Yesterday we took a day off at the Bicycle Bunkhouse. Over the last ten years or so Donn Olson has converted a former dairy barn on his property into a bicycle hostel. There's a kitchen, a common area with comfortable chairs and table, a television, bathroom and shower, several private rooms, and a loft with a large shared area for sleeping. And wifi too! Staying there is entirely free and there are suggested donation prices for the food Donn has purchased and stocked the kitchen with. (Extremely affordable.)
While we were there we spent time with Andre, a cyclist from Montreal who had just retired and was riding across the US. I installed a new front tire, Rach cleaned up her bike's drivetrain, we ate pizza, browsed the internet, read books, and took it easy. Rach also set up the tent in the former hay loft and glued the seams that were letting stray drops inside during rainstorms. Here's hoping it does the trick the next time we're camping in a downpour.
We traded a number of stories with Donn. He told us about some of his more memorable visitors, or times where he drove off in a storm to ferry cyclists in the last few miles when the weather turned threatening. He's a sweet guy with a very generous heart.
We got back on the bikes today and did about 64 miles to a small town called Bowlus. No showers here in the city park so we each had a hobo washdown. Weather was great and the miles came mostly easy after our rest. Nothing too exceptional - farms and trees, tiny towns, cows and donkeys, occasionally other touring cyclists passing in the opposite direction, good weather, and flat roads.
Tomorrow we start a long stretch of bike paths, entirely separate from traffic. Rach says we're going to do 100 miles. I'm sure she could. I might catch up the day after.
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Thank you for the post. We so enjoy each entry. We had pizza also - at Filippi's with Kellie, celebrating 35 years today.
ReplyDeleteRide safely.
Cheri
Thanks to Donn. It sounds like he already has one foot into heaven.
ReplyDeleteRead your reply to my inquiry about lights etc. Are there any more fire flies around? Maybe I could just stick a few in a bottle and use them or light? What do they eat anyway? We should also talk about eliminating redundancy. However, with one more pair of panniers available, may we can go luxe as far as a few items.
102 today. The heat is getting sort of old. It's like lobster. Lobster is great unless you have it with every meal and then oatmeal tastes better. No end in sight for this hot weather. The humidity has also been very high. Not supposed to happen in San Diego where its usually a "dry heat". I think I will write my Congressman. Or better yet, donny trump. He is going to make America great and I know I can trust him to get the job done. He is really GREAT, and I know this is true because he keeps saying it and he hates "fake news" so it's gotta be right! Ain't it?