TRAIL ANGELS

There are people along the Appalachian Trail (AT) who help thru-hikers: bringing fresh fruit or cold drinks or cooking hot dogs and hamburgers at trail heads or driving people into town to shop. They are called Trail Angels and every hiker has one or several stories of being helped along their way by these wonderful folks. 

Bruce & Claudia were my Cycling Angel's. A days ride outside of Austin my phone rang, Bruce Porter, a volunteer with Adventure Cycling who lays out the cycling route in his area, attempts to meet cyclists doing the Southern Tier to get a sense of their ride and, I expect, to make them feel welcomed. Bruce and I went out for a drink in the evening and talked about cycling and life in general. He is a smart interesting guy and easy to talk with. Bruce invited me to stay with he and Claudia, his wife, when I got to Austin. I was working out how and when to leave my ride to get to Eugene and Seattle for a few of weeks and was uncertain of when to leave and return and how to travel. 

Over a dinner with good conversation and much laughter I met Bruce and Claudia's daughter, Melissa--who looks so young I actually thought she was the older sister of her teenage son Caden--and Lucie her young daughter. I'm certain Bruce & Claudia invited me to stay in their lovely home for one night, but I ended up staying five as I looked around Austin and figured out how to travel north. They could not have been more gracious and helpful: the very definition of Trail Angels. I am grateful for their kindness and their friendship. 

This is the coolest outhouse I have ever seen. It was along a bike trail in Austin.