glasgow, montana

be kind 

Ninety-nine (99) degrees today! Ninety-nine! And we pedaled 71.73 miles in it! Are we crazy? I don't know about crazy but we are, at this point, 1,061.87 miles into our journey across America. We are that many miles away from the Pacific Ocean and the same amount closer to the Atlantic Ocean. If we had arrived at the Atlantic today, I'm pretty sure I would have hopped right in.

As was yesterday, today was another ride down Memory Lane. I remember all the small towns we pedaled though. Saco was one of those towns and it was where we decided to eat an early lunch at Pip's Diner. Some lady at the grocery store there told Gale that we needed to eat at Pip's and, even though it was around ten o'clock, we decided to take her advice. We had to eat somewhere and there aren't exactly a lot of towns on that section of Route 2 in Montana, Well . . . Pip's was a real treat. Surely you can see the hole-in-the-wall characteristics inside and out. Our waitress, a ninth grade high school student, was working her second day and did a fantastic job of serving us. She is also an artist and did some artwork inside Pip's as well as the mural outside. Our food was incredibly good. That could have something to do with the riding part of this journey. At this point, Phil and I say the same thing about anything we get, "Boy, this is soooo good." So . . . if you're ever passing through Saco, population 90 if you count the dogs and cats, stop and eat at Pip's Diner. You will enjoy the food, atmosphere, and a touch of days gone by.

In Hinsdale, we stopped at Raiders Quick Stop, a convenience store and gas station. (The old store is closed now and a new store stands next to it.) In 2009, Jonathan and I stopped here for a soft drink and a snack. We met Shirley who was such a kind and sweet lady. She told us how she and her husband ended up living in Hinsdale and how much they loved their church, their town, and the people there. I was hoping to see Shirley again and just say hi. Sadly, I learned from one of the customers in Raiders that Shirley is dealing with dementia and wouldn't remember me if I could see her. I won't forget her because of her kind, gentle spirit, and welcoming smile.

Did you notice the mural at Pip's? "in a world where you can be anything, be kind." There is also a small sign inside that simply says "BE KIND." When you think about it, kind people are nice people. We've experienced nice folks all over this journey. They are the encouragement for such a time as this. 

Most of the folks who know me, know that I am not a football fan. And where I'm from, most of the football fans are Georgia fans. So please, if you're a Dawg, don't let this illustration offend you. Growing up, anytime I even heard anything about football, it was always about coaches. I only remember three coaches: Joe Paterno, Woody Hayes, and Bear Bryant. I'm not even sure I knew what teams they coached, except for Paterno. Anyway, I have read that Bear Bryant once said, "It don't cost nuthin' to be nice." So, I looked that quote up online today and this is what I found:

“I had just been named the new head coach at Alabama and was off in my old car down in South Alabama recruiting a prospect who was supposed to have been a pretty good player, and I was havin’ trouble finding the place. Getting hungry, I spied an old cinder block building with a small sign out front that simply said ‘Restaurant.’
“I pull up, go in and every head in the place turns to stare at me. Seems I’m the only white fella in the place. But the food smelled good, so I skip a table and go up to a cement bar and sit. A big ole man in a T-shirt and cap comes over and says, ‘What do you need?’
“I told him I needed lunch and what did they have today? He says, ‘You probably won’t like it here. Today we’re having chitlins, collard greens and black-eyed peas with cornbread. I’ll bet you don’t even know what chitlins (small intestines of hogs prepared as food in the Deep South) are, do you?’
“I looked him square in the eye and said, ‘I’m from Arkansas, I’ve probably eaten a mile of them. Sounds like I’m in the right place.’ They all smiled as he left to serve me up a big plate. When he comes back he says, ‘You ain’t from around here, then?’
“I explain I’m the new football coach up in Tuscaloosa at the University and I’m here to find whatever that boy’s name was and he says, ‘Yeah, I’ve heard of him, he’s supposed to be pretty good.’ And he gives me directions to the school so I can meet him and his coach.
“As I’m paying up to leave, I remember my manners and leave a tip, not too big to be flashy, but a good one, and he told me lunch was on him, but I told him for a lunch that good, I felt I should play.
“The big man asked me if I had a photograph or something he could hang up to show I’d been there. I was so new that I didn’t have any yet. It really wasn’t that big a thing back then to be asked for, but I took a napkin and wrote his name and address on it and told him I’d get him one.
“I met the kid I was lookin’ for later that afternoon and I don’t remember his name, but do remember I didn’t think much of him when I met him. I had wasted a day, or so I thought.
“When I got back to Tuscaloosa late that night, I took that napkin from my shirt pocket and put it under my keys so I wouldn’t forget it. Back then I was excited that anybody would want a picture of me. The next day, we found a picture and I wrote on it, ‘Thanks for the best lunch I’ve ever had.’
“Now let’s go a whole bunch of years down the road. Now we have black players at Alabama and I’m back down in that part of the country scouting an offensive lineman we sure needed. Y’all remember, (and I forget the name, but it’s not important to the story), well anyway, he’s got two friends going to Auburn and he tells me he’s got his heart set on Auburn too, so I leave emptyhanded and go on to see some others while I’m down there.
“Two days later, I’m in my office in Tuscaloosa and the phone rings and it’s this kid who just turned me down, and he says, ‘Coach, do you still want me at Alabama?’ And I said, ‘Yes, I sure do.’ And he says, ‘OK, I’ll come.’ And I say, ‘Well, son, what changed your mind?’
“He said, ‘When my grandpa found out that I had a chance to play for you and said no, he pitched a fit and told me I wasn’t going nowhere but Alabama, and wasn’t playing for nobody but you. He thinks a lot of you and has ever since y’all met.’
“Well, I didn’t know his granddad from Adam’s house cat, so I asked him who his granddaddy was and he said, ‘You probably don’t remember him, but you ate at his restaurant your first year at Alabama and you sent him a picture that he’s had hung in that place ever since. That picture’s his pride and joy and he still tells everybody about the day that Bear Bryant came in and had chitlins with him.’
“My grandpa said that when you left there, he never expected you to remember him or to send him that picture, but you kept your word to him and, to Grandpa, that’s everything. He said you could teach me more than football and I had to play for a man like you, so I guess I’m going to.’
“I was floored. But I learned that the lessons my mama taught me were always right. It don’t cost nuthin’ to be nice. It don’t cost nuthin’ to do the right thing most of the time, and it costs a lot to lose your good name by breakin’ your word to someone.
“When I went back to sign that boy, I looked up his Grandpa and he’s still running that place, but it looks a lot better now; and he didn’t have chitlins that day, but he had some ribs that woulda made Dreamland proud, and I made sure I posed for a lot of pictures; and don’t think I didn’t leave some new ones for him, too, along with a signed football.
“I made it clear to all my assistants to keep this story and these lessons in mind when they’re out on the road. If you don’t remember anything else from me, remember this. It really doesn’t cost anything to be nice, and the rewards can be unimaginable.”

Be kind. Be nice.