OK, I've done enough griping, now I want to tell you about an interaction I had on vacation which left me with a restored belief in mankind. One of the days that I was in Manistee, I took a ride up to Traverse City on route 22. If you're a rider, it is a road to love, shaded and cool with lots of variety in terrain and lovely sweeping curves. On the way back , I stopped the bike alongside the road to take photos of a farm that was nestled in rolling hills just like the one where my Mom grew up in southern Iowa. While I was walking along the road back to the bike, I saw a teal blue pick-up headed up the lane toward me. I was a little apprehensive that someone might take offense at me taking pictures of their property, but was instead pleasantly surprised with this interaction;

"Are you having bike trouble?"

"No, I was just taking pictures of your farm."

"Well, why don't you ride up the lane and help yourself
to some butternut squash and green beans. I've got way too
much and it's just me. I'm on my way to work. Now those
dogs are nothing but nice dogs. They wouldn't
hurt anybody.

"Well, thank you, but I'm only here for one more night and I'm camping off the bike, otherwise I'd take you up on your offer."

"Well, just go ahead and help yourself to what you can eat tonight. I grew way more than I can keep up with eating this year."

The man doing the speaking was young with shoulder length hair. I wished I would have asked him his name, but the whole conversation only lasted a moment. He headed off for work and I rode up the lane and took pictures to my heart's content and then picked one beautiful butternut squash to cook over the campfire.