DETOUR Magazine

DETOUR

Volume 1, Issue 1

Dinner Roullete: Knocking and Cooking Dinner in a strangers home Hitchhiking through KindnesS: From 18 wheelers to dog park sleepovers

Breaking Bread Behind the Iron Curtain:

A tale of Friendship in Communist Czecholslovakia

OJ FIREWORKS

Where Trouble Finds You Like a Heat-Seeking Missle Buckle Up!

SORRY MOM

Oj

FIREWORKS

Picture Source: Istock

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, I hope you read this magazine with an open mind. Many of the adventures I experienced in this magazine are frowned upon in today’s society, seen as unsafe, or even frightening. But as you read, I hope you’ll tweak your perspective on our world and say yes to your next adventure.

There are 7 billion people in this world. So, every person we encounter is truly a miracle, not a coincidence. One could argue you had a better chance of wininng the Powerball than when you met your Taxi driver in New York City.

When you go to your local gas station and pull your two crumpled dollar bills from your pocket to purchase a Powerball ticket, you probably aren’t thinking about what could go wrong. There, indeed, have been people whose lives get ruined by winning the lottery. Still, when the cashier gives you that ticket, you’ll probably think about what excellent opportunities you’d have with a billion dollars in your bank account, not the negative. However, when we meet a stranger, we tend to do the opposite: we think of the worst thing that can happen or an article we read about the escaped convict on CNN, not about the countless and beautiful connections that occur when meeting a stranger.

As you embark on this literary adventure, I hope you find great joy and renewal of human good and kindness. On your adventures, I hope you look through the lens of opportunity and view every interaction as a winning lottery ticket. While we celebrate human connection and opportunity, let us not forget the importance of using our common sense and wisdom.

YES away.

Life’s greatest adventures are usually just one

Sincerly, Paul Noble

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dinner Roullete: Knocking and Cooking Dinner in a strangers home Page 5 Breaking Bread Behind the Iron Curtain:

A tale of Friendship in Communist Czecholslovakia Page 16 Hitchhiking through KindnesS: From 18 wheelers to dog park sleepovers Page 27

ta

Dinner Roullete Dinner Roullette I googled “what to do” if a stranger comes to your door, and this is the first thing I KNOCKfound:

ING ON A “To keep yourself and your STRANGERS home safe, here’s what we suggest you do when a strangDOOR AND er comes knocking: Perform ASKING TO a lock check, see who it is (through peephole or camera) COOK THEM Ryan and I determined to find a home we could cook dinner for.

Speak with the person through the door, Call the police (if needed).”

Despite what the internet said, my friend Ryan and I were on a mission to prove that if a stranger comes to your door, they probably aren’t trying to burglarize your house. Our goal was to knock on a stranger’s door and ask them if we could cook them dinner in their home.

Picture Source: UNILAD

The first step of this journey was to decide what to cook. I headed over to the local Aldi and grabbed some groceries.

I was on my way with three apples, two boxes of rotini, a mango, some wheat thins, a jar of alfredo, summer sausage, and two cans of canned chicken breast.

I initially thought this task would be easy. Free dinner? In the comfort of your own home? Who in the right mind would say no to that?

Grocery shopping!

To pick a neighborhood to doorknock in, I asked Ryan to think of a letter A through Z. “B,” Ryan said, so off we went to Baker Drive. We quickly learned that this would be much harder than we thought.

About ten houses in, I realized that the world did not evolve around my project.

“We already have dinner plans,” “It’s our anniversary tonight, so we’re going out,” “I’m sorry, I’m not interested.”

“Unfortunately, we are gluten-free and have dietary restrictions,” they said.

Despite the rejections, everyone was very kind and wanted to see us succeed.

Door knocking!

Even though we were discouraged, I knew my friend Ryan was the right person to tackle the task with. When I was looking for a friend to try this adventure, I needed to go to the group of my friends who were a little more on the wild side.

This group of my friends is genuinely up for anything and these people do not care what others think about them. They are very spontaneous and are good at going with the flow.

In the past, I had gone on an adventure run with Ryan where we ran through cricks and thorns on a Saturday night so I knew for a fact he wouldn’t have any problems knocking on some doors.

