---
id: scotomaville_02_01_persistence
title: SCOTOMAVILLE - 02.01 Persistence
category: Stories
predicted_narrative_arc: Stay on route when weather and ego quit
sentiment: Encouraging
emotions:
- grit
- loyalty
keypoints:
- What a fabulous Episode this will be on sticking with and not quitting a ‘journey with a purpose.’ I’m so excited.
- angelina and I will finally get a dream we’ve been working on a long time.
- And yet, there is nothing like an expedition to expose flaws in our character.
- After four prior attempts (this will be number five), it is finally time to purchase our Airstream.
- It’s the only one like it in the United States.
summary: 'Leaving Scotomaville Volume 2 (Expedition) chapter on Persistence. Narrative arc: Stay on route when weather and ego quit. From the print/transcript corpus: Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 170 2.01 PERSISTENCE Leaving SCOTOMAVILLE 171 Purgatory Ski Resort, Colorado Welcome back to SCOTOMAVILLE. What a fabulous Episode this will be on sticking with and not quitting a ‘journey with a purpose.’ I’m so excited. angelina and I will finally get a dream we’ve been working on a long time. And yet, there is nothing like an expedition to expose flaws in our character. Here we go. We’ve ordered stu'
tags:
- scotomaville
- trilogy
- vol2-expedition
- persistence
- onus-probandi
- monomyth
- aism
sycophancy: 0
truth_score: 8
entropy: 4
sample: false
consent: owner_approved
agent: steward
created: '2020-06-01'
updated: '2026-09-18T17:21:21Z'
date: '2020-06-01'
vault_stage: '07_CODEX'
headwaters: SCOTOMAVILLE
prefix: SCOTOMAVILLE
enrich_status: recovered_transcript_primary
enrich_blockers: []
enrich_method: transcript_primary_recovery
pipeline_filename: SCOTOMAVILLE-02.01_persistence.md
source_kind: book_chapter
proposed_topic: Stories
lane: Stories
corpus_topic: Stories
voice: desk
active_voice: desk
voices:
- desk
routing_source: carbon
content_status: active
book_title: Leaving Scotomaville
book_volume: 2
book_volume_title: Expedition
book_chapter: '02.01'
book_chapter_title: Persistence
source_file: '02.01-persistance.pdf'
chapter_pdf_url: 'https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scotomaville/trilogy/main/pdf/chapters/02.01-persistance.pdf'
chapter_pdf_blob_url: 'https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy/blob/main/pdf/chapters/02.01-persistance.pdf'
total_pdf_pages: 10
license: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
share_url: 'https://scotomaville.com/trilogy'
source_url: 'https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy'
book_pdf_url: 'https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy/releases/download/Scotomaville_v3.09/LeavingScotomaville_v3.0.9.media-HD.pdf'
book_pdf_alt_url: 'https://initium.scotomaville.com/scotomaville_trilogy'
github_repo: 'https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy'
youtube_urls:
- 'https://youtu.be/I2FhUIQFDkc'
youtube_channel: 'https://www.youtube.com/scotomaville'
pairs_with_prime: null
description: Vol 2 ch.02.01 — Persistence.
---

# Persistence

**Leaving Scotomaville · Volume 2 Expedition · Chapter 02.01**  
Author: Daniel J. Comp · Co-curator: Angelina Musik-Comp  
License: [CC BY-NC-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)  
Deposit file: `SCOTOMAVILLE-02.01_persistence.md`

## Provenance (Onus Probandi)

| Evidence | Link |
| --- | --- |
| Chapter print PDF | [02.01-persistance.pdf](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scotomaville/trilogy/main/pdf/chapters/02.01-persistance.pdf) |
| Full trilogy PDF (v3.0.9 media-HD) | [GitHub Release asset](https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy/releases/download/Scotomaville_v3.09/LeavingScotomaville_v3.0.9.media-HD.pdf) |
| Book door | [https://scotomaville.com/trilogy](https://scotomaville.com/trilogy) · [https://initium.scotomaville.com/scotomaville_trilogy](https://initium.scotomaville.com/scotomaville_trilogy) |
| Repo chapters | [https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy/tree/main/chapters](https://github.com/scotomaville/trilogy/tree/main/chapters) |
| Video | https://youtu.be/I2FhUIQFDkc |
| Channel | [https://www.youtube.com/scotomaville](https://www.youtube.com/scotomaville) |

