Curiosity can lead to story ideas

By Dawn Slade
Posted 8/1/02

"Where do you get your story ideas?" Itís a question Iím often asked.

Some story ideas come from people calling or stopping in the office with a "tip" for me, press releases and some things literally fall into my lap - thereís no question about that.

But other times, my curiosity stumbles upon a story.

About two weeks ago, I was headed home for the day when I spotted a woman sitting by the road near a farmerís field entrance. She was painting and her bicycle was lying by her side.

Iíve been slowly gathering information for a story on bike riders, so I quickly turned around, pulled over and asked if I might interrupt and join her for a visit.

The woman, Marilyn Beffort, was very gracious and quite willing to talk with me.

In just a matter of minutes, I learned Marilyn was from Mill Valley, Calif., (north of San Francisco).

She and 12 others, who mostly met on the internet, are biking from Anacortes, Wash., to Bar Harbor, Maine.

Adventure Cycling out of Missoula, Mont., was the other source of connection for these 13 strangers. They supplied the group with maps of bike routes for the trip - and Milaca is on that map.

Lucky for me, Milaca just happened to be an overnight pit stop in their journey. Wow, was I glad I stopped to visit!

Marilyn began riding bike seriously four years ago. Sheís a semi-retired occupational therapist and the mother of grown children, which has allowed her time off for such a grand adventure.

The group, which consists of people from Utah, Texas, North Dakota, New York and even Denmark, began its journey in June and had travelled roughly 2,000 miles by the time I caught up with Marilyn.

She and her friend, Beany Wezelman (yes, thatís her name and apparently itís quite appropriate - I would have loved to have met her), have been riding the bay area hills two to three times a week in preparation for the trip.

But, this isnít the first biking adventure for Marilyn. Sheís toured the west coast and even spent six weeks touring Norway. So, sheís used to the hills (and mountains) and spending long periods of time on that tiny little seat.

Marilyn said the best part of the trip is stopping and meeting people along the way. She likes to stop at cafes and libraries so she can catch up on her email. "Some of us like to poke around a lot," she said.

Wherever the group decides to spend the night, they catch up on household duties (laundry mostly) or go their own way and explore the town theyíre in.

Of course, the scenery is another treat, "Itís wonderful. Itís great to see it up close," Marilyn said.

And, Marilyn is capturing America along the way. I found her with water colors and canvas, painting a picture of a barn and round hay bales in a field. Very Minnesotan.

By the way, the bikers arenít a bunch of yuppies or baby boomers in their 30s and 40s. In this group, the youngest is 52, while the oldest is 72.

As for Marilyn, sheís a mere 67, and still going strong.

A very interesting woman, Marilyn is the type of person who will continue to have more and more adventures - age is not a barrier.

Eventually, Iíll get that biking story finished (I need more bike riders to call me - hint, hint) and youíll hear more about Marilyn as she nears the end of her journey.

I realize itís tough for most people to ask others what theyíre up to and inquire about their life story, but thatís never been a problem for me.

People have heard me say, "Everyone has a story - or two." And Iím lucky to have a unique forum to share them with others.

As I said, I often learn of human interest stories through talking with folks and through press releases.

But every once in a while, my curiosity gets me, I pull my car over and I get real lucky!