Folks Of Interest A Sunday's "play" on the highway --

One thousand forty dollars: That’s how much Thomas Weller shelled out to keep his gas tank full in July 2008. The self-employed 60-year-old mechanic doesn’t have to spend his spare time on the road, but it’s a hard habit to break. Since 1966, he has cruised the San Diego highways looking for motorists flummoxed by flat tires and dead batteries. He pulls up in what was once a 1955 Ford station wagon (“I put it together from pieces”), grabs his tools, and fixes the problem-at no charge.

“My wife does worry about me, but I’m pretty careful,” he says. One 1970 stop still gives him chills. A car had broken down in the middle of the road, and the family were waiting in it for help. He persuaded them to stay behind a pillar while he drove to a store to call the highway patrol. When he came back minutes later, all he could see was black smoke where the car had been. Another vehicle had hit it, killing the other driver.

Weller was once a stranded motorist himself. Driving in an Illinois blizzard when he was 16, he got stuck in a snowdrift. The man who pulled him out waved off payment, saying, “Just pass it on.” And that’s exactly what Weller is doing. His business cards don’t have his name or number on it, just this: “Assisting you has been my pleasure. I ask for no payment other than for you to pass on the favor by helping someone in distress that you may encounter.”

Once in a while, someone recognizes the “San Diego Highwayman” and his pieced-together vehicle at a gas station and insists on filling the tank, which eases the sting of fuel costs. After all, it’ll take more than high gas prices to stop Weller. “It gives me a reason to get up,” he says. “This is what I do, and I’m good at it.”



Read more: http://www.rd.com/advice/travel/best-highway-helper/#ixzz3P8R5FlNO

 

Dog park jump start today -- I never know when the oppurtunity to assist someone will pop up

 

by theHighwayman on Sat Mar 07, 2009 2:07 pm

was in onea my down moods

headed out for a beach "loop"

right outta the gate, came upon a black rubber "trail" enterin the I-8 WB from the 125 SB that ended at a leetil, older, blazer SUV w a blown RF tire

gal sittin in it lookin pretty sad -- vehicle loaded w everythin she owns -- livin init -- well it HAS a spare but it's buried in the back and the back hatch winda won't open from the out side so she hasta crawl over everythin inside to pop it -- spares good -- but FLAT [ of course ] anyways -- I git the spare on and air it up while I'm sizin up her situation -- I ask her if she kin afford to buy a tire at a tire store - since "donut" spares aren't ment for long term use - nope - she tells me she was on her way to sell plasma to git gas money -- gas guage needle's sittin near empty -- she hasn't enuf gas to git to my "roost" so's I kin *give* her a tire -- Well, I make my decision, and put in 4 gallons [ savin 1 for the possibility that I might encounter someone needin it while travelin back to the "Roost"and gave her directions to git there - while Patti's gittin her life's story, [ cept we never got her name ] I fitted a matchin tire from my take-off stock kept fer JIST this purpose and gave her some MacDonalds gift cards for food -- couple of "Pass it on" cards as well -- ya never know

then -- ON with the "loop" agin -- crossed the bridge several times in the course of crusin thru-out the afternoon -- no incidents *there* that day

encountered 4 other folks in different places w varyin situations 2 outta gas, and 2 w flat tires, that I was able to assist outta their difficulities -- always enjoy surprisin people

hey, whatta ya know, I'm not "down" anymores
it is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that we cannot sincerely help another without helping ourselves in the bargain

 

this mornin, I went to Harbor Freight -- was standin in line @ the cashier, when, in the door came a good lookin young gal -- lookin right AT me w her beautifull smile -- walked right up to me and asked "are you, by any chance, the highwayman?" [ the Merc was parked right outside the door w Shela doin guard duty ]

I allowed as to how "yes, I've been called that a time or two"

She said I'd rescued her, out on the freeway one day, and she wanted to do sumthin for *me* whatever i was gittin there SHE wanted to pay for it!

Well, I was there this mornin because my well pump had seized up yesterday and I'd *purchased* a new one yesterday before I'd realized that I still had an "extended warrantee on the seized one -- I'd used money for the pump that I'd planned to use for a NEW service jack for the Merc as my old one's saddle broke some months back and i've been usin it VERY carefully since so i don't git hurt or damage someone's vehicle if it should slip or fail w the broken saddle --

anyways

I was hopin to git the pump expenditure returned RE the warrantee -- after which, I'd be able to purchase the jack I've needed as well

littl lady inSISTED on purchasin it FOR me and did so!

Thankee kindly Liz!



store manager refunded the purchase price of the new pump I'd purchased yesterday per the extended warrantee

NOW -- I have my NEW well pump -- the NEW service jack I've been needin --- AND i have FUEL money I wasn't expectin TO have, so's I kin go out to "Play on the Freeway" MORE often this week!

Life is GOOD!

now to git to "reflectorizin" the new jack so it stands out in headlights like the old one did when I'm "playin" out there --

the new jack all tricked out --



utilized the old jack's handle as it was already reflectorized and velcro wrapped

 

Good man. HRP

 

https://www.facebook.com/Bedeempled...74713.287842591246058/895123840517927/?type=1

thankee pardner

 

got *this* recently https://teresaelectra.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/in-gratitude-for-anecdotes-1/ feelin blessed

 

my card -- front & back -- that i give

to folks on arrivin

 

pass it on -- you never know -- "It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life, that you cannot sincerely help another without helping yourself in the bargain"



I jist love watchin this gal's face as she experiences her range of emotions

 

It always feels good to help someone,keep up the good work

 

Carefull stranger, I'm *ON DUTY* by SanDiegoHighwayman posted Mar 2, 2014 at 9:17 PM

10 - 12 years back --

 

I enjoyed this thread. You're a good guy, and doing God's work. I do believe you were saved for a purpose. Bless you and enjoy being compensated on these bargains!

 

Thankee kindly Gotgas

 

Shela's lookin a LOT like me -- a littl older, & gittin grey around the edges -- but still LOVIN to "ride"

 

A Sunday's "adventures" On The Road -- and in parkin lots

I just never know what a day will bring or who I might meet w my "observations"

The "situations" below are jist several of the SEVEN I was priviledged to participate in on this beautifull Sunday!

*My* "church" is the highway

First off, as I was leavin the swap meet, I noticed this classic panel delivery in front of me had a nearly flat RR tire -- didn't want to see him have a Blow Out if he got onto the freeway with it so I offered help

 

‎San Diego Highwayman‎toThomas Weller
July 30, 2015 ·


*THIS* is the place to BE if you LOVE old cars! MANY folks here HELPED bring Beulah BACK from the "dead" and helped me continue my "mission" of helpin others in the meanwhile -- To those who haven't heard of the"HAMB" -- it's the
"Hokey Ass Message Board" -- part of OldJalopy.com - -an international gathering of old car enthuistists whose knowledge and experience of and with OLD cars is staggering!

*this* is a thread of *mine* from a year ago on this wonderfull forum --





Folks Of Interest - A Sunday's "play" on the highway -- | The H.A.M.B.
Didn't even make it to the swap meet t-day afore I'd stopped TWICE to render aid -- first was a woman…
JALOPYJOURNAL.COM




Brent Foster doin his "ridealong" w me for the LA Times 2008 -- took this "still" of Shela & me that day -- it's our "identification" ever since - GOOD Onya Brent! Hey Brent, how do you say *beer* in Australia?

 

a blast from the past ---

cruisn the bridge by SanDiegoHighwayman posted Mar 2, 2014 at 9:17 PM[