It's not too often you get to pay someone back for their hospitality. Last summer we took a break from cycling in the hills of Switzerland and stayed at the home of Hans-Peter and his wife Monique. They had never met us but were mutual friends with some guys from our New Englander Tour in 2005. For three days Hans-Peter acted as our host and guide introducing us to Swiss culture. Monique fixed raclete for our first meal and Hans-Peter toasted our "summit" finish with champagne after a short and non-strenuous hike.
Hans-Peter or HP as his American friends call him, flew into Chicago before taking off on a 3000-mile bicycle journey following the Lewis and Clark Trail with two other fellow cyclists. We spent two days cycling the lakefront and showing him Millennium Park, Northerly Island, Navy Pier, Chicago architecture, and the view from the Hancock Building (and toasting that summit with a surprise bottle of champagne!) Of all the sights and sounds,he was most impressed with the number of trees in this city!
After we said goodbye to him at Union Station where he, Joe and Jeff would take the train to St. Louis, their starting point, and after teaching our Wednesday classes, we got in the car and headed to St. Joseph, Missouri to see my mom and, if we were lucky, to cross paths with the bike travelers as they followed the Missouri River. Before we left I emailed the St. Joseph News Press about their adventure and a reporter replied that she were interested in getting their story. I wrote back that I didn’t know when they would bike in but that they were staying at the Riverfront Holiday Inn.
Meanwhile, Joe’s blog, www.oldmensbikeride2009.blogspot.com reported that they were two days behind schedule. I emailed the reporter with Joe’s cell phone number. When they pedaled down Third Street last Friday afternoon and turned into the Holiday Inn’s drive, not only were Leo and I there to meet them but a reporter from NOW, St. Joseph’s Channel 3 Cable News! They were surprised to see us and the reporter pinned a microphone on HP and interviewed him exclusively for a few minutes. Later that night, while sitting with my sister Debby and my mom we got to watch their fifteen minutes of fame on TV.
Actually they’ve already made quite a name for themselves. They have re-named their adventure, Tour de Café, and are hitting as many small town cafes and diners as possible, meeting local farmers, retired folks, and Midwesterners while getting a true flavor of small town America.