Two hours and 40-plus houses in, we still hadn’t found anyone who would agree to let us into their home. We left the Baker Drive neighborhood and decided to try a few houses near campus. Time was ticking, and it was almost 6:30, and by this point, many people had already eaten dinner. We scoped out some houses and decided to approach a quiet and modest home. Before I knocked, I told Ryan, “This is the last house, no matter what,” as I believed it was getting too late to cook dinner for someone.

We rang the doorbell, and an older woman with lavender pants and a light green shirt answered the door. My first impression was, “oh boy, she’s got some energy.” We pitched the idea to the woman, and she went on a rant about the time when a bunch of weirdos knocked on her doors. At that moment I thought, there was no way we were going to be invited in.

However, to my surprise, she agreed. “The kitchen is a little dirty,” she said. Ryan and I told her we didn’t care at all, and we entered the home.

Jan and her home!

Upon entry, we all introduced ourselves.

“I’m June,” she said.

As we walked past the organ, we were introduced to her husband, Larry. Once we got to the kitchen, we got to work making some chicken alfredo and listened to June’s stories.

Meal prep!!

If I had to do my whole life all over again, I’d be a forest ranger,” June said.

“I was a nurse’s assistant.”

As June expanded on her life, she detailed her marriage to the love of her life, Larry whom she married in 1996, and explained how she likes the simple things in life. June was thrilled that of all the houses near campus, we ended up at hers.

June and Ryan chatting away the night.

It didn’t take long for dinner to be ready, and once it was, Larry joined. He was a quiet man, but we did eventually get to talking. Larry explained he was a farmer and worked for Kwik Star back in the day.

“Nowadays, I just take care of the cat,” Larry later explained.

June and Larry pose for a pictrue.

Larry’s pride and joy!

Our dinner with two strangers up to this point had been going smoothly until Ryan burnt himself on the stovetop.

“Fuck,” Ryan muttered under his breathe. I just burnt myself.” Ryan was wincing in pain. However, it didn’t take long before June went full Grandma mode.

“There’s kale in the freezer,” June exclaimed.

June immediately stood up to help save the day, and relieve some of Ryan’s pain.

With Ryan’s finger cooling down, June went into the other room and showed us some of her oven mitts, the mitts were very unique and had distinct patterns on them.

As dinner was closing, I couldn’t help but to wonder why June and Larry let us come into their home and cook them dinner. We had asked many people, and everyone said no, except for them. So I asked June why, “Because I’m an all-over-the-map excentric person, and Larry likes to talk to all generations,” she said.

June to the rescue with frozen kale.

Ryan’s finger cooling off.

Larry and June at the table.

Group photo before we head out.

Shakings hands.

As June and Larry finished chowing down on the canned chicken and noodles, we figured it was best not to over-welcome our stay and to head out the door. We shook hands with Larry and June and headed out the door. Ryan and I hopped in the car and were ready to drive off. But right before leaving, we saw June waving us down!

We ran back to June, where she gifted Ryan the oven mitt, that she had showed us at dinner. With the oven mitt in Ryan’s hand, we said our final goodbyes. As I turned back to head to the car, I couldn’t help but think that our dinner with Larry and June was more than just a meal with a couple of strangers, but rather a reminder than human kindness and genuine connection is all around us.

June hands Ryan the over mitt.

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Breaking bread

behind THE IRON CURTAIN

A Tale of Friendship in Communist Czechoslovakia A story by Paul Noble

The map of Czechoslovakia in the mid 1980’s and their flag. Source, Philatec Database.

In the late 1980s, my wonderful grandparents, Jim and Charlotte Noble, sat nervously as they watched their car get ripped apart by communist Czechoslovakian border patrol agents. Reflecting on the day nearly 35 years later, Charlotte said, “We must have been crazy.”

In July of 1988, Jim and Charlotte decided to travel to communist Czechoslovakia. At the time of travel, Czechoslovakia was still under the Iron Curtain.

To understand why my grandparents would want to take that leap of faith, it’s necessary to understand who they are as people.

Charlotte in Yellowstone in 1956 and her train ticket to get there.

They aren’t the people to grab their swimsuits and head to the Four Seasons resort in Hawaii. My grandparents would instead grab their winter jackets, pack their car, drive to Washington, D.C., and spend the winter months serving people experiencing homelessness, something they did from 1990-2002.

