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The kindness of strangers across America

When biking the Southern Tier from March-May 2022, a lot of people asked us, "As women, weren't you scared?" or "Wasn't it dangerous?" Quite frankly, everyone we had met was so kind and generous, no matter where they lived, their background, or political identity. The changing landscapes and physical efforts of the trip were definitely memorable, but the best part of this trip was meeting and talking to so many different and wonderful people. If I have one piece of advice to give, it's this: talk to strangers. Everyone has a story, and the overwhelming majority of humans are so good.


Here are a few shoutouts to some of the people who made our trip extra special:

We met Marshall and Dave on Day 1 leaving San Diego. They were strangers, but I am so fortunate that we got to know them over the next 50+ days on the Southern Tier. They have watched our back, helped us out in hard times, and were there supporting us along the way. We really owe a lot to these wonderful guys!


Somewhere in California. A guy with a truck gave Uri zip ties to help hold his bike rack up since his panniers were too heavy for the rack. This really saved our ride!

Alex; Holtville, BLM hot spring, CA. We had miscalculated our water access and were running short on water. He happily filled all of our bottles since he had 50 spare gallons.


Pastor Monty; Phoenix, AZ. We were coming out of a bike shop when he asked where we were going. He took our photograph, asked if he could buy us anything in the store (we didn't need anything at that time), and was going to tell his congregation about us.


Atilla and Tee; Oxbow Campground, AZ. They allowed us to sleep in their fenced off sleeping quarters (safe from coyotes), they fed us tacos, gave us a lift to the grocery store, and were there to help us with anything we needed! They are seriously amazing and kind people. We loved staying with them!



Shelly; Quartzite, AZ. We met her at the Horney Toad, and she offered us to stay at her house in Wickensburg, AZ. We weren't able to, unfortunately, but we appreciated the offer and kindness!


Rob Bernhard; CA. This man is epic! He has done multiple cross country tours and was training for a race at age 69. He helped fix Casey's shifting and brakes and my handlebars. He also poked some fun at us for not really knowing what we were doing, but he didn't hesitate to help us.


Colton from REI; Tonto National Forest, AZ. He was leading a cycling group and invited us to fill our water and take some snacks for the road. We got to stay and chat with them for some time, and it was such a nice break.


Mons and his mom, Joy; Safford, AZ. He invited us to camp out in his backyard. He gave us the passcode to his house even though he wasn't there so we could shower. His mom stopped by to give us some canned food.



Random dude at the KOA; Lordsburg, NM. “Do you guys drink beer?” Yes. “Did you have the wind to your back?” For a while, yes! “Right on. Enjoy” Fist bumps with me and then leaves.


Tammy; KOA Lordsburg, NM. She was hauling her airstream camper when she saw us and put on the brakes. She happily gave us Gatorade and instant coffee powder for the road.



Parker; Hillsboro, NM. As soon as we arrived at the local park to camp, he left in his truck to pick up a lot of beer, inviting us to "get drunk" that night. He also traded me sleeping bags, my 60 degree for his 40 degree to get through the cold desert nights. He was such an awesome dude.


Manu; Marfa, TX. He hosted us on WarmShowers, invited us to swim at the local pool, had us over for drinks with his girlfriend, and drove us to Big Bend for some scenic touring. He was generous with offering beer and showing us around, and we are super grateful to explore the area!

Mike and Tanna; Dryden, TX. They allowed us to sleep at their store even though they were having issues on the Mexico border. Tanna made us coffee and burritos in the morning, and they kept us safe all night.


Jesse; Langtry, TX. It was noon when we arrived at his store. He gifted us beer, fruit, homemade tamales, and wanted to give us $20, even though he was struggling with his store.

Justin, Caleb, and Jason; Comstock, TX. These three locals showed us a good time. They were so funny, and they allowed us to sleep behind their bar that night with water access and Wi-Fi.


Eric; Del Rio, TX. He was cycling the Southern Tier on a charity ride to help Haiti. He gave us cards that read “You’re Awesome!" and was a general motivational booster.

Alice; Montell, TX. She offered her home and two spare bedrooms for Casey, Marshall, Dave, and I. She also fed us a wonderful pasta, chicken, and salad dinner with ice cream for dessert. She is such a strong woman with a little sass. We loved her!



Bike squad; Hunt, TX. These guys were awesome to chat with. The one on the very left made sure to give us some snacks before we parted.

Chuck; La Grange, TX. He was a really solid dude. He offered to get us a hotel and take us out to eat. We didn't need it at the time, but the offer was still really generous.


Zach; near Burton, TX. We got to chat with him during the general store's free pizza/hot dog party. He was so supportive, and he gifted us this towel that really came in handy in the damp/humid eastern states.




Bob and Carol; New Waverly, TX. Bob and Carol are friends with Dave, and Dave put us in touch with them as we were passing through. They went above and beyond hosting us. We washed our clothes, showered, and they made us wonderful food (guacamole and pizza). They kept checking in on us throughout the evening to make sure we were OK and satisfied. They showed so much interest in and support for our trip that we won't ever forget them!


Pastor Terrance; New Hope Church, Silsbee, TX. He really went out of his way for us. We showed up asking if we could sleep in the church yard, and he invited us inside to use the church kitchen and shower. He filled up an air mattress for us and gave us access to all his movie streaming accounts. In the morning, he gave us $50 and breakfast sandwiches.



Jen; De Ridder LO. She was the mom of a WarmShowers host and was so sweet to us! She let us use the kitchen and made sure we felt at home. In the morning, she prayed for our safe journey.


Curt; outside Baton Rouge, LO Fire Department. He and the chief propped open the doors to the station for us to use the bathroom and laundry that night. They were so sweet and let us camp in the yard. I loved chatting with him in the morning!


Michael, Norman, Tristram, Vivek, and Justin. They are from different areas in Texas, but we met them in Mississippi and Alabama. They were on a 9 day tour raising money for charity, and when they met up with us, they offered to get us a hotel room and take us out to dinner. They also gave us granola bars and me an extra pair of biking gloves since I lost one of mine. Meeting these guys was one of the best highlights of the east coast!



David; Holt, FL. At a gas station, we chatted with David, and he wanted to look out for us if we ran into any trouble. He gave us his card and told us to call him if we had any issues.


Odette; Defuniak, FL. On her way into the gas station, she asked what we were doing and where we were traveling from. On her way out, she gave us $20 for the journey and wished us a safe trip.


Brian; Aucilla, FL. We stopped at Central Baptist Church to sleep for the night, and Brian was doing maintenance there. He called the pastor for us to make sure we could sleep there, and he gave us snacks.

Julie; Aucilla, FL. She lived near the Baptist church where we were staying and came over to give us access to her bathroom to wash up and shower if we needed to. She was such a joy to chat with, and in the morning, she left us snacks on her porch table!



We are so grateful for the kindness of strangers! We didn't know them, and they didn't know us, but that didn't stop these sweet individuals from offering help. We will never forget them!


If you are reading this, please be kind to strangers. It really makes the world a better place, and kindness is contagious! If you want to help out other cyclists on their journeys by providing a place to sleep (either a yard, a couch, or a bedroom), you can sign up to be a WarmShowers host at www.warmshowers.org. Thank you to everyone!

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