Wheels of kindness keep turning

Mike Liebler, right, visits with Vince and Jana Owens as they wait for lunch Wednesday before Liebler heads back out on his bicycle to continue his westward journey. He's cycling from Connecticut to San Francisco, but has had a several-day layover in Jefferson City.
Mike Liebler, right, visits with Vince and Jana Owens as they wait for lunch Wednesday before Liebler heads back out on his bicycle to continue his westward journey. He's cycling from Connecticut to San Francisco, but has had a several-day layover in Jefferson City.

The customer service supervisor at the Jefferson City Post Office took customer service to a new level this past weekend.

Vincent Owens not only tracked an important package throughout the weekend, but he made the recipient - a cross-country cyclist - a part of his family while he waited.

Michael Liebler, 30, and recently out of a long-term relationship, quit his job in Connecticut developing aircraft parts. Two months ago, he began a cross country cycling journey from Washington, D.C., to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Calif.

"It's just something I wanted to do. I wanted to get away from the craziness of Connecticut," he said.

He's following the American Discovery Trail, a series of trails and roads that form a coast-to-coast hiking/biking trail across the middle of the country.

But 1,700 miles into his journey, something unexpected happened. He had planned to make a short Saturday stop in Jefferson City that included picking up a care package with his medicine from the downtown Post Office. His parents had overnighted the package Friday.

At the Post Office on Saturday morning, Owens took a frantic call; Liebler's mother was inquiring about the status of the package. After telling her he would check the tracking information, Owens found Liebler in the lobby.

"I grabbed him and took him for a cup of coffee at Coffee Zone," Owens said. There Owens, a former Marine, introduced Liebler to a group of his military friends, many who also served in the Corps.

The package didn't come Saturday, but Owens and his wife invited Liebler to stay for dinner. "You're welcome to fill up on steak and brats, and we've got an extra bed," Owens told him. Liebler accepted the hospitality.

On Sunday, Owens and his wife took him to a family event at the home of his wife's sister in Westphalia. "Her family was exactly like mine," Liebler said. "Her family is German Catholic, and my family is German Catholic. (They're) really relaxed, we got along well."

On Monday, they brought Liebler to the Memorial Day Salute to Veterans airshow in Columbia.

All the while, Liebler said that Owens repeatedly checked on the status of the package, which had been delayed because of the holiday. It finally arrived Tuesday.

Liebler planned to resume his journey this morning.

"We sent him off fat, happy and well-rested," Owens said.

"This is definitely the most hospitality I've been shown" on the trip, he said. "I've had people stop and let me shower and give me a bite to eat. But this has kind of restored my faith in humanity," he said.