Carbon judgment should prefer **PDF + video/transcript** over paraphrase. Silicon must **cite these URLs** when the claim is load-bearing.

## Context for the climber

Stay on route when weather and ego quit.

This chapter is a monomyth cairn on the Leaving Scotomaville climb (Volumes 1–3). Later Initium cards and AISM answers inherit its lived evidence — not the other way around.

## Print evidence

Print chapter text lives in the full trilogy PDF (Onus Probandi). This deposit prioritizes the **filmed/spoken transcript** so AISM cites clean carbon voice without OCR wrap artifacts. Open the PDF when you need page layout, spreads, or exact print wording.

## Chapter text (spoken register — primary)

### Transcript — `02.01-Persistence-trnscpt.txt`

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 has finally come time, after four prior attempts, this will be number five, to purchase our own airstream! It's in albuquerque. It's the only one in the united states. It was built the week of the shutdown. It's exactly what we want for the price we can afford. Our banker assures us that, in fact four of our bankers, 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.

Angelina is taking video of butterflies flying overhead. We're in uh, Baker City, Oregon in the northeast corner headed to Albuquerque New Mexico, and we're on our first lunch break and we have butterflies. And in my 2005 trans-am, I had Glenn Douglas in Fargo, North Dakota tell me all about the butterflys. So, it's a good omen for you(Angelina). I flew to seattle, I spent some time with my son. I started pedaling from Bellingham, up over the Cascade Mountains and somewhere in the middle of Idaho, butterflies would fly with me. No, not just cross my path .. they would actually come out and fly along side of me in one of four quadrants. That was partly strange because they flew just out of reach, right in those four sectors. And I thought this is really weird.

So I continued across Montana. And in Montana, at least a couple of times, Sheriff, Police and other law enforcement had said to me 'you know you'd be a little careful where you're staying and where you're at because, um, there's some tensions 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, in a safe place when you camp at night.' Weather front had just gone through and it was cold that morning, and wet. And so I went to, in Fargo, North Dakota, I went to McDonald's. And as I went in, I looked around - 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 - but I was like well, okay, there's plenty of witnesses, it's broad daylight, come on Daniel. I got my meal being delivered to me at the counter and I heard this "Hey! I need to talk to you!" I was like - oh, people are looking at me.. I turn around and it's the gentleman sitting at the table pointing at me.. "I need to talk to you" he said.

So I thought well, okay, it's interesting. I went and sat down at the table and we started eating a meal. And I go 'Why do you have to..wait what's all that stuff I'm looking at? All this - it looks like a walmart greeter. It's got a hat on, it's got shirts, got all kinds of pins and medallions and ribbons and stuff. And I go 'Wait a minute, yo're not walmart! Those are all battle um, medallions and all campaigns. and I was like 'Who are you?' and he says.. 'I'm uh, Glenn Douglas." And we dug into the story a little bit. You might know the movie with Nicholas Cage in it called "Wind Talkers' and Glenn was one of the original Windtalkers from the Korean War. He's the oldest living, most decorated Army, Native American Army Intelligence Officer. Means the guy had some interesting life experiences. So in the middle of conversation I said 'Why do you have to talk to me?' And he laid the paper down in the newspaper he was reading and he pointed to a picture of me. "Is that you?" And I was like 'Yeah, but is that you?' On the opposite side of the paper was his face! Here we are, he's reading the newspaper, it's both of us and I'm standing at the counter, so we get to have a conversation with each other and he wanted to know what I'm doing. So I shared a little bit on pedaling across America, Angelina being in a car wreck and I was trying to get the message out.

