Camino spirit in Alaska

[J Willhaus]

Yesterday, Phil and I had a flat tire on the road to Seward after going through a long section of road construction. We were stopped in a paved pull off. We have roadside assistance, but no phone service there.

Our spare tire was stored in the front of the pickup bed with camping stuff all around. We began to take off the lug nuts, but they had been torqued too tight and Phil was having to jump on the wrench to break them free.

A rented camper van pulled up and out spilled a man and three women. The woman said in Spanish, "I am no mechanic, but he is." We began to chat in Spanish, they were from Barcelona. I told them we are volunteer hospitaleros every year on the Camino.

The man went straight to work helping Phil and the tire was changed in no time while I chatted with the women. They travel frequently and had been to Wyoming (Yellowstone) and several other places where we have lived (Idaho, etc). One woman told me traveling in Peru they also had a lot of flats and no service. She was a professor of history in Barcelona and was pleased to learn that I was a recently retired professor if nursing.

The men spoke little, but went at their work and ended with a firm handshake and "Muchas Gracias." I gave everyone the two kisses and thanked them as well. One woman told me, "It is the spirit of the Camino, here in Alaska." And with that, they were gone without even exchanging names.

The Camino spirit is where you look for it and not just a place in Spain.

 

[Phil W]

Yes, the Camino spirit is found in unexpected places. I was hoping for someone to stop and lend at least some emotional support. I recieved much more than that. A delightful group that provided emotional support and wonderful assistance. Could I have changed the tire by myself? Yes but it was actually enjoyable with the assistance of the ladies and the gentleman. Camino angels or the spirit of the Camino. Probably both.

Have you experienced the spirit of the Camino in unexpected places?

Phil

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

We began to take off the lug nuts, but they had been torqued too tight and Phil was having to jump on the wrench to break them free.

Have you experienced the spirit of the Camino in unexpected places?

Ah, wrench. I think this counts Phil.

I remember our first trip to Spain (in '88 when my high school Spanish was fresher). We took our rental car over the border from Portugal and in five minutes we are at the far end of town and I get a flat. I go to repair it and don't find a tire iron but luck gave us a machine shop across the road. I go in and ask for - checked dictionary - a wrench. No, but I hear clave in reply. Well I don't need a key so I try about four other dictionary words. Clave keeps coming up but finally I recognize another word - llanta, llanta, what's a llanta? Dawn breaks over Marblehead (a local expression). "Sí, sí, necesito una clave de llanta" (a tire key). When I return it one fellow says to get in the car and follow him. On a motorscooter he leads me into town to a shop where I purchase my own clave de llanta (which I sell back to the rental company). I didn't need one again, that was good luck. Also good luck was the car didn't break down until we were done with it but hadn't yet returned it. We had lunch with the man sent to start it to return it because he couldn't get it going either.

 

[Phil W]

Ah, wrench. I think this counts Phil.

I remember our first trip to Spain (in '88 when my high school Spanish was fresher). We took our rental car over the border from Portugal and in five minutes we are at the far end of town and I get a flat. I go to repair it and don't find a tire iron but luck gave us a machine shop across the road. I go in and ask for - checked dictionary - a wrench. No, but I hear clave in reply. Well I don't need a key so I try about four other dictionary words. Clave keeps coming up but finally I recognize another word - llanta, llanta, what's a llanta? Dawn breaks over Marblehead (a local expression). "Sí, sí, necesito una clave de llanta" (a tire key). When I return it one fellow says to get in the car and follow him. On a motorscooter he leads me into town to a shop where I purchase my own clave de llanta (which I sell back to the rental company). I didn't need one again, that was good luck. Also good luck was the car didn't break down until we were done with it but hadn't yet returned it. We had lunch with the man sent to start it to return it because he couldn't get it going either.

Rick, yes, that definitely counts.
Phil

 

[lalaone]

These beautiful accounts remind me of an achingly lovely song I first heard from this forum, Our Lady of the Highways, courtesy of @Bradypus. I do not have a similar story...maybe one day though.

Our Lady of the Highways by Zoe Mulford

From the album Our Lady of the Highways

zoemulford.com

Blessed be the children and the strangers
We are all together, we are all alone
All the sleepless dreamers, all the restless angels
Bless all the wanderers far away from home
Red lights in the passing-lane - hundreds of pilgrims
All your fellow-travelers, you don’t know their names
Some come through here every day, some come from a long long way
Our Lady of the Highways loves them all the same