No surprise
Rick and Kristi Michaelson have good advice for travelers: Before you set out, make sure you have a spare. If you don't, make sure any breakdown happens in Marion County.
The Michaelsons enjoy camping and were at Marion Reservoir for Chingawassa Days. Usually they stay with family but this year, they brought their fifth-wheel camper.
They camped with cousins Ty and Charlotte Waner and grandfather John Waner, and thoroughly enjoyed the festival.
They were heading home to Topeka when a tire on their camper blew on U.S.-77 between Marion and Florence. A service club would have been willing to make repairs, but they discovered they had no spare.
(By the way, this is a good time to step out and check the spare tires in your vehicles. If there isn't one, get one. If there is one, make sure it is usable.)
Rick and Kristi were discussing the next step when a truck pulled over. Allen Hayes, Florence, asked if he could help.
They explained the situation. Hayes helped move the camper into a field entrance then he and Rick set out to find a new camper tire.
It turns out, camper tires aren't that easy to find. They went to four tire shops throughout the county before they discovered the right size in stock. Rick bought a replacement tire, and a spare.
When they returned, Hayes changed the tire and sent them on their way. The Michaelsons tried to hand him some cash as a token of appreciation, but he politely waved it off. They offered to pay for a tank of gas, or at least buy him lunch.
"You don't have to buy my friendship," he responded.
"He spent four hours of his day running around, which I know he didn't plan on doing when he stopped," Rick said. "Then he did all the work and wouldn't take anything."
The Michaelsons wanted to share the story to make sure people understood how special it was to find someone willing to do this. It's easy to drive past a vehicle by the side of the road, and a cell phone call to the sheriff's department would have been appreciated. They even would have understood if Hayes begged off the search after the first stop or two. Instead, he followed through.
"He spent a tank of gas on us, and didn't know us from Adam," Rick said. "He's a wonderful fellow."
— MATT NEWHOUSE
