A trip back in time

This past weekend my girlfriend and I went away for the night.  It's been a little crazy recently as my photography is picking up, life is happening, and we had found ourselves busy, stressed, and needing a break.  We decided to head to West Virginia to check out the zoo and a park I had stumbled across online one night.  Just about every person in 2019 has heard of Airbnb, and most people have used it.  I've been using Airbnb for about 2 years now almost every time I travel.  It's cheaper than a hotel room but also ads a sense of adventure to your trip.

For those who don't know how Airbnb works, here is a brief synopsis.  You go online and type in the area you are looking to stay.  You set your dates, budget, and needs such as beds, privacy, hot tub, etc.  Once you find a place you like, you request to book it.  Your request is hopefully approved and then you show up at some random stranger's door hoping they aren't an ax wielding psychopath.  Sounds fun doesn't it?

Making friends

We started out a little later than expected Saturday morning and made our way to the zoo.  The zoo was an experience, from the looks when you pull in the parking lot you don't expect it to be a zoo.  I've seen petting zoos that were more inviting this than place.  We sat in the car for a few minutes wondering if we had just drove 4 hours for nothing.  After some contemplation the ol' Forest Gump mentality kicked in and I decided, "well, I've come this far, I might as well keep on going".  I sure was glad that I did.  The zoo was small, friendly, welcoming, and quite amazing.  We fed birds, played with Alpacas, and watched 2 grizzly bear cubs terrorize each other.  After a few hours of snapping photos and just enjoying the zoo we headed out to our next destination.

Cooper's Rock State Forest was an accidental find a few months back.  Neither of us had ever heard of it, but it was about 40 minutes from the zoo and semi in the direction of our room.  The weather was starting to deteriorate but we headed for it anyways.  We didn't explore much, we went to the main overlook then hiked a short trail where we almost crashed the wedding vows of Jennifer and Steve (congrats btw folks).  As we were approaching the car it began to rain so we decided to go meet our psychopath host.

I found our room a few days earlier and it was listed at a discounted rate for the night.  I knew it was a shared residence where the owner was living there as well.  I messaged him that we were on our way to which he responded that he would not be there and to let ourselves in.  The place was amazing.  We were staying in the basement of his home which he had converted in to a small apartment.  Full kitchen, bathroom, sofas, table, and a bed.  It was absolutely beautiful with an amazing view of the mountains.  We settled in and decided to go grab dinner.  We ate at the local restaurant and hit the grocery store for creamer and breakfast.

View from our room

It was a rainy cool Saturday night.  A little later in the evening we were standing outside talking, the conversation turned to the idea of how Airbnb works and how some people are skeptical about it.  How it is this new concept instead of using hotels, which made me wonder.  Is this really that new of a concept?

Lately I've been reading some books of people who have adventured across the country on bicycle.  Every book has a handful of stories about strangers that these adventures meet who let them stay in their homes for the night, or week, or however long it may be.  The general consensus from these stories is that "there are still good people in this world".  But why is it "still good people", at what point did we begin to assume every person was bad?

I don't know if I'm blessed or cursed to have lived in a pre-9/11 world in which I remember when we didn't assume all people were bad.  The rise of 24 hour news coverage, social media, and a fear driven society has morphed our thinking to assume every person out there is an ax wielding psychopath.  Every story we hear is about murder, rape, terrorism, racism, greed, etc.  Why don't we ever hear these stories about the good things in the world?

I posed the idea in our conversation that the Airbnb concept is not actually all that new, but rather a reinvention of the old way of life.  You see, back before the rise of hotels in the 20th century, travelers would find a home along their way, go up to the front door and knock and ask to stay there for the night.  The hosting family would welcome them in, often feed and bathe them, and send them on their way the next day.  Many times without asking for compensation.  While Airbnb does require payment, and is not as hospitable, the idea of staying in a random stranger's house for the night is not new.

Cooper's Rock State Forest

Is this a shift to the old way of living?  A more trusting society?  A simpler concept of people helping people?  I don't believe so unfortunately.  I still believe we will take another person's kindness with a grain of salt, that we will still choose the safe route rather than the one we can learn from.  But my hope is that we can begin to break down the barriers and start to see the good in each person again.

I've learned a lot over the last few years of adventures and traveling.  I've met a lot of great people and have seen some amazing things.  Yet the question still lingers, why do I still live in a constant state of fear from a perfect stranger?  I hope they aren't as afraid of me as I am of them, after all, I know my intentions are good, why do I suspect theirs aren't?