Chris Hardie's Blog

This past week I had my first experience hosting some cross-country cyclists for a night.  Quinn, Ken and Andy are biking from Portland, OR to New York, NY and came through Indiana, riding into Richmond on US-40.  I recently became the sole human occupant of a house with great space for hosting guests, and so I figured the least I could do is sign up for some opportunities to help out folks who find themselves on interesting journeys through the area.

WarmShowers.org is a resource for facilitating just that for cyclists, and it's a great way to find or offer lodging.  You can provide as much or as little information about your location and "amenities" as you want, and you're under no obligation to host anyone at any particular time.  It's similar to other resources like CouchSurfing.org or even Mennonite Your Way.

I was a little nervous about how the first hosting experience would go - what would they expect of me, would they stay up late into the night drinking my beer and watching old Weird Al Yankovich movies, etc.  But these folks were very quiet and low-key, and as you might expect from people who have been on the road for two months, they mostly just wanted to rest and take it easy.  I enjoyed doing a bit of cooking and doting to help make their time that much more pleasant.

If you're a cyclist who might take a trip at some point, or if you have some space to spare for those passing through your area, consider checking out WarmShowers.org.