Bicycling, Uncategorized

Warm Showers 2016, Part 2

This summer, the 40th Anniversary of the Adventure Cycling Association (nee BikeCentennial), has brought a surge of bicycle tourists.  No sooner had we clicked “Publish” on Part 1 of our guest gallery post that we got another round of requests.

conor_erin100_4682
Conor and Erin, former Peace Corps volunteers using a bike tour to settle into life back in the U.S. after 2-1/2 years in Tanzania.
dani_christian100_4683
Daniela and Christian, from Karlsruhe, Germany.

We had made plans to have our 14-year-old grandson visit us from Wisconsin in mid-August, after which we would drive him home and spend some time bicycling trails and back roads around Wisconsin and Michigan, for a second, gentler tour this year.

So, as of August 1, we put ourselves on the “not available for hosting” list with Warm Showers, having already accepted an advance request for the first week in August.  Another family from Germany, this time with two small adventurers in tow, 15 and 18 months old.  We’ve hosted babies and toddlers every couple of years or so, and the occasional dog who would rather ride bicycles than chase them.  The youngsters readily take to the traveling life, with the bicycle just another piece of furniture in their open-air home.

Stefanie and Ingitha, with their two toddlers in tow (behind Ingitha); Stefanie tows the supply trailer.
Stefanie and Ingitha, with their two toddlers in tow (behind Ingitha); Stefanie tows the supply trailer.
ingitha_kids100_4685
We keep a supply of toys left over from when our grandsons lived with us, to entertain our younger bicycle tourist guests.

Even though we were on the “not available” list, we got one more request, via a referral by an earlier guest. In the age of the Internet, the best way to plan a bicycle tour is to search for the stories of others who have gone before, in blogs, the “Crazy Guy on a Bike” journal, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Angela, corresponding with Nico, whom she had never met, got our name and contact information and called, having arrived in Shelton late in the day with no plans. Angela had met Mira, a Czech cyclist, earlier in the day. Of course, we took them in. Mira had a meeting set up in San Francisco, so forged on ahead after they reached Astoria, but we continue to track Angela on her journey as she overcomes hardships and meets new friends on the road, as we have many other guests over the past five years, now numbering over 150. And, now and then, we succumb to that urge for the open road and adventure at 10-15km/hr and set off on our own quest.

Angela, from Canada and Mira, from the Czech Republic, riding together for a few days on their separate tours.
Angela, from Canada and Mira, from the Czech Republic, riding together for a few days on their separate tours.  Angela was three days into her first long-distance tour, and Mira was finishing the last stage of a tour of the Americas that took him from Argentina to Los Angeles and Alaska to Washington, headed for San Francisco.

As I write this, we are in Wisconsin, having dropped off our grandson near Madison and circled Lake Michigan by car, taking time to ride when we can: a return to Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, riding a shoreline trail on the west shore of Lake Michigan, and riding around Washington Island, at the northern tip of Door County, Wisconsin, covering a bit less than 100km on the bike and over 5000km in the car.  The weather has been variable, with late summer thunderstorms dictating when and where we ride, making us glad we have the car to transport us between scenic trails, and to check out road and terrain conditions before we commit to a ride.