We spend today today in the wonderful town of Windthrop, which is made out to look like a “wild west” town with clapboard frontages and a frontier feel to it. In the winter it is a centre for cross country skiing with hundreds of miles of prepared trails around the town. The scenery was stunning in the summer but it must be breathtaking in the winter.
After a leisurely breakfast at a bakery, with excellent coffee, we strolled around and then checked out of our air conditioned hotel. That air conditioningwas really appreciated when we arrived last night as it was well over 100F.
Before leaving we met a couple on a tandem who had already been out for a ride. Rita and Gary lived locally and were really welcoming. They offered us a place to stay with them, which shows something about the company of cyclists here, but we politely declined as we had already been offered a place to stay by Tom and Carolyn.
We spent the rest of the day in the company of our www.warmshowers.org hosts, Tom and Carolyn Sullivan. Their hospitality was absolutely wonderful and we lazed around all morning, sorting things, reading and chatting. Tom and Carolyn have cycled all over the state (and indeed all over the world) and were full of useful information, tips and contacts.
Their house had a cool basement (in all senses of the word cool) which they used to accommodate passing cyclists. It was perfect. In the afternoon we went out with them to Patterson Lake where we swam, lazed about and chatted. It was really hot out of the lake, but was a lovely temperature to swim in. The lake was surrounded by the scrub hills which looked parched in the sun. However we were continually assured that the weather was unseasonably warm at the moment, but is due to drop off a little in the next few days.
Carolyn is a schoolteacher. She teaches Spanish and I am sure she has a wonderful relationship with her children. Tom has run an electrical contracting business for many years but was just in the process of retiring. They had lived in the valley for 30 years and seemed to know everyone, and to be on great terms with everyone.
Sitting out on their veranda that evening and shooting the breeze will live with us for a long time. I hope we have the chance to return their wonderful hospitality in England or in France very soon.
The Slow Cycling Blog 