Not to diss fans of golden showers (the naive can do an internet search), but I'm a bigger fan of warmshowers.com. Warm Showers is a reciprocal bicycle touring exchange. Folks that have a spare room or some lawn space sign up to host traveling bike tourists, for free. They offer to provide some level of accommodation, as little as somewhere to set up a tent, and as much as a spare bedroom with dinner and breakfast. In return they are part of the Warm Showers network, and when touring can contact listed hosts found using the website or a handy phone app to find places to stay that don't cost a damn thing. If you're a host you don't have to put someone up if you're busy or don't feel comfortable with the arrangement. The website encourages and tracks recommendations for both hosts and travelers. Awesome right? Not much better.
This week I hosted my second traveling bike tourists in at my humble downtown Hartford home. Only the second in two years. Would have expected more being in this concentrated Northeast corridor between Boston, Providence, New Haven, and NYC. Sara and Pedro did mention that my profile photo was a bit frightening, well with the massive ice beard and crazy eyes. They were curiously surprised that with a recent haircut and summer beard I'm not all that scary. Perhaps I'll put a cleaned up photo out there, but then I could be deluged with European guests.
Sara and Pedro were a newlywed couple from Lisbon, Portugal that were one day into a two year exhaustive bike tour of North and South America. They are blogging the trip here. I was very impressed by their rigs and gear, and I've now decided to pick up a "hypercracker" before my next big tour. I predict that within a week they will be shedding some weight and either selling or shipping it. Pedro, a former engineer, had transitioned to being a professional chef. For dinner he made a delicious risotto that incorporated a bunch of fiddleheads I had waiting in the fridge. Sara, a lawyer, was tracking their budget and expenses was very pleased with the economy that Warm Showers allowed on their trip. I've been invited to visit them in Portugal, and looking at available Warm Showers hosts, it looks like a great place to test out a folding bike tour. My sister, Kristen, has been practicing her Portuguese for a couple of years now. Maybe we could make it a family bike tour and she could be my translator.
Sara and Pedro said that when they told friends they were passing through Hartford they got confused looks, nobody thought Hartford was worth a visit. After a short stroll down Main Street and Bushnell Park with a rest stop at City Steam Brewery, the couple swore they'd rebuff any future slights of this remarkable city. Hartford built some international cred with their short stay. With the East Coast Greenway passing right through Hartford, there is huge future potential to be a bike touring destination and waypoint. Anyone who has ridden the Allegheny Passage / C&O Canal route has seen the economic and community benefits of a long and largely off road multi-use path.
And don't forget, Bike to Work breakfasts coming up in the next two weeks. Friday, May 17th in downtown Hartford (and other cities). Thursday, May 23rd in East Hartford. Get free food and other goodies. Spread the word!
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