In addition to serving others, they like a good old-fashioned thrill.

I grew up hearing their wild stories. In the 1950s, as a teenager, my grandma hopped on a train to Yellowstone National Park, lied about her age, and then proceeded to secure a job at the Old Faithful Inn. For my grandpa, it was the story of getting rescued at sea by the United States Coast Guard in an attempt to sail across the Gulf of Mexico with a stranger he had just met.

Jim at the helm of the sailboat, attempting to make it across the Gulf of Mexico.

(Picture left) Jim and his new friend Bill sail through the gulf.

Hours after this picture, high winds and dangerous waves would ensue. They would lose the boats rudder.

Lastly, there’s one more vital piece of information you must know about Jim and Charlotte before I can continue the Czechoslovakia story.

My grandparents are the most open-minded people anyone could ever meet. They truly don’t care who you are, what you believe in, or where you came from.

They’ll welcome you with open arms. My grandma’s famous quote is, “There’s always room for one more at the table.”

Jim and Charlotte don’t believe their way of living is the correct way, but rather, they believe that everyone’s beliefs and diversity make the world go round.

Now that you understand who my grandparents are as human beings, we’ll return to the summer of 1988. At this time, Jim and Charlotte had decided they wanted to go to Czechoslovakia to explore what was once the homeland of Charlotte’s grandmother. They were already traveling in Europe, so off they went in their German rental car. Once they reached the border, they soon realized their mistake: the German license plates on their vehicle.

seemed to drive the same little dark brown car,” Charlotte said. “It was depressing.”

As they traveled through the country, they faced some challenges. One specifically on July 7, 1988, was finding a place to stay, which Charlotte mentioned in her journal.

“Thursday, July 7 1988, Sunny 70-75, a little cloudy.

Out of town by 2:30, drove to Jihlava, a town between Prague and Brno, stopped at Chedah, only one hotel, 350kc full. Gal recommended a campground. What a find, a bungalow for 100kc.” (100kc is about 10 USD) Jim and Charlotte decided to stay at the campground.

“We rented a car in Germany, not thinking what a German car would mean on the other side of the border,” Charlotte said, referring to the tension between Germany and communist Czechoslovakia.

“They absolutely took our car apart, seats out, everything out of the trunk, underneath they were having detectors, in the engine, it took them at least an hour to go through our car,” Charlotte said.

Eventually, however, they were waved through but were strictly told they needed to check in with the police every night to let them know where they were.

In their first few days in the new country, Jim and Charlotte described the country as very sad-looking, with a dark brown tone.

“It was kind of like pulling the window shades down, I guess. Everything went dark in the city, in the way that people felt,” Jim said. “The people were an unhappy bunch.”

“Everything had a dark brown tone, the buildings were neglected, the people’s faces were sad, but they all

Charlotte’s Journal from July 7th, 1988.

and Charlotte with open arms into their home, which they had been building from scratch for years, an impressive accomplishment in a dark era in Czechoslovakia when supplies were hard to find.

Upon entry, Libor and Eva greeted Jim and Charlotte with a cold plate and drinks. A gesture that didn’t go unnoticed.

Charlotte at the campground in Jihlava.

That evening at the campground, they ventured to a restaurant on site. Waiting on them was Libor Novak, a waiter and the head maitre-d at the campground.

Jim, Charlotte, and Libor immediately found interest in each other. Libor was fascinated with the English-speaking Americans he had crossed paths with, while Jim and Charlotte were intrigued by a conversation with such a friendly and bright local.

“This young man waited on us; he was actually 33 years old, and he was delighted we spoke English, he said, ‘Why are you here?’ ’’ Charlotte said. “He just wanted to keep practicing English. He had one year of English. He was very bright. We discovered he was a civil engineer, but there were no jobs.”

The night continued, and all were still captivated by each other, but eventually, it was time to go. Jim and Charlotte thought that would be the last of Libor they would ever see. However, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

The following day, Libor decided to look for Jim, and invite him and Charlotte over for dinner, and to spend the night in their home.

