My dream is to have folks stop their cars/RVs and offer me an icy cold beverage when I'm bike touring on a hot day. So far it hasn't happened, but I figure I have to put some energy out there if I want something back. I've given out a couple cases of water and soda so far. Some people I stop and chat with - others I just leave the drinks on the road ahead of them with an encouraging note.Well I finally had some of that positive energy come back to me reading this blog post. I actually sort of know these folks from their posts on Bike Forums. I'm glad to have had a positive impact on their day.
If you have the means stock your vehicle with some extra drinks & energy bars for cyclists you run into on the road. It's a good thing to be nice to folks you don't know even if you get nothing back, but who knows you might just crest a long hot climb one day and find an icy cold Gatorade waiting for you on the side of the road!
6 comments:
Back in 2001 when we backpacked the 2,168 miles of the Appalachian Trail in the Eastern US, it was called Trail Magic when you found cokes in a mountain stream, or a cooler of goodies at a road crossing, or somebody giving you a ride down the mountain into town. People that provided the trail magic were called Trail Angels. There was one unwritten law to recieving Trail Magic. One day you would have to pass it on to somebody else.
So I wonder what it should be called for bicycle travelers? Road Magic?? Does that make you, Vik, a Road Angel????
I like road magic...=-)
But, that would make the person performing Road Magic a Road Magician!...=-)
It happened to me Vik - in your part of the world too. Cycling around San Juan Island in the Summer of 2007. I had a great day's ride around this very lovely and interesting place. About 5 miles from the end (which would be at Friday Harbour - great name that considering the bike I was on) I was poring over a map and a pickup truck with a family in stopped and offered me a ride with the bike in the back. I declined of course. Then a cop car stopped and asked if I was ok. Then finally a car stopped up the road, opened his trunk and said "I bet I know what you'd like ..". Yep, he had bottles of iced water in there and he tossed one to me. I enjoyed remembering this - thanks for this post. I put some of the more interesting bike pics from that island - including bike-specific roadside stops on here http://axelrod.plus.com/sftp/sanjuanbike/
-andy
Glad to hear you have lived the dream Andy...=-)
Heyis your NWT an 8/9 spd bike? How did you find that gear range for touring?
Great dream!! I agree totally that you have to dish it out too - we've tried to do that when we have a chance.
I have to say, though, that those four Cokes you left for us were way more than magic!! It's just so hard to imagine an ice cold Coke way out there in the middle of nowhere!!
Thanks again!
Nancy (www.familyonbikes.org)
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