Angels on the Way

Stop,” he called out, “stop.” As I was biking down the road, an elderly-looking gentleman beckoned me from beside his truck by the side of the road.

Not sure what he wanted, I stopped. I didn’t mind because I love talking to people on the way. It partially alleviates the loneliness of biking alone. After the initial pleasantries– where did you come from? where are you headed? do you have enough water?– he asked me where I was sleeping that night? I told him that I was going to find some spot somewhere and set up camp for the night (we were somewhere near Boorabbin National Park). He mentioned a few possible places to camp and then said, “Why don’t you come to a place called Koora? It’s where I am. You could possibly use a nice shower.” The enticement of the shower was enough to indicate that I may accept the invitation. After giving directions, he got in his truck and drove off. I didn’t even catch his name.

A few hours later, I pulled up to a place with the label “Koora Retreat Center.” As it turned out, it was a Christian retreat center run by Peter (after we got introduced) and Anna, his minister wife. “We run this place for people to escape to the bush to be in tune with themselves,” Anna later told me. Then she added, “You probably know what I mean seeing that you are riding out here on your push-bike.” Now here was someone who seemed to understand a bit of why one needs to be out in “the bush.”

Peter and Anna graced me with a nice place to set up my tent (their cabins were already full with other people), a place for a refreshing hot shower, and a delicious warm meal with good conversation around the family table. It was a superb– and totally unexpected– evening. To me, it was a beautiful picture of Christian hospitality– or any hospitality for that matter.

Two days later, I pulled into the town of Coolgardie. I looked around for a place to set up for the night. I had the option of setting up my tent for free in the town park and getting a shower for AU$3 at the local gas station, but decided to pull into a place called Coolgardie Tourist Camp. There, I can set up my tent with access to showers and a plug to charge all my electrical equipment for AU$24 (about US$17).

The proprietor, Harry, got to talking with me and he learned that I designed databases before I retired. With that, he asked about the wi-fi setup in his facility and what it meant since someone had just set it up for him. I explained everything to him, and with that he said I should stay free. Although I declined, he made sure my stay there didn’t cost me a penny.

In the evening, after I was refreshed from the gift of a warm shower and a homey campsite, Harry and I ended chatting about life and its ups and downs over several glasses of wine, which he also freely gave to me. Our conversation covered many topics, but seemed to center around the fact of similar travails and concerns that arise as we try to live life after finishing our “professional” lives. We talked for several hours about all kinds of issues surrounding our lives, fueled in part by the abundant wine, I’m sure.

Within a span of several days, some Australians gave of themselves to make my journey more comfortable. Unexpected gifts– angels on the way– seem to come out of nowhere. Which is one reason I love to bike.