Jim can still recall that morning, “I was coming out of the shower house, and there was Libor, and he said, ‘Jim, Eva, and I would like to invite you to spend the night at our house.’ ” Jim conversed with Charlotte, and later that evening, they were at Libor’s. Libor, his wife Eva, and their small family welcomed Jim

“We knew it must have been hard for them because they didn’t have much money; what they provided us was really quite amazing,” Jim said.

“They had to stand and wait in sometimes a long line to buy groceries, especially the things they had for us, some cheeses, some breads, the meats,” Charlotte added.

As they all snacked on the cold plate and sipped down their drinks, Libor and Eva were fascinated with the life of Jim and Charlotte, just as Jim and Charlotte were fascinated with them. There was a bit of a language barrier, but they each sat with their translation dictionaries, determined to continue the conversation.

Eva, Charlotte, and Libor enjoy dinner on July 8, 1988.

At one point in the night, Libor became fascinated with the topic of free speech; Charlotte still can recall the conversation.

and chatted until two in the morning. The following day, Libor and Eva cooked a nice breakfast for Jim and Charlotte.

“I remember him asking if, in the United States, we could say what we want, and I said, ‘Yes, we can,’ and that just amazed him. He couldn’t believe that someone could have that freedom,” Charlotte said.

“They gave us each a poached egg, but they never ate an egg,” Charlotte said.

Jim and Charlotte wanted to know what life was like in Czechoslovakia, and there was a profound statement Charlotte jotted down in her journal that night, regarding Libor and Eva’s outlook on freedom.

“Can never see the end or any hope.”

Jim still remembers asking Libor and Eva if they thought they’d ever be free.

“He simply said, ‘No, I don’t think for us, but we are hopeful for our children,’ ” Jim said.

While an egg at breakfast seems like a simple gesture, to Jim and Charlotte, it meant much more than that.

They knew Libor and Eva struggled and supplies were hard to come by, so receiving the eggs when Libor and Eva didn’t eat one was another selfless and generous act that didn’t go unnoticed.

After breakfast, it was time to go. But Libor and Eva had a gift for Jim and Charlotte. They gifted them a Bohemian goblet, a small glass cup covered with gold and beautiful flowers, made in Czechoslovakia. Jim and Charlotte still have the goblet today and consider it one of their most cherished pieces. After receiving the gift, Libor and Eva took Jim and Charlotte to the edge of town to say goodbye.

“It was a very solemn moment. There was tears when we left. That’s how close we got to them. It was such a wonderful thing for us and for them,” Jim said.

“He couldn’t foresee a future of the wall coming down and them having any freedom,” Charlotte added. “It sounded like he lost his hope of ever being able to do what we could do.”

Jim and Charlotte with Libor and Eva’s Gift in 2023.

Libor poses by the fireplace.

As the night progressed, Libor and Charlotte stayed up

However, Libor and Eva’s relationship with my grandparents didn’t end there. Once Jim and Charlotte got back to Iowa, they kept in contact with Libor and Eva with letters in the mail, and one year later, in December 1989, the people of Czechoslovakia became “free” citizens.

Street photo from the “Velvet revolution” in Prague, December 1, 1989 Source Creative Commons.

In January 1990, Libor wrote to Jim and Charlotte, describing their new life.

on the memories with Jim and Charlotte and thanked them for their support.

“Jihlava, 29th Jan 1990

“We always remember your short visit in our family, what nice fellows and friends you were. We were very pleased by your sincerity and by your interest in happening in Czechoslovakia. Your trying to understand our complicated life and strengthen us, it was very nice of you.”

It is nice to know that you often think of us and that your prayers are devoted to us and our country. We are passing something new, something unknown. At least we are proud to be Czechs.

Events are passing well. Many things has changed since. We are trying to open our country to the world, to set right all useless controversies that had their origin in totolitarian régime of the Communist Party.”

“We remembered you during Christmas Holidays and on New Year we had a drink in your honour.”

Libor also spoke on his recent travels, something he had thought about his whole life and now could do so freely. At this time, however, Libor and Eva still struggled, and so did the economy, so their travels remained close to home.

“You ask about our experience from crossing the border on our way to Vienna. Believe me, only the best.

Even in this thing, has everything changed. There are no more awkward customs examinations. The only trouble was the long line of waiting cars, we had to wait for two hours. Vienna was wonderfull. We have been in Austria twice.”

