Guardian Angels.

Our story begins at the Red Apple. (equivalent to Cumby’s)

I went into the store in search of a gallon of water. I did not see any in the fridge, naturally I pulled out a regular-sized bottled and headed for the door. Moments before the register, I noticed a few gallon jugs on the shelf. I quickly replaced my bottle with the larger portion.

After splitting the water with Steve by filling our water bottles, there was still a great deal remaining in the bottle. Steve and I chugged the left overs. Steve gulped much more than I. “You are going to have to pee really bad”, I laughed.

About an hour down the road, Steve began to mention his need for a restroom. We stopped at a little shop. The man inside told Steve there was no bathroom, but a store about a mile down the road had one. Minutes later, we arrived at Frog Crossing. This was a neat little store that was filled with your basic snack foods, homemade sandwiches, arcade games and pool tables. We struck up a conversation with a woman named Penny. She was  interested in our trip, and after giving her a “TrailingTheSun” bracelet, she told us if we had no luck finding a place to stay we could return and hang there. (Open 24 hours) With that, we hit the road and headed to McDonalds about a mile away. Steve crammed more calories into his body. (He was shooting for 10,000 today). We looked up the prices for a local Super 8 Motel, but they were out of our affordable range. We decided to head back to Frog Crossing.

When we arrived, Penny was nowhere to be found. Instead, Denise was working. I explained to Denise that we were cross country cyclists, and she responded with, “The ones from Boston?” I was happy to hear Penny had mentioned us. We were welcomed to stay the night and we had our minds set on that.

About 45 minutes later, Penny walked into the store with her “partner in crime”: Jeff. “Still no luck, boys”, she said with a bit of a smile. “No mam”, I responded. “Well, get your bikes, there is a Super 8 down the street and we are going to set you up so you can have a shower and a big breakfast in the morning.” I was in shock. I couldn’t have imagined this. The people here are so kind. I can see the Lord in them.

So, here I am, laying on a comfortable bed in a Super 8 Motel. Now, what if I missed that gallon jug? What if the first shop had a bathroom? hmmm…All thanks to God and Penny and Jeff. Special thanks to Denise, as well! Denise, Steve, and I engaged in fun conversation over coffee and hot chocolate after I realized I left my phone at Frog Crossing. I’m sure you will read this guys, and I just want to let you know that we are both so grateful for you.

God bless! Pay it forward! Love life! Have adventure!

Taylor