"Journey For Hope": "Random Acts of Kindness!

The coast was indeed cooler! Having stripped off all my lining and waterproof inners in Redmond, I hadn`t gone more than 40 mins before I was stopping to put them all back on again. I decided to head for a place called GOLD BEACH, mainly because it sounded nice! It turned out to be a little bit further than I wanted to travel (having made the decision to slow down the pace and make more stops along the way) so I resolved to stop at the first place that looked pleasant and find a place to stay for the night (great decision making criteria!) and so I happened upon the little seaside town of BANDON.

Followed my usual routine of riding around first to check out any nice coffee shops and cafes, and it looked perfect. I negotiated a favourable rate at a nearby motel and went for a “cappuccino stroll”. By this stage of the week my body was beginning to complain. Cumulative hours were taking their toll on my back, so finishing an excellent cappuccino (oh, and a lovely slice home baked banana cake) I went in search of a massage. I`ve discovered that on a trip of this scale, if I don`t put looking after my body as a high priority it rapidly deteriorates. A nice helpful lady in a shop made a call for me and put me in touch with a local massage therapist called Suzanne Alexander. I called her, but being a Sunday she wasn`t at work. When I explained I was only in town overnight she agreed to come back into town and see me! What a nice, kind thing to do, I thought. My belief systems support the notion that people turn up in your lives when you need them. And so began a series of serendipitous meetings with total strangers who all played a part in supporting me on my journey. The massage was exactly what my body needed at the time and more importantly, the conversation I had with her was just what my spirit needed too. We talked about the journey, physical and spiritual, positive affirmations and even quantum physics (although we didn`t refer to it as such!) as I was leaving she gave me a piece of writing which she thought I might find helpful and inspiring to help me along the way. It was brilliant and so relevant. I left feeling calmer and more relaxed than I`d done for weeks. The next morning I was having breakfast before heading off down the road, when a mother and daughter (Sharon and Marlyn) came into the cafe and sat on the next table. I recommended the breakfast croissant (mmm, yummy) to them and we got into a conversation. They were originally from New York but now lived in Miami and came to Bandon for their vacations. They asked me about my journey and were so thrilled at what I was doing, they promised to sponsor me! We talked about many things for about an hour, and because it seemed appropriate, I showed them the copy of the writing I`d been given the night before.

Sharon and Marlyn

They loved it so much Sharon sent Marlyn around town to find a place to get a photocopy. They were such lovely, warm people and they said that they were so glad to have met me and it had made their day! Promising to e mail them with my blog details I headed off with my faith in human nature positively reinforced again. Arriving at GOLD BEACH, I was surprised to see that it didn`t really live up to its name! Nevertheless, it was pleasant enough. I was riding slowly down the main street when I saw a sign “Rooms from $35” – Perfect, just what I was looking for! I was getting off my bike to take a closer look when a couple on another BMW pulled up behind me for a chat (as bikers do!). It turned out, they`d been to the rally too (naturally). We had a brief chat and they gave me their number and offered me a place to stay if I wanted, at their home which was about 150 miles further south. Isn`t it incredible how you can meet perfect strangers and be invited as a guest into their homes? I thanked them for their kindness and wished them a safe ride back. I went to enquire about the cheap rooms advertised at $35,but unfortunately, Luis the owner, had none left! “I`ve only got that one over there and it`s $85”. I explained that it was way over my budget and told him of “The Journey for Hope”. He thought for a second and said, “it`s a good thing you`re doing – I`ll give it to you for $48” which was certainly the best rate I would get in town. I asked if he had WiFi and sadly he didn`t. I told him about my blog and how an internet connection was so important so he rang around town to see if he could find someone who would give me a good rate! Eventually he found one for $54 + WiFi. I had to take it. I thanked him very much for all his help and was about to get on my bike when he said, “Good luck with the trip!” and he shook my hand with a $20 bill in his palm and said, “Have dinner on me tonight”. I was half way through saying “I can`t........” When I stopped myself, smiled and thanked him warmly for his kindness. Once again, a total stranger going out of his way to help.

Luis

I`d decided that if anyone showed me kindness or offered any help on this trip I would just accept it and thank them. Karma – what goes around, comes around. Sharon had advised me to book on a river trip if I stayed in Gold Beach, so having done nothing “touristy” since I`d arrived from England I decided I would. The following day I booked on an 80 mile jet boat trip up Rogue River (with a bit of white water thrown in for fun!). It was an excellent day. I sat at the back next to a couple from Fresno, California. We exchanged a few words before setting off and then it was “hang on to your seats stuff”. Great fun. We stopped half way for dinner and I settled down with a book waiting for my food to arrive. I was the only single person on the boat and Barbara (one of the couple next to me) came over and asked whether I would like to join her and her husband Ron for dinner. I said I would love to and so we spent an hour or so chatting about travel and work. Ron is an accountant and Barbara works with the victims of juvenile crime. After hearing what I was doing they seemed so impressed and excited for me they offered me a room with them if I was passing through Fresno and also paid for my dinner! A lovely, kind and generous couple.

Ron and Barbara

Setting off the following day, I headed down the coast for a town called EUREKA. By now I`d got into a routine of getting up early and getting some miles in before stopping for breakfast. For some reason I decided to pull off highway 101 and headed down into a little harbour side cafe for breakfast. A quiet place with only one person eating. While waiting for my eggs and bacon, the waiter asked me where I was from and where I was going. I told him about the trip and we talked about the homeless in his area and how he had done some work for them. The lady who was eating turned out to be the owner of the place, a tough, resilient lady called Elaine Righetti. She`d lost her husband only recently after 44 years of marriage . We talked about the challenges that life throws up and how we deal with them and that above all, life was for living and you have to grab it while you can and live it to the full. She took down my details and promised to sponsor me and also gave me breakfast on the house!