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The warm side of America
During our tour, we were approached remarkably often by strangers.
Not because they wanted to sell something or because they had a hidden agenda, but simply because they felt like having a chat.
A newspaper, a beer, and a conversation in Fort Bragg
In Fort Bragg we were enjoying a quiet moment at Tall Guy Brewing. My husband over a beer, I delved into the local newspaper.
An American woman came to our table and spoke to us.
She thought this was such a rare and beautiful image: someone quietly reading a newspaper and drinking a coffee (in a bar), while the partner enjoys a drink.
It typified what we would experience during the entire trip.
Americans seem much less inhibited about spontaneously making contact with strangers. And to give a compliment…
An unexpected word of thanks in the desert
Also on the winding Sitgreaves Pass, just before Oatman along Route 66, an American man surprised us.
A veteran approached us and thanked us for coming to America.
Not because he needed anything from us, but simply because he liked the fact that foreign visitors wanted to discover his country.
It was an unexpected and sincere gesture that stayed with us.
Humanity on a hiking trail in Capitol Reef
In Capitol Reef National Park, I sat on a boulder waiting for my husband who had gone back to the car to get water.
Several passers-by spontaneously asked if everything was okay and if I might need help.
There was no reason to worry, but the fact that people took the trouble to ask, I found striking. It typifies the Americans.
When a comment becomes a conversation in Arches
Also in Arches National Park, a conversation arose with a couple of Polish descent who have lived in the United States for more than thirty years.
What started with a remark about the landscape grew into a conversation about emigration, travel and life in America.
Such honest encounters seem to arise almost automatically.
While the laundry was running in Torrey
Perhaps the most typical moment I experienced was in the laundromat in the RV park Wonderland in Torrey.
While the washing machine was running, I sat outside on a bench reading a book. A woman who wanted to use the shower room next to the laundromat started a conversation.
Just after she went inside, she stuck her head out of the doorway again and said: “We’re hanging out over there this evening, so if you feel like joining us, you’re welcome.”
It was such a typical American gesture.
A spontaneous warm invitation from someone I had never met before.
We passed her camper that evening, but no one was home at that time.
And I can go on and on…
You won’t find the most beautiful side of America on the map
Of course, not every American is the same. As everywhere, you meet people who are harsh or friendly because it is part of their job or because they hope to sell you something.
But what struck us was how often that kindness seemed sincere and disinterested.
In restaurants, shops, hotels, national parks and even on the street, conversations arise that are much less obvious and even almost unthinkable in Europe.
People ask where you are from, how your trip is going and what you think of their region.
Sometimes it’s no more than a few sentences, sometimes it evolves into a conversation of half an hour.
Perhaps that is one of the reasons why traveling through the United States remains so pleasant.
That friendliness is not mentioned in any travel guide. It doesn’t get a place among the highlights of a tourist brochure, but for us she was one of the most beautiful aspects of the whole trip.
Emma
Not every meeting went smoothly. There was one moment I will never forget. Read more about this in our next story.