This isn't one of my humorous stories, but I'll try to inject a bit of laughter.
Yesterday my wife and I were traveling home from Spokane, WA. where we took our grandson to fly home to NM after spending Thanksgiving with us. It's 50% cheaper to fly from Spokane than from Missoula. We spent some time in Spokane...bought a new fake Christmas tree....then headed home in mid afternoon.

We had just passed Kellog, Idaho, home to the longest gondola ride in the world, which we've been on. I'm assuming the views are stupendous....I had my eyes closed the whole 60 minute ride up. Anyway, right in the path of our car is a damn hammer and damned if I didn't run over the damn hammer. About 1/2 mile down the road is Wallace, Idaho...famous in it's hey day for that famous P word of Idaho. No....not potatoes.....PROSTITUTES!! :xcensoredx: We pull off at a rest area and sure enough the right rear tire is flatter than Twiggy. It's now getting dark and I can't get the space saver spare on. Still can't do much from my surgery. Across the street is a Conoco C-Store so we head over there and the girl tells us to call this auto place just down the road. We do and this young kid comes right out and puts the spare on for us and we follow him to the shop. They search for 20 minutes but can't find a tire to even come close to put on to get us home.

Just then and Idaho State trooper comes in to get some stuff from that shop and the kid tells him our dilemma. The Trooper says there is a Les Schwab tire store back in Kellog. That where we got the tires from only in the Missoula store. He says, "I'll follow you back to that store to make sure you make it." The shop we are at refuses any payment but my wife slips the kid $20 and tells him he is a wonderful young man.

Now it's dark and we get on I-90 and head back 12 miles to Kellog. The trooper stays right behind us with his flashers on and we get into the Les Schwab store just before they are to close. THEY don't have that snow tire we have, but manage to come up with another used one that is the right size. They call our Missoula store and tell them what's happening....my tires are under full warranty....and they say to just go in to the Missoula store tomorrow (today) and I'll get a new one. They didn't charge either and we were there an hour past the normal closing time.

Went to the Missoula store this morning and right there in front is my tire waiting for me. In and out in 10 minutes......I timed it like the 'Old Man' in The Christmas Story. No charge.

Moral: Kindness rewards kindness. We could have been stuck in Idaho until today, but thanks to people we didn't even know, we made it home.
Just 4 hours late. We have sent letters to the Wallace Car shop, Les Schwab in Kellog, and the Idaho State Troopers thanking them all for helping us get home.

And crap.....it's snowing here now! Glad I got my studs on!

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That's pretty cool, Bob. You'd have to leave this state to have stories like that.

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Nice story. Nice state trooper.

One time in Wisconsin, I got nailed for a parking ticket while my engine was running and I was behind the wheel.

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That's one thing about living in the Rocky Mountains. We DEPEND on each other, whether you know that person or not. When you're driving on Montana, Idaho roads you better get your waving hand ready, because every driver you pass will give you a wave. When you get in the valleys or mountain areas, cell phone service is nyet, nada, zippo, so many times you are at the mercy of other people helping you.

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So, tell us more about Wallace....


Totally kidding, wonderful story, as always.


+1

It is stories like this that give one hope for the world filled with things far from the kindness shown here.

This is part of the reason I live in Northern Wisconsin to this day.. the story reminds me of things around here.

Nice touch writing the letters in thanks.. it is the small things such as those that make the acts of kindness worth it.

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Bob,

A great read as always.

I am a firm believer in the "Oh Wow" factor.

I have... Thank You Cards that I have printed up. They are very simple and have nothing printed inside, so I can personalize them.

I give these out as often as possible. I reckon I average about 3 a week. I call them "Oh Wow's" you know when someone just does something no matter how small or big that just makes you say... "Oh Wow."

Here is an example... The other day, I went to a petro station and did not have a clue as to where to put windshield fluid in a rental car I have. I was pissing around trying to find the front hood release, then trying to read all of the tops of all of the fluid shit in a car I knew nothing about and the kid from inside came out and asked if he could help me.

He did not need to... It was a self serve, it was freezing outside. I would have never expected it, as he had three earrings in each ear, and a strand of purple hair.

That was an "OH WOW."

I mad a note of it... Three days later I stopped and dropped of a personal "Thank You Card" for this kid.

I give out "Oh Wow's" as often as I receive an "Oh Wow." Sometimes I just write... " You are very good at what you do... I appreciate it."

Did you know that when someone gets bad service, a rude attitude, or even worse a indifference from a business that the person who got bad service will tell on average 11 people. Those 11 people that heard about that bad service will tell an average of 7 people, and those 7 people will tell and average of 4 people.

Do the math.... That is 308 people who may never stop in your place of business, because of ONE SINGLE Bad Experience.

I think it is wonderful that you let all of those people who helped you Know How Much You Appreciated Them.

Too often people only get the stick and not enough of the carrot.

You are a good man for doing that Bob.

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OK, RP, where the heck are you from originally? You call gas "petro." Who the in the world says that?

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One winter back in the 1980's my wife was on the road heading back to where we lived at the time. It was a bad blizzard. She had our dog with her. She got off the expressway, and made it to a gas station. A state trooper showed up, and helped her get to his house, which was just a short way from the gas station.
He had several people already at his home, and they all stayed over night there, with his wife taking care of everyone till they could get back on the road in the morning after the plows came through.
A selfless act to help strangers.

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Those are some great stories.

Bob, as usual, a great one. It's always good to hear that, like you said, kindness gets awarded.

Same for RP. Usually, we take good service for granted, but piss and moan about everything bad that happens. I know, I do it myself, as well. It's great to hear that there's someone out there who makes you think about it for a little. Even if he's nearly on the other side of the world.

And Cheesey, of course.

State troopers appear to be awfully nice, lol.

I don't have any great stories myself, but I'd like to repost this one. I think it's right in line with the things being said here.

I hope it still works for people in the US.

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