Tell Us About It - Trail Angels Abound

Here is my son, Mac with his friends Drew and Ty outside the Gummers' (also known as the Biking Vikings) house in Hermiston, OR, on the fifth day of their cross-country adventure to raise money and awareness for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Their trip, called A Bike Story for Cory, is in honor of a Missoula boy named Cory Stalling, who suffers from this terrible disease. The Gummers were their hosts the evening before, and Ken snapped this shot as the guys headed off to Walla Walla. You see, the Gummers are not only touring cyclists, they are Warm Showers hosts. If you don't know about Warm Showers and you aren't already a host, this great site connects touring cyclists with home-stays -- whether it's an offer of a campsite on the lawn or a spare bed, the only thing the host is required to guarantee is a warm shower.

Warm Showers hosts are really just one way traveling cyclists experience the amazing generosity of people while they are on the road. Almost every traveler I've met has told me that the best aspect of their trip has been the people. Blogs and ride journals chronicle how people have offered rides, places to stay, a meal or a sympathetic ear.  Sometimes, the simplest gestures can be the most profound -- an offer of water on a blustery day or a welcoming conversation after hours of desolate landscape.

Though Mac and his friends are only days into a multi-month adventure, already they have encountered many helpful and kind people -- commonly referred to by touring cyclists as "trail angels" (we even give an annual award to honor these amazing people). A place to stay here, a riding companion there, and when Ty's bike broke down seven miles past Walla Walla at 7:00 pm, a ride and a camping spot in a barn saved the day.

Last weekend I hosted Betsy, a college student traveling from Colorado Springs, CO, to Seattle, WA. I asked her if she had any trail angels. She told me of a bear encounter in Yellowstone. The bear was sitting five feet off the road and she couldn't cycle past it. As she sat pondering what to do, a couple offered her a ride in their car. Cramped with camping gear, Betsy somehow managed to squish her gear, bike and herself into the car (upside down and under her front wheel) and they motored her by the bear.

I am sure if you travel by bicycle, you have some stories to share. I would love to hear the best of them! Please feel free to comment and tell us about your trail angels. And be sure to "like" the Warm Showers Facebook page so you can meet and learn more about traveling cyclists all over the world.

Photo by Ken Gummer.

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CONNECTIONS is posted by Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling's special projects director and features the cultural, historical, geographical, and human connections created through bike travel. Find out about our award-winning Underground Railroad Bicycle Route.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/06/tell-us-about-it-trail-angels-abound.html

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