore as I had hoped, I was so fortunate to be riding my bike in such a beautiful part of the world. As I traveled east along highway 2 this morning, I was able to see dozens of beautiful lakes and ponds surrounded by lush green vegetation. I marveled at how many trees grow sideways in response to the strong cross winds in the area.

As I traveled north on the Trans Canada Highway this evening I smiled as I glimpsed a variety of bays and sounds in the distance, chucked at funny street and exit names, and admired the beautiful colors of pink, purple, and blue in the horizon as the sun was setting. Of course, I’m hoping that my equipment failures for the summer are behind me. But either way, I’m so happy to be on the road.