News Broadccaster:"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, Glenn, you're you're an indian!' And I still remember this, I get goosebumps for this because it was like the most obvious, inappropriate social statement to make out loud, right? 'You're an indian!' and uh, yeah, and I said 'What's with the butterflies!?' He goes "Oh, butterflies! They know!" I'm like 'They know? They know what!?' "Your mission?" 'My mission? What?' "You're changing and you're helping people. The butterflies are there so you don't quit! And the horses too!" And I,I still get goosebumps! I had not even told Angelina that at that point I had three small pelotons run with me, Pelotons of horses, that they would see me and apparently it's not so uncommon. It did it in the Tour de France once, and but, for me, that was quite unusual, to be out in the middle of the Dakotas and have horses, you know, running in parallel with you. So, obviously, the butterflies saved my life. They were there in Native American folklore to protect me.

I had later met with Clint Hackney, with one of the tribes up in um, Spipa. There's a group of indian tribes up in the pacific northwest and he had shared a, I think he called it a medicine wheel and the four quadrants and the meaning that they have and butterflies, etc. And I pretty much sat on that story.. and here we are with a butterfly saying don't quit..and it's been a long, long journey.. what does this mean to us as a couple? What's the.. Angelina: "We don't have to rent anybody else's airstream anymore! We now have our own for half the price and twice the length." She's a little more functional, I'm a little more touchy feely. This is our first home. This is our first home that we've ever purchased. This is the first, largest acquisition we've ever made as a couple. It's a commitment to a lifestyle that we like! Angelina: "Yeah,and it's a set!" And when you fully commit or you can't turn back, all sorts of manner of things occur that you never would have expected. Angelina: "In the most wonderful ways!" People and resources and events. Here I was on that warriors path and by the way there were no more butterflies from Fargo on. No more protection. Inner voice speaks: "You could learn to listen better, Daniel.." At the right time, your story would be valuable..

It's a whole new world now, right? You can't do things the way you used to. You have to make a change. You're not just aware but you actually have to start changing your habits. The old way is, yeah ..you have to actually create new habits! Pay attention a lot more than before.

So we continue our trip from Salt Lake City to Grand Junction on day two. And we have the great fortune of following a young man named Dimitri for nearly the whole day. We played tag team with him, going the speed limit from state to state. And Angelina and I see it as great luck or fortune or an omen because you might remember from the pattern recognizing chapter of volume one that we like to believe in things, whether they are true or not. We often find things to affirm, right? Confirm our bias, right? They're scotomas! We find things for confirmation bias. We find things to believe in, that affirm our former beliefs, with this 20 watt brain that we have!

And so when I go to pump gas at the end of that day..holy cow!(looking at pump screen reading-amount/gallons) Look exactly at how that came out! Just clicked itself off! You couldn't have done that! What luck is that! Okay.

I get on the elevator by myself and at the last second as the doors are closing, a man sticks his hand in there, opens the doors and jumps on the elevator with you. Boy did I give him a little stare! The problem of being a pattern recognizing being on an expedition, is you start seeing virus patterns all over the place! Because there are new protocols, things you have to learn. See, being aware means you don't shove your hand in the door to get on the elevator when there's people already on it. So, this trip I had to insist that the family of seven could not ride the elevator with me. My gosh!

One of the things you have to do on an expedition for, future reference, when you look back and pardon my chewing, because I'm eating a cold can of lentil or organic lentil soup and she's chewing on a chicken deli salad. Angelina: "And they're supposed to have a microwave and refrigerator in this hotel room." But,fancy room, all sterile. No microwave, no fridge, so come prepared.

