'Angel' helped newlyweds broken down on interstate

Dear editor:

Our daughter and her new husband have spent their summer-long honeymoon riding across the country on a tandem bicycle.

They are riding "unsupported," pulling a small trailer bedecked with a "Just Married" flag.

Their trip started in New Jersey on June 15. They have had many adventures, met many interesting and gracious people, and seen the country in a wonderful way. They have had some "mechanical bumps" along the road, but for the most part they and the bike have held up amazingly well. They hope to reach the Pacific by Aug. 17 or 18. Our son-in-law is a teacher and must be back for the start of school.

On Monday, Aug. 10, however, they had a major problem. They were stranded in what felt like the middle of nowhere between Glenns Ferry and Mountain Home, with a tire that repeatedly flattened. The patches they had (purchased at a large discount chain) just would not hold.

They made many calls -- to bike shops, shuttle companies, taxi companies and the Idaho AAA. We are AAA members, and they are piloting a bicycle roadside assistance service in Idaho and Oregon. However, since we are not members of the Idaho AAA, they wouldn't come to their aid -- only offered to give them phone numbers of tow trucks that would charge to come out.

Of course they could have called the state police, but that would have meant leaving the bike, something they didn't want to do if possible.

They found a very kind bike shop owner in Mountain Home that would come out to help them, but he was unable to come until after 6 p.m.

They resigned themselves to sitting under a bridge for three-plus hours -- it was hot on Monday so they sought shade! They knew they were safe and had plenty of water. On the other hand, they were hot, hungry and tired, sad about the loss of a day of riding and worried about where they would sleep, as reaching their hotel near Boise was now out of the question. But they were grateful to have found someone who could help them.

As they waited, an Angel disguised as a passing motorist stopped and asked if they needed help. They explained, and she drove them to the bike shop, drove them back to her home between Glenns Ferry and Mountain Home, fed them dinner, gave them a tour of the area, showed them some route suggestions, hosted them overnight, cooked them breakfast and filled their water bottles.

This Angel, named JoAnne, made an amazing difference in their outlook.

What was even harder than hearing that they were stranded was hearing them say for the first time..."if we can't get this fixed, we might not make it in time." Broke our hearts. The difference in their voices when they called to tell us about the Angel was wonderful.

We will always be grateful for her kindness -- and we pledge to pass it on.

John and Carol Graham

Lancaster, Pa.