K11 Owners Group

Shoganai · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:10 am Post subject: So there I was at Walmart...

Today has been a whirlwind of doings to get readly for Christmas, family coming over, food cooked, late minute presents and Steve working on the truck.

On my last run for things I needed at Walmart I was walking in when I saw a bike packed for light travel near the door. I stopped to look at it because it was interesting and odd at the same time.

It had a GoPro camera mount and yet the cyclometer was taped on.

I turned to walk on in when a slinder young man was walking out all dressed for riding, tho with very light gear for as cool as it was. (43 degrees)

I struck up a conversation with him about the GoPro but after a few minutes it was time for me to get shopping. I pulled out a $20 bill and gave it to him saying, Merry Christmas and safe travels.

It was then he told me how greteful he was as he had lost his wallet sometimes over the last few hours and had been trying to cash a personal check at Walmart with just his Passport. They wouldn't do it and it had been a long time since he had eaten.

He was traveling from Delaware to Gainville, FL and he was fairly stressed and downhearted.

I told him I could give him more money, but I would have to go in and buy somethings to pull the cash. We talked some more and he wouldn't accept the cash as a gift. He wrote me a personal check for $200 and I went in and bought some stuff and pulled $200 in cash out.

I bought him some protein bars and protein drinks.

We exchanged contact info and I told him if he needed anything to please reach out to me.

Before leaving to go back into Walmart to finish my shopping we made arrangements for his bank to send me his replacement cards, then I would contact him to make arrangements to send then to wherever he was going be be.

He then asked to take my picture and well of course I had to do the same.

We said our fairwells and we were both on our ways...

In my best Paul Harvey...'And now the rest of the story"...

.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

Shoganai · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:11 am Post subject:

Several hours later at about 18:00 while watching TV with Steve my phone rings.

It Hong Yu! :clap

Well the young fellow is just having a hell of a day.

He is stranded with two flat tires about 25 miles south of us. It's dark and cold (now about 35 degrees) and a local sheriff's officer is on the scene keeping him warm and safe for now. Hong asks if I have an inner tube he can use and I say we can help him. The officer tells me exactly where he is.

Steve has over heared this conversation and says he's going to get a shower and go with me. That's a real good thing because it's been years since I spooned a tire onto a bike rim.

We arrived where he was and thanked the officer who in turn thanked us and Hong said he was 'so embarrased'. We dismissed it and loaded his bike in the truck with plans to find a lite lot to work in.

Hong looked worn out, emotionally if not physically, so when he asked us to host him tonight, we didn't hesitate, and turned towards home. It was now about 19:30 and it would be 20:15 before we got back home.

On the way I learned he had been in the States a year and was in college for mechanical engineering. He was taking this break to visit friends in Florida. In spite of his virgin long distance bicycling experience, he otherwise seemed to have his poop in a group.

We arrived home where Steve started woring on his bike and I show him to his room and where he can get a shower. Then I go to the kitchen to fit him some food.

Oh to be that young and new to travel! :freaky

A distance of 800+ miles with nothing more than a paper map from Google Maps. :bow :clap

I heating him up some beef stew over rice and fixed him a glass of tea. For desert I gave him some of the Christmas cookies I had baked earlier today.

He really enjoyed it and asked questions about how it was made because he had never had anything like that before.

Then he asked Steve to show him how he (Steve) had adjusted his derailure because it had not been shifting well.

I hope he is resting well right now.

Tomorrow, after breakfast, Steve suggested we haul him and his bike south of Charolottesville to get him past all that bad traffic and that way he won't have to RE-RIDE the distance he lost.

The good news...Hong will tell his story when he finishes the ride of the kindness of strangers and he may pass that kindness on. He'll have his wild youthful fling before a job, a mortgage and a family nails him down to Earth, wherever that may be.

I've been blessed many times over from strangers and frankly it's just good to give a little back.

Merry Christmas you'll.

