Contributor: Timothy Dale
Beginning June 1, 2023, I crossed the U.S. via the Great American Rail Trail and various ACA routes and had the opportunity to be hosted by eight different Warmshowers hosts.
My third hosts, Kevin and Lisa McDonough, lived in Ennis, MT, high on the mountainside overlooking the town and valley below. During our initial introductions, I detected a slight Southern drawl in Lisa’s voice and asked if they were originally from Montana. ‘No, I’m from southwest Virginia near Bassett,’ was her answer.
Figuring she was about the same age as me and considering the sparse population of that area when we were growing up, I replied, ‘I bet I know someone you know. Do you know Karen Prillaman?’ ‘Yes, we went to high school together.’ Karen was my college roommate’s girlfriend, now wife.
Excited about this coincidence, I emailed Karen at the last known address I had for her but received no response. I sent a message via Facebook. Nothing. I then sent a message to another college buddy, asking him to reach out. It turns out Karen was distrustful of my message, assuming there was no way I knew Lisa and certainly no way I was cycling across the country. She immediately changed all her passwords on social media and her email server! Small world!
Follow Timothy’s adventures on his blog, Across the US on Steel and Titanium