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Wednesday, July 13, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Commentary...
Of a certain age...
By Sue Stafford
Columnist
I noticed him as we were
being shown to our seats.
He sat alone at a table by the
window, sipping a beer and
pouring over several maps.
His appearance instantly
said long-distance bicyclist
— shorts, zippered short
sleeve shirt, months-long
growth of beard, and white
raccoon eyes in a heavily
tanned face. The giveaway
was the well-worn touring
bike padlocked out in front –
bulging panniers, three water
bottles strapped to the frame,
and the faded orange flag
fluttering in the back embla-
zoned with the Clemson tiger
paw.
As my son, who was vis-
iting, and I settled into our
seats and began to study the
menu, we noticed the waitress
ask the stranger if he minded
moving to a smaller table so
a larger group could have the
one he currently occupied.
No problem and the new
diners bought him a beer for
his gesture. We couldn’t help
overhearing the conversa-
tion between the six people
at his former table and this
man with the lilting speech
that confirmed a Carolina
connection. He was obvi-
ously on a monumental trek
and was stranded in Sisters
on a cold, rainy night, with
a full campground and no
vacancies in the local lodging
establishments.
His new friends were
wishing they had room to
offer him a place to stay. Josh
looked at me and ventured,
“We ought to ask him to stay
with us,” and I nodded in the
affirmative.
During our meal, we
eavesdropped enough
to know this Southerner
was on the last leg of the
Tr a n s A m e r i c a B i c y c l e
Trail. He planned to cross
the McKenzie Pass into the
Willamette Valley. As we
prepared to pay our bill and
leave, I leaned over toward
the table next to ours and
addressed “Dan,” as we had
learned was his name.
“Dan, we couldn’t help
overhearing your conversa-
tion. Would you like to stay
with us tonight? I don’t live
very far from here.”
The grin and immediate
sparkle in his eyes gave us
our answer. And so began a
totally unexpected shift in
the weekend that enriched
our lives while providing
Dan with much-needed rest
in a warm, dry bed and a full
bathroom to himself.
Offering hospitality to a
stranger — not that difficult
a gesture, but one I probably
wouldn’t have made if my
son hadn’t been visiting. The
offer of a place to stay cost
me nothing. The guest bed-
room/bathroom was ready
and empty. Yet such a simple
gesture paid huge dividends
for all of us.
Josh and Dan shared sto-
ries of the road, Josh on his
Harley and Dan on his bike. I
love to hear people’s life sto-
ries, and I was regaled with
funny, poignant, and amazing
tales. Dan had the opportu-
nity to rest and prepare for the
final leg of his transcontinen-
tal journey.
When the weather the
next morning was still dank
and gray, I suggested Dan
wait another day to tackle
Highway 242, assuring him
the summit would be cold,
wet, and lacking the spec-
tacular views that make it so
special. He agreed to stay.
While touring Sisters, Dan
discovered Beacham’s Clock
Co. Standing among all the
ticking and chiming clocks,
he was transported back to
memories of his grandfather,
who had repaired clocks and
watches. He was enthralled.
I took Dan to see a movie
and have dinner at Sisters
Movie House, which he
found to be a real treat. He
couldn’t remember the last
time he had actually been to
a theater to watch a movie, let
alone one where you could
eat dinner and have a beer.
Sunday dawned sunny
and dry and we bade Dan
safe travels as he pedaled off
toward the end of his journey,
which would be in Astoria.
A chance encounter and
an offer of what I have – a
spare bedroom – provided the
opportunity for me to make a
meaningful connection with
another human being. “Come
on in” allowed life to come
through my door and broaden
my experience.
We all have the opportu-
nity most days to extend that
invitation to someone.
Fear and mistrust are
often the hurdles to overcome
in order to offer welcome,
comfort, rest, and hope.
Being who I am in any given
moment provides the chance
to reach out to others and fill
the space that exists between
us.
By extending an invitation
to a weary traveler, I made a
new friend and shared in his
adventure, and through his
stories meeting the places and
people Dan had encountered
along the way. He was able
to hear our stories, learn a
lot about the Pacific
Northwest - and get his laun-
dry done.
I have one more strand in
my web of life and, after all,
isn’t that what it’s all about?
Relationships.
The Nugget Newspaper Crossword
By Jacqueline E. Mathews, Tribune News Service
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