Man, it PAYS to Help!

So here's the story:

Many months ago, I was out at Fort Stevens with the kids hiking. They LOVE to do that. As we were driving the short distance home, I noticed a perplexed-looking lady in a white Odyssey with California plates. I stopped for a minute and actually photographed some elk. Let's see if I can find the picture I took. Ahhh, I had the prescience to tag it in Picasa2 . . . here it is:

As anyone who's been to parking lot B would know, you're only going further out on a peninsula in the State Park if you head to the left. After I took my photos, the lady in the van waved a bit and asked if she would find a gas station going to the left. Negatory. She explained that she'd been driving with the gas light on for a while, and she was wondering where the closest place to fuel up was. Although many local people might not want to help one of "those Californians", I see it differently. In my experience, they generally bring their teeth and their money when they move here. So, it works for me. Also, I'm nice. And, she was my Odyssey sister.

We finally decided it would be best for her to follow me to the house, where I have gas for the generator/lawnmower stuff. I told her that if she disappeared from my rearview mirror I'd come back with fuel and find her.

So, we were trusting each other a lot. She came, I poured in some gas, and we talked for a few minutes. I noticed that she was wearing several articles of clothing that were Mountain Hardwear brand, and I mentioned it. I first saw the brand in the IMAX movie Everest, because it was on their tents and stuff. Also, having just read Ed Viesturs book, "No Shortcuts to the Top", I was especially enthusiastic. (He was their first sponsored athlete, and he's basically helped design and test their stuff and taken it to top of the fourteen mountains in the world higher and 8000 meters. He climbed them all without supplemental oxygen. He is the man. More so even than Lance Armstrong, in my book, because he did it all AND has a wife and kids AND kept it TOGETHER).

Anyway, Jane had the Mountain Hardwear (more on the company here, and their website is here) because she has a friend who works for them. She's from Oakland, and the company headquarters is near there. I gave her a business card and some other info, and she said she'd likely be able to get me a good deal on a nice jacket or something.

Many many moons past, and then one day I got a call from her. My crummy doctor handwriting bit me. I'd written my home number on the card and she dialed it. But, she didn't read the number right. She'd eventually called information and gotten the right number. Over the next while, we talked about what kind of stuff I was interested in, and she said she would put together a box. I think the stuff is either last season's, returns, or maybe demos. More time went by, and then one day not one, but two BIG boxes showed up at my house. The full retail on the shirts/pants/shorts/jackets/gloves/backpacks is around $3000. NOW we're talking about trust. Whoa.

She's not asking that much money for the stuff, of course. Generally she's asking about 1/3rd the price, and she's cool with me sending back any of it that I don't want. She just erred on the side of sending a lot since she wasn't sure of my size. Some of it is too big, and some is too small. She's also very cool with me letting other people in on it if they want. So, if you're bigger or smaller than me and wanting a fleece/goretex/gore windstopper/softshell jacket/vest-type thing/base layer/gloves, contact me and beg soon!

In short, it pays to help people! (Sadly, it doesn't always pay like this.) Jane rocks, and I LOVE Mountain Hardwear!! Now if I could just get them to make scrubs . . . that would be really cool.