I have slept so many places it is hard to remember them all, but I will try!

Campground in North Truro, Cape Cod, MA

Hostel in Hyanis, Cape Cod, MA. (This place really needs a secure, dry place for bikes.)

Anna’s place, Newton, MA

Cliff’s place, Turners Falls, MA. Highly recommended for tired cyclists after a 95 mile ride! Great company and food.

Peter and Jenny’s place, Greenfield, MA. Warm hospitality and good friends.

Phil and Nadine’s place, Albany NY. This is Peter’s brother and his wife. Both cyclists and great hosts for a weary traveller.

Lock on Erie Canal. You can pitch a tent at any of the Erie Canal locks. Nice spot of grass, a real working lock, a port-a-John makes for a fine night.

… Can’t remember …

Warm Showers host, just outside Rochester NY.  OK. All you long distance cyclists, you must know about WarmShowers.org. Its like couchsurfing but only for cyclists. It is great to get a place to stay from a fellow cyclist. The couple I stayed with here were retired. They guy was over 80 and still an active cyclist, riding centuries for causes on a nice, light bike. His wife wasn’t as active due to Parkinson’s, but was great to talk with a fed me a very full breakfast.

… Can’t remember … there was a second lock in there somewhere

Paul Vanouse’s place, Buffalo, NY. Paul is my old neighbor from when I was a kid living in Oswego, NY. It was great to see him and his family for two days and catch up on times old and new. Things felt very much the same despite only having seen each other two or three times over all those years. I was even fortunate enough to be there at the same time as Eve, his mother and got lots of time to chat with her.

Hostel at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.  Just what a hostel should be with friendly travelers from all over and adequate quarters.

… No idea where I slept until …

Guest House, London, Ontario. Converted convent. Nice simple room, with bathroom down the hall. Shared kitchen. People to talk to.

… wow I really thought this would come to me as I wrote. I can’t remember anything until …

Warm showers host, Sarnia, Ontaria. Great guy. Rollled in late, without warning due to limited phone connectivity in Canada.

… getting sleepy. Must be time for nap at ….

Lucy and Ole’s place, Boulder, Colorado. I’m so glad to be here for a few days letting my body recover. It’s raining again. Hard. Wondering if there will be more flooding.

Loveland Colorado. Met woman at coffee shop who offered me a place to stay. Met her folks who she is taking care of and ride her recumbent trike. Fun.

The road to Laramie. After an early dinner in Fort Collins I headed north towards Laramie, thinking I would be paralleling the front range. I climbed until the light faded, finding a perfect tent spot at dusk. There was a little hill that hid me from the road and a nice flat spot just beyond and just outside the barbed wire fence that enclosed the range land. The ground was soft from recent rains, the sky was clear and the night was cold.

Laramie. After 20 miles up and 20 miles down I was in town, thinking I would ride another 25. That didn’t happen. I was tired . First night at Motel 6. Then plans really changed, with the forecast. It was now Sunday and both bike shops were closed, so no bike boxes could be obtained that day. Next night at the Ramada. Last night in Laramie split between comfortable room at the Ramada and a greyhound bus with no heat that arrived an hour late at 4:30 AM.

Reno. Casino. Ugh. Comfortable room. Cheap. Glad to go.

Tahoe! Hostel. Yes! Shared room with two other guys. Very chill place. Stayed two more nights in private room, since shared room was booked.

Hampshire Rocks. After coming down from Tahoe and up and over Donner Pass I was heading downhill, losing altitude as fast as I could and losing light faster than I liked. I wanted to lose altitude for a warmer night and for more air to breathe as I slept. I saw some day hikers returning to cars and inquired about camping. It was only a quarter mile in to some campsites, but the trail was going to be rough. I made it a couple hundred yards (meters) before having to stop. Rocks, boulders and thick brush made it tough going. I found a spot of level ground almost big enough for my tent. A large rock in the middle served as a shelf. My air mattress kept me off the stony ground.

Motel in Central Valley. The flatness of the Central Valley and wall to wall agriculture offers few spots for setting up a tent. I was also in need of a warm shower.

Independent motel just past Davis. Got in late after hanging out in Davis for music and a late dinner. Slept and hoped to make it to Santa Rosa and spend no more nights in motels for a long time. (Motel was just fine, for what it was, but I was so tired of motels and their neat, isolated little rooms.)

Santa Rosa! Four nights at Meredith and Steve’s place! Long and challenging ride and arrived after 9 to my cousin Meredith’s cheers as I came down her street. She and Steve were incredible, wonderful and awesome hosts. (See blog post for their general awesomeness, solar power, electric bikes and great times reconnecting with my Aunt Phyllis.)

Helen and Meso’s! After a long and wonderful ride down to San Francisco, over the Golden Gate Bridge, along to Golden Gate Park for the wheel dipping in the ocean, marking then end of my journey, a ride across the city and a Bart (subway) ride under to bay and up a ways, I arrived at Helen and Meso’s. Meso had just finished practicing in the garage. Helen and their young daughter Asha had long since gone to bed. Meso and I talked well past midnight, then I updated my blog to tell if the final day’s events. I slept well on their couch and was treated to acorn squash, coffee, toast and cereal for breakfast, along with getting to see Helen and meet Asha for the first time.

Rebecca’s place. It’s great to stay with friends. We got to catch up and talk about old times and new times, but mostly new times.

Tonight: Helen and Meso’s again.

Upcoming: Three nights on the train back to Boston.