.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

drikko · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:58 am Post subject:

Well done, building up karma in advance! When we were touring around USA about 20 years ago I was gobsmacked at how friendly and helpful people were. We were touring in a VW Kombi and people in their massive RVs used to ask us in all the time and feed us Smile

Certainly contradicts what we are told to expect by the media, mind you that's been the case for every country I've been too. Laughing

_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB

DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.

'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde

SugarHillCTD · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 7:19 am Post subject:

Well done Gwen and Steverino!

Having done some long distance cycling (many years ago) and having supported Jen's racing for about 10 years, we keep an eye out for any cyclist that looks to be in a bad way. We have fed and hosted a few but nobody that needed help like your new friend there.

Happy holidays and peace.
_________________
John & Cathy

'92 K100RS4V Pearl White SOLD
'04 K1200GT
IBA Several-SS1k, BBG, 50CC NYC to S.F.

Stoked Steve · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 12:41 pm Post subject:

Great Christmas story Gwen , thanks for the cheer!
_________________
Steve
Virginia Beach, VA
93 K1100RS Mystic Red SOLD
12 Suzuki DL650A VStrom

sccommuter · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 3:27 pm Post subject:

Way to pay it forward Gwen! It will come back to you many times over.
_________________
1995 K1100 LT
Illegitimi non Carborundum

Shoganai · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 4:00 pm Post subject:

It's not about me.

It's about sharing some small part or playing some small role in the adventures of others.

I think in quantum physics there's this thing called "Entanglement". It has something to do with when two particles interact physically and then become separated, they share some eternal connection.

I think people act on each other in the same profound and intangible way.

We are forever changed, for good or bad, it remains so.

.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

garynali · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:14 pm Post subject:

Well done Gwen and Steve
Like Drikko I've always been amazed at the concern and genuine kindness shown to me as a stranger in your country.
It's not your mighty battle fleets , the USAF or the Marines that make America great it's people like you.
Merry Xmas from down under.
Gary C

drikko · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:16 pm Post subject:

You could have organised some better weather to send him off in, it looks cold and miserable there!! Laughing

_________________
K1100RS '97
Laverda RGS 1000 '84
Jim Young Trailer Sailer 5.7M WB

DISCLAIMER:- Anything I say may have been when I was drunk so please don't take it personally.

'Bigamy is having one wife/husband too many. Monogamy is the same.'
Oscar Wilde

Shoganai · Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 5:31 pm Post subject:

Thank you Gary.

Hong said the same thing. He was warned by his friends and family that this was a dangerious place.

He said in fact he really liked how Americans were 'what you see is what you get' and that our general disposition was straight forward without the socially rigid interactions and expectations from his own country.

When I have time, I'll tell you more of the things we talking about.

drikko, I wish I could have. It was 36F degrees and snowing on and off.

.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

BexarWolf · Posted: Tue Dec 25, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject:

Sonu · Posted: Wed Dec 26, 2012 3:56 pm Post subject:

Shoganai · Posted: Sun Dec 30, 2012 1:26 am Post subject:

Here's a great line from an OLD movie, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxGN29njs3Q

So have we all who have opened our hearts to all mankind.

For we are all strangers in a stange land.

Update: Pert our conversation, Hong had his bank send his replacement credit card to me. I then contacted him for where to sent it ahead of him.

He just emailed me saying he is safe at the University of Florida with friends and the card arrived in time to where we had arranged.

We are now linked via facebook as well and we are making plans to see each other later this year ie 2013.

.
_________________
1993 K1100RS aka The Shop Whore
1994 K1100RS aka Blue Streak

The long road is a rainbow and the pot of gold lies there.
So slip the chain and I'm off again,
You'll find me everywhere. I'm a Rover. - JT

Nana korobi ya oki

Steverino · Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 12:31 pm Post subject:

Most people bring home stray animals. Gwen brings home stray people.

She is so kind and giving. I truly love her for that and for many other reasons.

Don Sproule · Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 12:10 am Post subject:

I used to bring home the odd stray.
Usually girls.

ChuckS · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:25 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a perfect Christmas.

Thanks for sharing!
_________________
1993 K1100LT
04 DL650