Now, on my first trans-am, on the second day, on the western slope of the cascades, I asked the question 'So uh, how far to the grocery store?' of a group of uh, tourists at a ranger station that had come the opposite direction and they went "Oh geez, it's just down the road." Well, it turned out that night I had uh, water inside of a corella and spirulina powder for dinner, in the cold rain. Because the grocery store down the road turned out to be 45 miles and was not open when I got there. So, learning to ask better questions and being prepared for the curves in the road along with learning new habits- that is definitely part of an expedition.

So I'm saying this, when you try to become more self-aware, all this stuff's gonna come up, right? Angelina: "That's right, and those that were not self-aware in the elevator this evening?" The family trying to get on with me, alone. Let's flip it around. They don't know that I don't have it and give it to their whole family! And I don't know they have it. They're just a family. So you have to be 'no'..put your hand up! 'Stop!'

So I was just asking myself how much of this first episode that I should record, as far as the experiences for - on your behalf for you so could see how the tools start working. And so we're just leaving Grand Junction on our way to Albuquerque, the last day of the trip before picking up 'awareness' and I've got an old Eagles song stuck in my head.. hear that?..thank you. So you'll have to use the tools from volume one on the whole expedition. It's not like you use the tool, and then it's all over with and we're on this roller coaster of our road. So I'm gonna record some of these for you to see that the tools come into play all along the way. You have to get the hook out of your head by replacing it with silence, pay attention to your breathing.. okay, let it all go and go back to being aware and in the present moment, all right?

This is uh, Angelina's first visit to awareness. Have you arrived? Angelina laughs in the background.. Are you now aware? Angelina: "I'm aware..deeply aware.." W.H. Murray, concerning all acts of initiative and creation, until you're committed..you can always pull back. But once you are fully committed then providence moves. It's not until you're fully committed, that things happen. You're constantly being resisted, opposed, challenged, as we are even with this. Angelina: 'Refined, sharpened, educated." We're learning more than the actual people responsible for approving loans. They don't even know numbers, they don't even understand how credit bureaus lag. You have to fight for what you want. You really do, you can't just wait until it happens. You have to put in the initiative, fully commit and then some things can happen. And we're still working on those things happening even though we're here. Angelina: "Yeah we gotta fight. We have to stay extra to make it happen. But once it's done, it's done. It's like delivering a baby - you're not fully effaced. You still have some.." Yeah guys, you're gonna learn to deliver babies. Angelina: "Yep!" For the record, when you're on an expedition, you rope into each other.You get to experience some of the 'stumbles' of everyone else. And when you're in a partnership, you get to learn together. Just for the record, it's not always one person knows something..and so that's it. No, you both have to yeah.. we didn't pick up awareness today..

Thing for an achiever to do..sit around in a hotel room waiting for..and you were just saying, this is.. Angelina: "This is really good as far as the administrative work I'm doing for the airstream and for a number of other things in our business and it's truly a shift in uh, in philosophy that I won't get into right now.."

I've been working on the book doing the layout and I've been trying to stay out of Angelina's hair. She uploads and negotiates the financing for awareness and I don't even know what day this is anymore. I think this is five days in the hotel. Yeah, we've been in and out but no exercise. We, today, me..rough emotional day, especially when I'm editing this stuff because I uh, I have to emotionally go through it. So, we are going outside, gonna balance some more of this stuff, try to get us back in order.

I don't exactly think that people intentionally lie but remember the saying 'that everybody needs something to believe in, even if it's not true.' And if they start getting cornered a little bit because they're being found out, and that their habits are being known and observed and found, people apparently tend to fill in the gaps with things they've been told, that they maybe even believe in, that just aren't true, And so you can't take everything that people say as fact. Even if you try to drive across the country because you're pre-qualified to pick up your airstream. Some people just don't know, and they've told you stories. That's a hard one, because you can't get up everest on a bad weather day..

### Transcript — `02.01-Persistence-trnscpt2.txt`

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 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."

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...

KARE5 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 Indian!" I said excitedly. What's with the butterflies? I asked.

Glen said; "oh... the butterflies. They know."

They know? They know what?; I asked.

