At the tail end of my Amtrak adventure, I arrived in Granby, Colorado. I was mentally and physically exhausted after what the rail company had put me through over the past month, struggled to think straight and was desperate to find peace.
Once I got off the train, I realized my next hurdle. There was no taxi/Uber/Lyft service in the city. The depot was 2 miles away from my apartment rental. My reality was toting my luggage roller and backpack two miles along a busy road, in the middle of the day… and at high altitude. For those unfamiliar with my situation, I have injuries that prevent me from walking with a normal stride. So I would be hobbling for two miles with all my belongings. I honestly had doubts I would be able to make the journey without health and safety issues, but there were no other choices. I had made yet another error in judgement -one that might cost me more than just time.
I was maybe half a mile into it when the high altitude began to make itself known. At the rate I was moving, it was going to take me hours to get where I needed to go. I just put my head down and continued to shuffle along.
Without any indication from me, a huge late model Ford dually pulled over just ahead of me. The driver got out and asked if I needed a lift. When I accepted the offer, he grabbed my roller and put it in the bed of his truck and then made sure I was able to get in along with my backpack.
Once inside the cab, he struck up casual convo.
Long story short, this guy was one of the richest men in the town. Not only did he stop and pick me up, he drove me to the local country club and bought me lunch before taking me to my apartment.
Because of my skewed view of the world at this age, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop – Was he a rich dude who liked men from out of town – For sex? For murder? To watch his wife with? I had no idea, but I kept waiting for the hospitality bill.
It never arrived. He even gave me his number in case I needed something while in town. He was just a genuinely nice person who saw a visiting stranger in need of assistance and took time out of his day to offer local hospitality.
I’ll never forget that person’s generosity. It made all the difference in my overall trip experience -which to me at that time, was borderline life and death.
Off The Rails 