Dallas to Toronto: You can’t make up this stuff…
Stats
Distance: 2,323 kms/1,444 miles
Weather: 71-24 degrees F; Everything—sunshine, overcast, rain, and snow
Traffic infractions: 1
Losses: 1 wallet, credit cards and drivers license...and some pride
Well…off to a rocky start. Though an uneventful departure from Dallas to my parents home in Missouri, it was good to spend a few days testing the drone, triple-packing, and enjoying some family time.
Kicked off a bit early to build in some buffer time for weather, departing at 9am on a misty morning. Of course, we had the crying, loving mother and the proud photographer father involved...and the brother happy to man the drone.
Two hours in, I stopped for a late breakfast and then was back on the road. Cruising down the freeway, catching up with Karen, my Starwood ambassador, I did the ole wallet and passport pocket check. They always go in the same pocket…and of course, the wallet wasn’t there, and a calm pat down quickly turned into a frantic search. No dice. After a ground-speed record return to the restaurant, I checked the trash and security camera footage and talked to all customers who had been there 20-minutes earlier. Nothing. Then, a slow, painful scan of the 15 miles of asphalt to where I realized it as gone. Nothing. Not good to lose a drivers license and all forms of funds in the first 100 miles. Ironically, for Christmas my brother had given me a few “Tiles” to track important items via an app. Did I have those activated and in the right place? Of course not. Palm to forehead.
Luckily, I had my passport, an expired Texas license, and a valid back-up Missouri license, along with copies of the recently-lost TX license. Would be good to have the addresses on my title, insurance, registration, and license all match to prevent any heckling or delays at borders. But we could deal with that later. Of course, a cardinal rule is to never have all your identification and funds in one place. Take it another step and have a "throw-away wallet" in case of a robbery. Of course, I had that (hence the spare ID), but being still in the Midwest, I hadn't yet split up credit cards. Now I just needed funds to fuel the bike. Stopping a few hours later when the tank neared empty, I figured it would be easy to write a bank a personal check and get some cash. Nope. Visited four banks, and all denied my USAA checks because I didn’t bank with them. Can I wire money to myself? No. To a bank manager: “So, you’re telling me that if I offered you $50 to cash a $500 check, after you look to see if funds exist, you won’t help me out?” Nope. Mind…blown. I thought banks enjoyed making money. Calls to USAA pointed me in mixed, conflicting directions. Wire money to myself via Western Union. Nope, not possible. After being tossed around from one USAA service rep to another, with obvious frustration, I pointed out their conflicting guidance and the final rep literally hung up on me. First time in 15 years they have let me down. Floored.
Where does one go in the Midwest when in dire need of…anything?...Wal-Mart. They could take checks for $20 over a purchase amount. Thirty minutes later, I had written six checks to procure $120 and a two-month supply of minty fresh breath. Had ensured I kept a few checks in case of an “emergency”…your modern day rationing of gun-powder…or something like that. Walking back to the bike, parked hurriedly in the yellow-striped areas next to the handicapped spaces, I thought, “Man…I can’t remember being this down and frustrated on a motorcycle trip…ever. This is a terrible sign for how things will pan out over the next seven months. Terrible.” Then, everything changed…
Two gentlemen were casually admiring Green as I walked up. The older of the two, a tall 60-something with a gentle face but strong voice belted out, “Andrew, how’s the ride to Toronto?”
Uhhh…wait one...
“Do I know you, Sir?” Figured maybe a friend of Dad’s…or someone he had arrested for poaching at some point.
“No, but I really like what you’re doing…how’s the trip?” Thoroughly confused. “Yeah, you’re on the way to Toronto for a shipment to Portugal.” What?!
“How do you know this, Sir?”
“I follow you…I ride a GS, too, and I love to see people take these types of trips…have followed your website and other online stuff…love it and very jealous.” You’ve got to be kidding me. I’ve randomly run into the only person in the world who stumbled across the site…and read it. Still in disbelief. He asked, “Have you had to bust out the heated vest yet?” Okay, he actually has read it. Amazed. “How’s the trip coming?”
Though the frustration had slightly subsided, the anxiousness to make up time remained, so I gave him a quick run-down of the morning’s events, highlighting my frustration with banks and that I’d finally gotten enough gas money for the day.
“Well…here you go… I want you to take this…” He reached into his pocket and gave me some folded bills. “It’s all I’ve got at the moment.” You’ve got to be kidding me. I looked around for cameras. I insisted I wouldn’t take it, and he insisted the opposite. “I’ve been in bad positions, too, so I want to pay it forward. Happy to help.” You can imagine the thoughts and emotions.
I simply couldn’t believe it. And to be honest…I also couldn’t turn him down. Wasn’t sure when the next time would be for more funds or how long my checkbook would last. We took a few pictures together, and as I mounted the bike, he threw in with a huge grin, “Really excited for you…I just had the first of 40 cancer treatments…and while cancer really sucks, life is still good.” Oh, my. Such open kindness and generosity under those circumstances.
Speechless. Thank you, Bud.
This man really saved the day. After heavy rationing, I would be down to $5 the next time I would be able to secure more funds. Needless to say, the 1,500 mile leg was completely uneventful compared to that moment. Boring freeways, numbing cold, snow flurries, and a painless cycle cargo drop-off.
I re-visited the same thought over and over… “Man…I can’t remember being this blessed on a motorcycle trip…ever. This is a comforting sign for how things will pan out over the next seven months. Amazed.”