Libor not only explained his new life but reminisced

The first page of Libor and Eva’s four page letter to Jim and Charlotte sent in January 1990.

However, even though the citizens were in a “free” state management at one of the most historic hotels in the after the Velvet Revolution, it didn’t mean Czechosloregion. When Jim and Charlotte came to visit, Libor vakia changed overnight. Libor and Eva and the people put them up in a presidential suite, free of charge. of Czechoslovakia still struggled. In an email to Jim and Charlotte in October of 2023, Libor helped explain misconceptions surrounding becoming “free”.

“Unfortunately, I feel that just after the Velvet Revolution, we as a freer state and free citizens did not fully manage the transition from socialism to a democratic society. The main problem was, and actually still is, that by not punishing the crimes of communism, we enabled the communist “elites” of the time to move from the political sphere to the economic sphere. After all, it was they who had connections abroad, and in fact the former communists started to controll our economy for many years to come.”

However, Libor later explained that the greatest thing from the Velvet Revolution was the ability to move freely, something he still does today.

Even at ages 85 and 86, Jim and Charlotte continue to keep in contact with Libor and Eva. Since their original visit, they’ve been reunited twice, once in 2000 and most recently in 2008, on trips in which Jim and Charlotte traveled to Europe and stopped in Czechoslovakia.

Eva, Charlotte, Jim, and Libor in 2008

My grandparents are now retired and live in Johnston, Iowa, and are still active despite being in their mid-80s.

Jim still plays tennis, and Charlotte is one of the best pickleball players in the Des Moines area. Their love of travel still lives on, as their most recent trip was to Colombia.

No, not Columbia Missouri... the country in South America.

Eva, Charlotte, Libor, and Jim in 2000.

Life for Libor and his family has vastly improved since 1989. Libor found success and found several jobs in the hotel industry. First, he was head of security at one of the largest hotels in Europe, and then became head

Jim and Charlotte in Colombia (March 2023).

Eva and Libor enjoying the retired life on a trip to Italy (October 2023).

As I reflected on this story, I couldn’t help but reflect on my own freedoms. Freedoms and liberties that not everyone has, and privileges I’ve taken for granted.

I truly cannot understand, nor portray in writing, what forty years of communist rule must have been like for Libor and Eva, nor can I relate to their struggles.

However, I was grateful to write this story and offer a small glimpse into a unique and loving friendship. A friendship now 35 years long.

“We were lucky enough to get to know you already under the communists, so today we can celebrate our 35-year friendship. We certainly couldn’t have imagined 35 years ago that in a year the communist regime would fall and that we would still have the opportunity to meet again.

Back then, you were messengers for us from a free world that we couldn’t even imagine at the time. We value your friendship very much and are glad that it has lasted until today,” -Libor Novak, October 31, 2023.

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HITCHHIKING THROUGH

KINDNESS

A story by Paul Noble

It was 4 am when Ike and I’s alarm clocks sounded.

We groaned as we rolled over in our tiny tent that was situated behind the treeline in a Bloomington, Minnesota, dog park. We didn’t have much time to pack up and get going; we weren’t allowed to be camping there, and we couldn’t risk an interaction with the police. I threw some dry peanuts in my mouth while Ike scarfed down an apple, and we set off on a 4-mile walk to the interstate to catch a ride back to Iowa. We were in the midst of an intense hitchhiking adventure but more determined than ever.

Rewind a week earlier, and everyone was telling me how bad of an idea hitchhiking would be, “What if you die? That’s not a good idea,” they said. However, I really wanted to hitchhike. I genuinely believe that the best memories always come from outside your comfort zone, and after all, I wouldn’t be going alone; I’d be taking on the journey with my friend Ike. I knew Ike would be a reliable friend for the hitchhiking adventure as he has a history of doing unique and oddball things. He is the founder of Freezing Fridays, in which every Friday in the winter months in Cedar Falls, he heads out the door shirtless and goes running. On top of that, Ike has turned “mouse

Ike walks ahead on the highway.

catching’ into a new competitive hobby in which he catches wild mice. His current record is seven in one month. I felt Ike could match my energy, a trait few others have, so on September 8th, 2023, Ike and I headed out for an adventure of a lifetime.