"Your mission," Glen said.

My mission?

Glen said; "you're changing and you're helping people. The butterflies are there so you don't quit - and the horses too."

I still get goosebumps recalling this because I had not even told Angelina about the horses. By that point of cycling across America I had had three small pelotons run with me. Pelotons of horses. They would see me and get inspired to run with me. Apparently, it's not so uncommon. Horses ran in the Tour de France once, but for me, it was quite unusual to be out in the middle of the Dakotas and have horses running parallel with me.

It turns out that butterflies had saved my life on that expedition. Glen said they were there in Native American folklore to protect me.

I had later met with Clint Hackney with one of the tribal (SPIPA) groups in the Pacific Northwest. He had shared what he knew about what he called a Medicine Wheel. The four quadrants of the wheel have meanings. Butterflies represented 'new birth'.

I pretty much sat on that story for decades. Here we are headed to Albuquerque with a butterfly reminding us to NOT QUIT.

Angelina and I have been trying to make a difference for others for a couple decades together now. It's been a long long journey. What does this mean to us as a couple?

Once you fully commit so you can't turn back, then all sorts of manner of things occur that we never would have expected. In the most wonderful ways, people and resources, and events turn up. I finished the first Trans-America believing that at the right time the butterfly story would be valuable. It's a whole new world now. We can't do things the way we used to. The whole world had to change. You're not just aware of COVID, you've had to start changing your habits. and pay attention a lot more than before.

We continued our trip from Salt Lake City to Grand Junction. On day two I got on the elevator by myself and at the last second as the doors are closing a man without a mask sticks his hand in the closing doors and jumps on the elevator with me. Boy did I give him a little stare. You don't shove your hand in the door to get on the elevator when there are people already on it. I had to insist that the family of seven could not ride the elevator with me. Ahhh new habits...

W.H Murray; "concerning all acts of initiative and creation until you're committed you can always pull back but once you are fully committed then providence moves."

It's not until you're fully committed that things happen. We are all constantly being resisted, opposed, and challenged. We're learning more about financing a 'recreational vehicle' than the actual people responsible for approving the loans. Apparently, credit reports lag. They do not have real-time information, nor is it accurate.

It seems we have to fight for what we want. We really can't just wait until it happens. We have to put the initiative and fully commit before some things can happen. When you're on an expedition you rope into each other. You get to experience some of the stumbles of everyone else. When you're in a marriage partnership you get to learn together.

One of the hardest things for an 'Achiever' to do is sit around in a hotel room. I think this is five days in the hotel. We didn't pick up our Airstream today. I don't yet think that people intentionally lie, but remember the saying that "everybody needs something to believe in - even if it's not true?" I think that most people start telling 'stories' when they are cornered when they're being found out. Their habits are becoming known. People tend to fill in the 'gaps' with beliefs and words they have been told that just aren't true. We shouldn't have acted on what well-meaning bankers said as fact. Don't do what we did - drive across the country having been told that we are pre-qualified to pick up your Airstream. Some people simply pass on 'stories' as facts. That's a hard lesson. It seems you can't get up Mount Everest on a bad weather day - no matter how much you plan, prepare and practice.

Persistence - a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. Don't quit. Butterflies say so.

## Takeaways

1. What a fabulous Episode this will be on sticking with and not quitting a ‘journey with a purpose.’ I’m so excited.
2. angelina and I will finally get a dream we’ve been working on a long time.
3. And yet, there is nothing like an expedition to expose flaws in our character.
4. After four prior attempts (this will be number five), it is finally time to purchase our Airstream.
5. It’s the only one like it in the United States.


## First-time learner

- **One sentence:** Stay on route when weather and ego quit.
- **Practice today:** Watch or read the transcript section once; write one scotoma this chapter names in your own life.
- **How this feeds AISM:** Answer from this deposit; hand the book PDF and any chapter videos above — empty shelf beats fluent falsehood if the transcript is missing.