July 5: Winter Wonderland in July
One of the great aspects of being on an adventure is that each day is new and different and often not the way you expected it would be. For months I have been looking forward to riding into Seydisfjordour, having seen beautiful pictures of the descent into town, featuring multiple hairpin curves in the green moss – covered mountain with blue sky above. When I woke up today and it was raining and 40 degrees again, I knew the sun was not likely going to happen. But I didn’t expect to be traversing up and down the mountain top in fog with fresh snow all around me. I also didn’t know that the unlikely alliance I formed with the cook of the hostel I was staying at to do a photo shoot of me and the Adventure Baby would turn out to be such a success.
Waking up in my warm and cozy bed at the hostel in Egilsstadir, it was hard to get motivated to load up the bike for another day in the frigid cold and rain. Thankfully, once I had all my gear on the bike, the rain abated to a mild drizzle. And, as I headed down the road, I was comforted by the familiar feel of the rumble of the bike, the texture of the pavement, and the wind in my face and realized I was happy to be on the road, whatever the conditions might be.
As I headed up and over the mountain pass towards Seydisfjordour, a thick fog descended over me, and I started to notice a fresh blanket of snow on the ground. The winter wonderland I was experiencing was not at all what I had expected yet was extraordinarily beautiful in its own way. I almost felt like I was nestled in my own private mountain cocoon, with white as far as my eye could see and visibility so low there was no sign of other motorists in any direction.
After navigating down the curvy mountain pass, I met up with Wiktor Stankowiak, an aspiring photographer from Poland who is currently working as a cook at the Tehusid hostel where I stayed the last few nights. I had been introduced to Wiktor by the owner of the hostel, after I asked him if he knew of a photographer who might be willing to do a photo shoot for the cover of my next book.
I was so impressed with Wictor’s professionalism as he had researched places we could shoot from as well as possible poses to use to get the best pictures of me and the bike. What I didn’t know is that the destinations he had in mind would require me to navigate down a muddy road! As Wiktor bumped and jostled in front of me down the muddy pathway in his truck, I observed skid marks other cars had made on the wet road and hoped I wouldn’t end up dumping me and the bike before we even got one shot in.
Wiktor and I ended up having a blast! He was fun to collaborate with because he communicated with me so well and was interested in composing several kinds of shots with a variety of backdrops using different camera lenses. We both worked hard to make the most of our time, with me taking gear on and off and climbing up and down from the bike and Wiktor climbing on a guardrail, laying down on the ground, and running back and forth trying to get just the right angle.
We were both laughing and having fun and I was delighted to hear Wiktor tell me that he enjoyed working with me and was inspired by my story. We may have come from very different parts of the world and have diverse goals and occupations. But we made a great team together today. I am excited to be partnering with Wiktor to get the best shot for the next book cover.