As my girlfriend Sam drove us out to the highway to start our adventure, I became curious as to what Ike’s girlfriend thought of him hitchhiking.

“I told her we were going camping,” he said.

I couldn’t help but think what a man of wisdom Ike was. While my parents and loved ones would be worried sick about me, his loved ones would sipping margaritas on the beach.

In Search of a ride near Cedar Falls.

Once we started our hitchhiking journey, it only took about thirty minutes for a car to pull up, “Where are you trying to go?” he said. “North,” we responded.

“Hop in,” he shouted back. At the time we weren’t exactly sure where we wanted to go, but we were shooting for Minneapolis. Our drivers name was John and his passenger was Tracy.

As we entered the car, I couldn’t help but gag a little bit as the smell of body odor and cigarettes floated through the air. The car was hot as hell, and the airflow was non-existent. He informed us he could only take us about 15 miles up the road.

Before we could get going, a police officer pulled up, and informed us that someone had called us in for hitchhiking. Luckily, the cop was just checking in on us, and we got the green light to continue our journey.

I immediately couldn’t help but think of the jackpot we had just struck. This car was spacious and clean, and the AC was blasting. Plus, John was a Hawkeye fan.

John was good to take us up to Clear Lake, about an hour from where we were, as he was taking his son to a tractor pull competition up north.

John thought it was hilarious that he had picked up a couple of hitchhikers with his elementary school kid in the front seat. “Don’t tell your mom we picked up two hitchhikers,” he said, joking with his son Jensen.

John was your classic Iowan. Tough, blue-collar, and just like everyone else in the state, wanted to see Brian Ferentz get fired.

As the miles clicked on his odometer, we talked about the harsh reality of today’s world. A world where you can never know who to trust. “You don’t know if I’m crazy, and I don’t know if you’re crazy,” John said.

We continued to chat and eventually made it to a gas station in Clear Lake; John insisted we all get a picture together before we headed out.

A cop comes to investigate

It didn’t take long for me to realize this guy was a talker. He yapped our ears off, talking about his long-distance girlfriend from Uganda that he hadn’t yet met, and he kept cracking jokes about truckers with big lips.

Though it all seemed a little odd, I did feel gratitude that this man was nice enough to pull over for us; after all, there were probably a hundred cars that passed us, and he was the only one to pull over. Fifteen miles later, John dropped us off at the entrance to a highway, and off we went again.

While it wasn’t the best ride, Ike and I felt good. We both had successfully hitchhiked for the first time, and I couldn’t help but smile.

It didn’t take long for the second car to show up. This time, it was a white LeSabre Buick. Driving was John, and his passenger was his young son Jensen.

“I only picked you up because of your Hawkeye shirt,” John said as we entered his car.

Me, John, Jensen, and Ike take a picture together before we part ways.

At this point in time, Ike and I were starting to feel lucky, and we headed to the interstate ramp this time with new homeade sign. Within 5 minutes, an 18-wheeler semi-truck pulled up. The truck driver

school on Monday, and this point we’d already had set our mind Minneapolis, so we told him we’d plan on getting out there. There was only one passenger seat in the semi, so Ike sat in it, while I situated myself ov his bed.

To respect our driver’s privacy in this story, we’ll call our driver “Van.” Van was originally from India and was only 23 years old. He originally wanted to go to the army back in India, but his parents never let him.

He spoke four languages, and his favorite show was Game of Thrones. He was very interested in us,

Our third ride of the day pulls up

opened the side door and informed us he was driving to the Canadian Border, as much as we wanted to hitch a ride to Canada, we knew we had to get back for

Enjoying some BBQ chips on Van’s bed.

just as we were interested in him. For Ike and I, it was easy to keep a conversation with Van because he was so hospitable, and because he was our age.

“Want some BBQ chips?” Van asked. “Sure, why not,” I said.

I could hardly believe how nice and hospitable Van was; I mean, for god’s sake, there I was, eating his BBQ chips in his bed while hitching a free ride in his semi. The time seemed to fly by with Van; before we knew it, we were rolling up to Minneapolis. Due to the traffic, we informed Van he could just pull over on the interstate, and we could find our way, which we did.

