I’m near Des Moines Iowa, staying for free in the home of someone I just met yesterday, in a guest bedroom. Last night, he and his wife took us out for supper, which was also free. In a moment, there’s more free stuff from strangers. But first, I’ll show some pictures of the place we stayed. I love his garage.

A moment ago, I said ‘us.’ I’m traveling with a few people. My friend Sam(antha) is with me, and this her first bike tour. Our host took Sam out for her first ride on a tandum.

A few hours have gone by, and I’ll refer to something from the start of this post, which is more generosity from strangers.

Sam and I are now in a cozy SUV with our gear and bikes in back. We’re getting a free ride from another stranger from Des Moines to Council Bluffs. That’s the start of the ride across Iowa, which is called RAGBRI.

Back to generosity, our driver, Phil, was going start riding in Council Bluffs like Sam and I are. But now, he has some problems to fix in his appartment in Des Moines, so he’s not starting in Coucil Bluffs. That means he’s driving us for 2 hours even though he doesn’t need to drive to Council Bluff anymore.

There’s many reasons I love bike touring, but the amazing generosity of strangers is the best part. The news doesn’t cover that nearly enough.

And there’s more good news. When I left Minnesota, I was unemployed for over a year. Yesterday, I was offered the job I was hoping for, working as a Junior Developer in C#.

A great job and ride are in front of me. Life is good.