Here there be magic!

In long distance hiking there is a term that describes getting help from a total stranger to help you along your journey...It's called --

Trail magic...

The wind was blowing from the west hard -- quite typical for the desert setting -- so hard that I had to really lean into it...Big trucks would pass in the opposite direction and the draft would almost blow me off the road...It was late afternoon in New Mexico on the Southern Tier trail and I was looking for camp. I was west bound, I had been having rubber issues all day and I was cranky because of it. The wind really wasn't helping my demeanor in the least...It had been a typically hot day for the first week of September, 2001, when I came upon a road side diner. Food! Food that didn't come out of my panniers. I stopped and parked the bike and stepped in for dinner with a handful of maps.

It was a small place with a few tables crammed along the walls. Quite typical of your middle of nowhere western road side diner. There were only a couple of couples there having diner, I was happy simply to get out of the howling wind. I found a table near the window that over looked the parking lot and grabbed a chair. I ordered coffee and perused the menu -- the odd thing to remember about middle of nowhere road side diners is that sometimes the food is a crap shoot as to whether it's crap or not -- wondering if the food was good. A couple a table or two over were eating already and the food looked pretty good. They wore biker leather and obviously they were riding the Harley Davidson that was parked outside. Little did I know that magic was about to be cast!

I ordered, I can no longer remember what it was I ordered and I sat gazing out the window drinking my coffee and watching traffic whiz by. I paid little attention to the people in the place, but I did step out to make sure the last repair I had done to the tube was holding, true to form for the day, it wasn't...Damn...I was sick of flats, this being the third or fourth one today...Nothing to do now but eat, fix the tire and trudge on...I ate and drank my coffee, paid the tab and went back outside in a gloomy state. I hadn't even bothered to look at the maps to see if there was any place near by to camp...The destination I had been planning for -- the Gila National Forest -- was out of the question due to slow time because of wind and flats...I resigned to fixing the flat yet again and started to remove the panniers when the couple wearing leather came out of the diner...

They were both in their late 50's, I would guess...He had flowing silver hair and a mustache and she was well on her way to a silver mane herself...He asked if I needed any help...I told him no, but if he new of any places near by to camp, I would be appreciative...Thats when it erupted! He stated that he and his wife were here on vacation and they had a little house on land a couple of miles up the road, I was free to camp on their property for the night...Music to my tired and worn out soul...I gladly accepted and they asked if I wanted them to come back with their truck and pick me up. I said no, that I would fix the bike and pedal down to where they were directly. They gave me directions, mounted their Bike and road on down the road.

It is absolutely amazing what the prospects of sleeping -- even on a porch -- some place other then the side of the road will do to your spirit...I think I fixed that flat in record time. I pedaled on down the road, it was less distance then they said it was -- always is...The house was a stereotypical western single room shack, it was white, had a couple of windows and nestled almost to the base of a sizable and steep hill...I found them, sitting on the porch which faced east and looked across a valley to a mountain range some 30 or so miles away. They were pleased to see that I had made it alright...We spent the better part of that evening drinking whiskey and talking, about many things. After a time, they excused themselves and retired to bed, but their welcome was always warm and continually looked to see that I was comfortable...The porch was a welcome respite...

I awoke the next morning at the crack of dawn, stars were almost visible as the red of the sunrise washed all of the stars away...As the light grew, so did the singing of the birds and thats when I noticed the first one -- a humming bird! Out here in the middle of the vast desert, a humming bird! There were two humming bird feeders hanging from awning of the porch and a humming bird came to feed...Then another showed up to run it off...After awhile two or three would flit around and fights would ensue...Humming birds are territorial and greedy as hell! The sun just hadn't quite discovered the top of the mountain when my fabulous hosts appeared from inside with a percolator for coffee...They produced a multi burner camping stove from a nook and started to brew coffee...

They inquired as to my night and I had to admit, it was very restful indeed...We talked and asked if I wanted breakfast...That tends to be a no brainer at this point! They made eggs and bacon, but no bread...I cannot remember which, but it was a diet restriction placed on one of them...but eggs and bacon for breakfast worked just fine for me! We spent a couple of hours over coffee and food continuing to talk and as we did, the humming birds continued their morning entertainment for us! The sun was also turning up the thermostat and it was quickly becoming time to say our farewells and offer many thanks...

I was asked if I wanted a ride up the road to where the trail turned west to start it's first climb of the morning, it was only a few miles and I accepted...Figured, why not? So, My bike and myself were loaded into the back of their pick up with an open invitation to come back the following year if time permitted -- it unfortunately never did...I was taken up the road maybe 5 or 6 miles and dropped off at the start of the climb that would carry me into Arizona, said my final good byes and saddled up...The magic had expended itself...

Time has washed the names of these two wonderful people from my mind, but I still remember their faces as clearly as though it had been yesterday...It is moments like these -- that are always looked for but never known when or where they will manifest -- that make all those endless miles of sweat and pain worth while...Encountering the people that admire so much what you are doing that they will open their hearts, homes and even wallets in order to be a part of the grand adventure...Their means to connect and be a part of it, if even for a little bit...

When it happens, there be magic here!

“I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it.” Rosalia de Castro