I was touring in the British Isles with a friend. We were riding into a town in northern England and I was having a problem with a toe strap. I reached down to adjust it and a parked car jumped right in front of me with no warning at all! Because I was fully loaded, my maneuverability was not what I could have wished. I plowed into the evil vehicle, though at fairly low speed. No damage to the frame or fork and the car was unharmed. Unfortunately, my front wheel looked like a potato chip.
We started off in search of a bike shop, me wheeling my bike along on its back tire. Within just a couple of minutes, a passing car pulled to the curb in front of us. The driver jumped out and said "Looks like you need a wheel!" Of course, I was in no position to argue the point. He said if my friend would watch the bikes for a bit, he would see if we could get it taken care of. I got in the car and he sped across town, not to a shop but to his home. We went in the kitchen door and he introduced me to his wife who was cooking dinner. She said hello and acted as if this was a daily occurrence. Anyway, we went into the garage, where he had several wheels of varying sizes. Then it was back across town to my friend and our bikes. The wheel was not perfect but it was sufficient to get us to York, where there were lots of shops. He refused payment, saying that instead, he just wanted me to write with an account of our adventures when we got back to the States, He rummaged through his glove box and tore a corner off an envelope from the Automobile Association that had his address on it..
In York, I had a new rim laced to my old hub and we spent another two months on the road. I guess the moral of the story is, if you ever find yourself in a rather forbidding looking town with the unfortunate name of "Goole," don't be put off. There are angels there.