fifty six

DON'T JUDGE PEOPLE BY THEIR COVER

This was a Presbyterian church in South Carolina. There were people outside so I asked if I could camp in their picnic area behind the church. It was separate from the building so I thought they wouldn't mind. 

The Pastor agreed and then offered the use of the church shower which was very welcomed. He said to remember, “We are Presbyterians”, which must have been an inside joke. 

They were having a mid-week Bible study and Boy Scout meeting. Afterward an older couple walked out to where I was cooking my evening meal. They were probably in their eighties and both had walking canes. 

They asked the usual questions then began to tell me a powerful story. In their twenties they got married and took a bicycle journey from Seattle to San Diego, then across the country to Florida and up the coast to New England. 

These were real pioneers who did this in the early fifties. There were no bicycle routes or bike maps, equipment was primitive by today's standard and no one was doing organized tours. It took them two years because they had to get jobs along the way for money. 

I went from the wild eyed pioneer nomad to the pampered light weight with credit cards, a cell phone and high tech gear. While we talked I saw the twinkle in their eyes as they revisited the memories if their youth. 

They were so humble about what they had done and perhaps they had not thought about it much until I appeared. We feel we have discovered something brave and new and then we discover people like these. 

Gary Fisher had not yet imagined doing light shows for the Dead and building off road bicycles, the ride across America was twenty years away, and most bikes had one gear and weighed a ton. 

I kick myself for not getting their address, but the short time we talked was eye opening.