Talk about life’s strange coincidences: Emily, aka Red Fork Hippie Chick, and I were capping a road trip Sunday with bread pudding at the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Okla., when Robby Love, aka the Roller Rapper, in a big RV stopped by during his Route 66 tour.
Love stopped in Sand Springs, Okla., the night before and was making his way down the Mother Road with a film crew. We didn’t know our paths would cross and, as luck would have it, we didn’t have a camera to mark the event. But both of us were interviewed by the film crew, so hopefully we’ll make the cut.
Emily had exchanged Route 66 information by e-mail to Love in the months preceding his tour. He seemed a bit startled to find that his pen pal was a 30-year-old marathon runner. Love had in his mind that he was corresponding with a much older lady because he didn’t think many younger people were interested in the Mother Road.
Wearing a straw cowboy hat, a sleeveless shirt, ripped jeans and his ever-present roller skates, Love flashed a toothy grin and cheerfully gave away T-shirts, bracelets and copies of his CD to Rock Cafe patrons.
But battling exhaustion and tour problems, Love seemed a bit down when we talked to him. Visiting children’s hospitals was part of his itinerary, and between that and war in the Middle East, he was wondering whether his efforts “to spread love” were enough.
We reminded him that there would be many more great people on Route 66 that he would meet. I also told him about Dennis Kinch, the man who is battling progressive bone disease and chronic pain and yet recently completed a walk of all of Route 66. I told Love that one of Kinch’s key philosophies was to “Do what you can, when you can.” Love seemed heartened by Kinch’s story and his motto.
We got a hug and autographed T-shirts from Love. He’s a big-hearted guy; if he’s in your area, go check him out on one of his tour stops and send him some love.
I was there. Good kid.