A view from inside the Semi

“MINNNNNNEAAAAAPOLIS,” Ike and I exclaimed as we watched Van’s semi pull away. We were on cloud nine and could hardly believe how smooth our hitchhiking adventure had been thus far. Before we did any more hitchhiking, Ike and headed to a local bar to watch the Iowa football game. Iowa won 20-13.

By the time the game ended, it was about 6 pm, and our next challenge was finding a place to stay. Ike and

Ike finds his way out the Interstate ditch.

I were determined to do this on our own. I think this baffled our relatives; we both had connections in Minneapolis that surely would have let us stay at their place free of charge. But for Ike and I, the challenge was to rely on human kindness and not cheat by staying at a relatives house. We decided we’d have more luck in a suburb of Minneapolis, so we ran south of the city. In the southern suburbs, we tried asking strangers if we could stay the night in their homes.

We tried our best to keep the conversation easygoing and lighthearted but faced much rejection. Asking to sleep in a stranger’s home crosses a barrier that hitchhiking didn’t cross. Even the guy mowing the yard at the local church said no, and as the sun started to set, Ike and I were prepared to dirtbag it in the bushes.

However, as we continued our walk, we saw a couple walking their dog. We conversed briefly before eventu-

ally asking if we could crash in their apartment for the night.

“You know what, while we are not comfortable letting you stay the night, we do have a two-person tent you can have,” they said.

We followed them to their apartment, where they gifted us a two-person tent. A sense of relief washed over Ike and I; now, at the very least, we wouldn’t have to sleep with the bugs.

The friendly strangers who gifted us a tent.

While even though we had a tent, we still wanted to see if we could crash in a stranger’s home. We headed to a local coffee shop as we thought we would try to pitch some more people on our idea there, and to our surprise, even at 8:30 pm, this coffee shop was still bustling.

Ike and I took turns pitching our idea to the strangers at the coffee shop, and while we faced rejection each time, you could tell they were rooting for us.

At one point, Ike and I became the main subjects of the busy coffee shop, and everyone was throwing out ideas to help.

“There’s a dog park,” one guy said. “You would be safe there, and there are some hiding spots in the the treeline.”

At this point, Ike and I were running out of time. It was already dark out, and no one would let us crash in their homes. So we headed to the dog park and made it after an hour’s walk.

In all honesty, the Bloomington dog park was pretty stellar. Lush grasses and beautiful trails traversed through the park, and the holy grail of it all, a porta-potty.

we had finally set up camp and were off to bed.

A mere two and a half hours later, our alarm clocks were blaring. Ike and I woke up and hustled to get out of the park before an early morning runnner or the local police could spot us. We next endured a 4-mile hike to the interstate.

Our home for the night.

We couldn’t set up camp right away, as we had to wait until all the late-night dog walkers finished their business, but eventually, it started to clear out; one of the last stragglers to exit the park was very intrigued as to what we were doing.

Jasckson delivers us supplies!

“What are you guys up to?” he asked.

We explained that we had hitchhiked from Cedar Falls and relied on human kindness to get where we were.

The man was surprised and interested. He introduced himself as Jackson and, believe it or not, used to lived in the Cedar Falls/Waterloo area.

Jackson wanted to help and informed us he wanted to go get us supplies, and about 10 minutes later, Jackson came back with a bag full of food and drinks; it was incredible. Before we left, Jackson warned us about the Bloomington Police, informing us that if we stayed, we would need to get up early to avoid any problems. As we entered the park, I relied on Ike’s camping expertise, and around 1:30 in the morning,

Ike sets up camp.

Creating a new sign by the interstate

Once we arrived to the interstate, we learned that catching a ride out of the big city was an immense challenge. We stood at the corner for two hours before catching a ride from a driver named Dave. We only got about 3 miles down the road, but we were thankful we could work our way out of the city. We stood on another corner for another 30 minutes before we caught another ride from a driver named Edgar. Edgar was from Colombia, and he took us 8 miles..

