Once upon a time there were two fiercely independent women going about their lives living in different states when one magical day… Cindy rolled up to Dee’s doorstep. As the legend goes, they had a friend, Eric, to thank for this introduction. Though Dee and Cindy crossed paths from a distance working for the same company in different states, it wasn’t until Cindy arrived at Dee’s doorstep that the connection began. Given their mutual appreciation for adventure, music, and physical activity they remained in touch, despite living in separate states. Cindy later asked for Dee to help build her a bike to assist her with her first long bicycling adventure. Given the fact that shipping a bike requires re-assembly, the bicycle would need to find a way to Cindy in San Francisco fully assembled. Dee offered to drive from Portland down to San Francisco, but something sparked Cindy’s decision to fly up and join her on the journey south---and this folx, is where the magic happened! Instantly, their love and companionship became a force to reckon with—so strong that Cindy soon thereafter moved to Portland. And the rest is history! Throughout the last 15 years together, Cindy and Dee both held strong values with supporting each other’s personal growth through doctoral programs, while quenching a mutual thirst for adventure. One could say that they spend the majority of their time hiking/camping, gardening, road tripping, going to shows, walking their dog, and putting those hard-earned doctoral degrees to work to keep the adventure fund afloat :)