Warm Showers list

Today is the fourth and final day of my mini vacation and I must say it has been very nice. I have gotten lots done and found time to relax as well. No bicycling but due to plenty of yard chores, getting in exercise has been no problem. We had some diseased trees cut down last week and we have been cleaning the brush out of the yard this weekend. We also set up a pool for the kiddos.

But, the best part of the weekend has been having friends and strangers hanging out. We had a friend and her kids stay Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday night we had our first touring cyclists of the year and last night we had our second set of cyclists. Since Berea sits on the Trans America Route (formerly the Bike-Centennial route) we host cyclists fairly regularly. We had been doing this on occasion over the years when we see tourists in town. About ten years ago we discovered the Warm Showers list and we have been hosting more folks since then.

Warm Showers is a list on the web for touring bicyclists. You can go online and register for free. Once you are a member, you can host cyclists, but more importantly you can find housing if you are touring. We really enjoy hosting and typically get great stories out of it. Folks who are touring are just good folks. And, the added bonus this weekend has been that since they showed up right as the weather warmed up, we were able to sit on the back porch and chat as the sun went down. It made for a great weekend. If you are not a member, you should look into it.