At this point, we were about 11 miles south of Minneapolis, but frustration was starting to set in, progress was slow, and people didn’t seem as friendly. We decided to take matters into our own hands, and instead of standing on the street corner, we thought that asking people directly would garner more success. So we walked to the nearest gas station and started looking for an Iowa license plate. Eventually, we came across a big black pickup truck with a Decatur County, Iowa, license plate. We briefly explained what we were doing and where we were going.

were a quiet group but had very interesting lives. Taren was a United States Marine veteran who served on tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was very passionate about hunting and fishing. His son Tariq was an outstanding football player from Lamoni, Iowa.

At this point in our hitchhiking journey, Ike and I were very comfortable; we both actually took naps in Taren’s car. It was nice to get some sleep and pass the time, as the ride with Taren and Tariq was nearly two and a half hours long. We eventually made it to the Waterloo turnoff, where they dropped us off; at this point, we were only about 60 miles west of home.

“Do you think we could get a ride?” Ike asked, “Yeah, what the heck,” he responded.

The man driving and his passenger introduced themselves as Taren and Tariq. Taren was Tariq’s father, and they were coming back from a recruiting trip for Tariq as he was a Minnesota Gophers football recruit. They

Our driver Taren and his son Tariq

However, things started to get challenging after the ride with Taren and Tariq. No one would pick us up, and people actually seemed pissed off that we were on the road. We were berated by cars honking their horns

sweaty, and tired; we figured getting to a gas station would be the best way to return home. To our luck, a car near the exit ramp picked us up.

The man who picked us up was named Jose. He didn’t speak English, but we were able to use Google Translate to ask for a ride to a gas station. Jose was living

Communicating with Jose In search of a ride once again.

proof that kindness has no barriers. Once we got to the gas station, we realized we had screwed up. We were now on a road that didn’t lead into Cedar Falls, so finding someone to take us to Cedar Falls would be an extreme challenge. We started asking people left and right, but everyone informed us they weren’t going that direction. Eventually, we figured out we just needed to get back to the spot where Jose had picked us up at.

It was a long walk to the next exit.

and drivers giving us angry faces. We didn’t have much choice but to keep walking. We eventually made it to a turnoff about two hours later. We were hot,

Frusturation starting to set in.

Ike went up to a pickup truck and asked a man if he would be willing to give us a ride four miles up the road; the man, however, was more interested in our final destination. Ike then informed him we were trying to get to Cedar Falls.

“Cedar Falls,” he said. “How far up the road is that?”

“A little over an hour,” Ike responded. “I can take you there,” he said

On the drive to Cedar Falls, we learned all about Cody. He was an independent truck driver and you could tell he was a go-getter who always put others before himself. Cody wanted to keep hitchhiking alive, and thought what we were doing was unique and respectable.

Right before Cody dropped us off, he left us with a message.

“Keep it alive, man,” Cody said. “The world needs more people like this.”

Cody was referring to us, but I think he should have been referring to himself and to the people who took a chance when they picked us up.

The world needs more people like Cody, Taren, Jose, and Van. People like them are the ones who make the world a better place. They saw the good in Ike and I, while many others just saw the bad. While many thought of the worst-case scenario of letting a hitchhiker in their car, they found the upside.

I’m not saying you must pick up a hitchhiker or invite a stranger into your home to be considered a good person. But next time, instead of judging or associating the worst news story you’ve ever heard with the hitchhiker you see on the street, just take a deep breath, and think of all the human good and kindness in the world.

Ike and I cramped in the back of Cody’s Car.

“Holy shit,” I thought. This man was going to take us to Cedar Falls! Upon further conversation, we were shocked to learn that the man had no reason to go to Cedar Falls and just wanted to help us out. He was willing to drive 120 miles round trip just so we could complete our hitchhiking journey.

Ike and I couldn’t believe our luck; the man introduced himself as Cody and informed us it would be cramped in the car as he didn’t have seats for us. I sat on a matress, while Ike sat in back corner.

Me, Cody and Ike.

A license plate with every stranger who helped us out

John and Tracy- Cedar Falls to Waverly~16 Miles John and Jensen- Waverly to Clear Lake~72 Miles “Van”- Cleark Lake to Bloominton (Minneapolis)~125 Miles Dave- I35 to Burnsville~3 Miles Edgar- Burnsville to Rakeville~ 8 Miles Taren and Tariq~Rakeville to Highway 20~ 160 Miles Jose- William off Ramp to Jay Bros~ 4 Miles Cody- Flying J to Shull Hall

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