Jul 24, 2019:
My boss Camille informs me that the San Juan Islands tour currently going on has an extra room available on Lopez Island. She was able to convince Todd to let us work remotely from the tour as this was a great opportunity for me to see how we run our tours and also really see the guest experience. So off we go! First off, I have never been to Lopez Island and I am already getting pumped up on the ferry ride over. We get to the Edenwild Inn and meet up with the tour group. I am first intimidated by the guides lifting bikes down from the top of the trailer (they made it look so easy!) and then seeing the guests all decked out in professional biking gear. I put my best foot forward, smile and introduce myself. Nothing catastrophic happens. I whisper to Camille about the bikes and she mentions that they are carbon fiber and extremely lightweight which makes them easy to load on top of the trailers. Again, my bike knowledge is pretty much at zero. We grab dinner with the guests and I make some small talk and the world continues to move on its axis.
The next morning, Camille asks if I want to ride with the guests to the lunch spot. Fear paralyzes me. I don’t want to seem ungrateful, but I am also worried about being super slow and holding people up which in turn would make me feel frustrated that I couldn’t keep up. I squeak out a “not-today-thanks-though!” all the while feeling guilty and asking myself why this company hired a biking newbie. I threw myself into learning the ropes of our CRM and helping Camille with tasks the rest of the afternoon.
On our last day before dinner, Camille asks if I want to go on a short bike ride, just the two of us. I finally say yes! I can’t possibly embarrass myself in front of just her. My shoes of choice for this little jaunt? Birkenstock sandals. I was ready. The 8 miles round trip seemed doable and not daunting. As we take off down the road, I am reminded that bike seats are inherently NOT COMFORTABLE. Plus those big dials that tell you what gear you are in were missing from this bike. How the heck do I shift this thing? Pushing off felt like a feat in itself. I needed a crash course on the new and improved shifting feature in order to carry on. But I finally got the hang of it, well enough to carry me through the ride out to Fisherman Bay and back. It was a beautiful ride! The sun was out and the breeze was just right. All in all, I survived my first bike ride as an adult and now my cycling curiosity was piqued.
